YouTube is a mecca for online cover singers, but a new show that recently got the greenlight, produced by Ryan Seacrest, seeks to make it just a little bit easier to break free from the crowd and find fame. The show is called Best.Cover.Ever, and will feature cover singers giving their best takes of popular songs, with the tunes hand picked by Seacrest. Ludacris will be on board to host the show, which will see a competition between cover singers culminating in the big winner getting the opportunity to share a stage with the original artist of the song featured in that episode. Song choices for the first show will consist of numbers from The Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato, and Jason Derulo. Submissions are already open, and run through May 19.
The kicker with this show is that neither Ludacris or Ryan Seacrest will be picking the big winners, nor will a panel of judges. Instead, the original artist will be watching the cover videos submitted and picking the two that they want to bring onto the show. The winner of those two will end up singing that song as a duet with the original artist. Simply record a YouTube video, following the guidelines, make sure that it’s set to either Public or Unlisted in privacy settings, and submit it on the website, which you’ll find through the source link. The guidelines are fairly simple; use your own backing track or none at all, record horizontally if you’re using your phone, sing through the entire song, don’t have any logos, artwork, or copyrighted material on your clothes or visible in the video, and upload it with “#BestCoverEver” somewhere in the title. Naturally, acapella and style-switched versions of the song are acceptable; a speed metal cover of “As Long As You Love Me” and a Reggae spin on “Confident” are both fair game, among other options.
There are, of course, a few restrictions. You can only cover the featured songs for each show, you can’t use a backing track that you didn’t create, you have to be 13 years of age or older, and you must either be a US citizen or be able to travel freely to and from the US. You can submit for all of the featured songs, if you wish, but you only have to submit for one to be considered for the show. If you get on, you’ll be contacted within three weeks.