PHOENIX — Twin sisters Maria Isabel and Maria Teresa Eguino will soon represent Arizona in a nationwide contest to find the next great American song.
The sisters, known professionally as Las Marias, are one of the 56 artists who will compete in NBC's upcoming "American Song Contest" and attempt to have their original song win enough votes to claim the show's top prize.
One musician or band was vetted and selected to represent each of the country's states and territories.
Las Marias has already released multiple albums and accumulated a faithful following of fans online.
In a 2015 interview with the Nogales International, the sisters said they moved to the border community of Nogales after their father was deported to Mexico. They quickly began singing at local venues and mariachi festivals.
“It’s an advantage,” Maria Teresa told the local newspaper. “We have both parts. We can learn from the United States and here.”
Inspired by the "Eurovision Song Contest," the upcoming American version will have the 56 artists go through multiple rounds of voting until one song is declared the winner. The NBC show premiers on March 21.
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