SAIPAN’S Matthew Sablan will share the spotlight with some of the big names in the national music industry when he competes in the 2022 American Song Contest that will start on March 21.
Brought to the U.S. by NBC, the competition is a U.S.-centric version of the Eurovision Song Contest, the world’s biggest live music event. The hosts will be singer Kelly Clarkson and rapper Snoop Dogg.
Sablan, also known as Sabyu, will be among the 56 performers representing their respective states and territories. He will be competing in the third episode of the event on April 4 (April 5 on Saipan).
The contest will feature a huge range of music genres and styles, and the winning act “will be determined through fan votes and ‘a jury of music industry professionals,’ earning the title of Best Original Song.”
Representing the CNMI, 28-year-old Sabyu will compete with famous musical artists such as Michael Bolton, who will represent Connecticut, and other big names in the music industry.
“We are very excited to see Eurovision’s show come to America with such amazing acts!” said Catherine Holden of MPRM Communications which is spreading the news about the American Song Contest.
“It is such an exciting journey we are about to embark on and we hope the contestants and America are just as excited,” she added.
Sabyu said he learned about the competition in an email from a Los Angeles casting agent.
“He asked me if I wanted to be on a TV show. At first I thought, ‘Man, this has gotta be spam.’ But in good faith, I went ahead and hopped a phone call with them.”
They told him about how NBC bought the rights to Eurovision, which will be called the American Song Contest in the United States and the territories.
Asked about his music genre, Sabyu said, “I don’t like using genres to define my music, but if anything, I’d call it world music. It has a mix of island acoustic, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and more. My influences vary far and wide, impacted by songs I listen to, people I jam with, and mentors who showed me how to play.”
He said “as a young island boy, I remember hearing local Chamorro-Carolinian music in Saipan either on the radio or at family gatherings. When my family moved to Hawai’i, Braddah IZ and Bob Marley came into my life.”
“With the culture shock of moving to Washington state,” he said, “I discovered grunge, rock, hip-hop, rap, metal, jazz, R&B, folk, country, and everything in between. Artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, MxPx, and Nujabes still have a lasting impact on my sound as a musician. In high school, my friend and I bought a cheap audio interface and hooked it up to my computer. We started messing around with crazy sounds and eventually made beats that we recorded raps onto. We gathered an album’s worth of songs, burned them onto CDs, and hustled them in the hallways of our high school.”
Sabyu said those were “good times…. In college, I continued writing and recording original music. I majored in Ethnomusicology at University of Washington in Seattle which opened my ears to beautiful music from different parts of the world. Guided by master visiting artists from their respective foreign countries, I soaked up everything from Indonesian Gamelan, Afro-Peruvian Cajón, Traditional Spanish Guitar, Zimbabwean Marimba, West African Drum & Dance, Gospel Piano, and more. The breadth of different styles of music made a huge impact on how I listen and create. At UW, I also became a certified audio engineer which gave me more solid skills in music production. A few EPs and albums later, my music journey has carried me into gigs, professional jobs, and now into the American Song Contest.”
As one of his songs, goes, “You can take the boy from the island but not the island from the boy.”
Sabyu said he owes his success to “many incredible people.”
He added, “My foundation in guitar and music theory was blessed by Scott Askew, my guitar teacher. I hold lots of love and appreciation for my Mom who encouraged me to learn and play music since ever since — taking me to all my guitar lessons! I thank my Dad, brother Corey, and sister Kaela, for supporting this entire time along my way.”
He also owes “a ton to all my music mentors in the UW Ethno program, Daniel Pak and Thaddeus Turner of Totem Star, Shing02, Marcus D, Substantial, Cise Starr and the whole Nujabes / Hydeout community. I give much love and shoutouts to my co-creators, Chief Javi, Georgie Camacho, Vanz, MC Ziro (all 670 natives!), A.D.V.I.S.S., Shin Nakane, Jeremy Castro of Brand Marinade, Ninguyu, Yaya Burgado, and many more!
“And of course, huge shoutouts to my current bandmates — Gerson Zaragoza, Chris Mena, Skúli Gestsson, and Mike Kohfeld — who all play a major role in the song I’m performing for the American Song Contest. Much love to all my familia both in Saipan and stateside for continuing to ride this wave with me and for the constant love and support! I’m proud to be repping the Northern Mariana Islands in the American Song Contest!”
Saipan’s Matthew Sablan, a.k.a. Sabyu, will represent the NMI in the American Song Contest.
Sabyu says he plays world music: a mix of island acoustic, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and more.
