Montana boy: country roads to city stage

By Meghan Perea JONAH HILL MANAGEMENT TEAM

Jonah Prill, 24-year-old Billings native, has been staking his claim in the world of country music. From the flatbed stage of “Cowboys” in Huntley, Montana to the award winning, industry-renowned stage “The Listening Room” in Nashville, Tennessee and perhaps most notably, the viral world stage of TikTok, Prill is quickly becoming anything but a small town name.

Prill has been writing songs and playing guitar for the majority of his life, but it wasn’t until a snowy Montana day in 2019 that he crossed paths with Ryan Hayes, his now-manager, and began working on his first single release. Song by song, plane ride by plane ride, Nashville took note, and shortly after NBC reached out. With a humble smile on his face, and dirt under his calloused fingernails, Prill could not have been more thrilled when NBC asked if he would like to represent his home state of Montana in their new competitive series called “American Song Contest.”  

Based on the Eurovision Song Contest, the competition will include one artist from each of the United States, five territories and Washington D.C. as they compete for the title of “Best Original Song.” The show is hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson, and will air live on NBC. As Prill’s boot dust settles into the streets of LA this week, the rumbling of Montana’s pride and support in Prill is sure to ride with him through the finish line. 

NBC’s American Song Contest will air live on March 21, with Prill making his first appearance on the second episode airing March 28. Votes can be placed on your mobile device through the NBC or TikTok apps.