By Craig Horleman

MIDDLETOWN — A Middletown woman’s long, arduous journey will soon bring her to one of the biggest stages in the country.

Going by Nitro Nitra, the rock and soul singer will be the First State’s representative in NBC’s “American Song Contest,” which premieres Monday.

Based on the worldwide phenomenon, “Eurovision Song Contest,” organized for 65 years by the European Broadcasting Union and watched by 200 million viewers annually, “American Song Contest” will feature live performances of original songs by contestants representing each of the 50 states, five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., competing to win the nation’s vote for the best hit song.

The competition, hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg, consists of three rounds, as the artists perform in a series of five qualifying shows, followed by the semifinals and the ultimate grand final where one state or territory will emerge victorious.

The 56 artists span a wide range, from undiscovered talent, up-and-coming performers and rising stars to established singers, such as Michael Bolton representing Connecticut, Jewel representing Alaska and Sisqo representing Maryland.

Born and raised on the east side of Wilmington, Nitro Nitra attended the Charter School of Wilmington.

“I did talent shows and dance recitals. I’ve always had a passion to sing ever since I was a kid. And then, as I got older, I would be halfway in. I wouldn’t go fully in because I didn’t have the belief in myself,” she said last week.

“So I would sing for weddings, sing here and there, but I never really made the decision to work on the belief in myself. But then, 2018 is when Nitro Nitra was born, and I said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ So I first had to work on the belief of myself, so that I could be sitting here talking to you today. That was pivotal because first, you have to believe in yourself. And then that’s when the magic happens.”

The years between doing talent shows and weddings and the emergence of Nitro Nitra were worlds apart.

“On my journey of life, I can say that I experienced 15 to 20 years of just mental prison, from just traveling around to state to state, experiencing (drug) rehabs, in and out of rehab, bondage, institutions and just a life where I was just completely going around in a circle and not getting anywhere,” she said.

“So at the end of 2018, I had what I would call a mystical experience in a dream, and I was shown this clock tower, and I knew that it was time for me to work on myself. So at the end of 2018, I said, ‘I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to live the life of my dreams.’ I made the decision. I went inward, focused on myself and began to reprogram my subconscious mind, and I said, ‘I’m going to be a singer that travels all around the world and tell people my story,’ and here we are,” she said.

She described an angel at the top of the clock tower.

“I was looking at her, and she was looking at me, and she was saying to me, ‘It’s time for you to work on yourself.’ She was really just nudging me. ‘OK. Enough is enough. Time to get off the train and out of this circle,” the singer said of the dream that brought her back to her home state, where she settled in Middletown.

Taking a cue from the dream, she and her partner, Jimmy Church, wrote the song, “Train,” which is what she will be performing on “American Song Contest.”

“‘Train’ is really about a train being a metaphor for life. It’s just about being constantly on this train really going nowhere. You’re going somewhere, but it’s really not places where you want to be. But you have no idea how to get off the train, and you’re crying for somebody to possibly come in and help you with this. And nobody comes,” she said.

“And then, you find out, ‘Oh my gosh, it has to be me that gets off the train.’ So ‘Train’ is just all about my journey of constantly being on this loop of programs and conditioning and then being who I thought people wanted me to be and not being my true self and then finally coming home to myself.”

Nitra, a big believer in getting signs from the universe, said there were signals along the way that this was the song for her.

“So we wrote that song. It’s the guitar player and I. I was trying to stay focused on rehearsal. But he was like, ‘No, we’re going to write this song right now.’ And then that’s when I looked down, looked at the recording, and I saw three, three, three. So then, I focused in, and I said, ‘OK, cool. We’re going to do the song,’” she said.

“I then went in my car, and I’m driving home, and I’m playing the song the whole way. Then, there’s a couple that pulls up to the car. And they’re like, ‘What’s that song?’ I’m like, ‘This is called “Train,” and it’s not out yet.’ So when they drive off, guess what’s on their license plate? Seven, seven, seven,” she said.

“When we actually got the (acceptance) email from the show, we had to go in the studio and record the song. So when we go to record the song and the engineer sends the song back, guess what the timestamp is? Four, four, four.’”

In each qualifying round of the show, a 56-member jury of music industry professionals (one for each state and territory) selects one song to advance to the semifinals, while three songs will also advance after a three-day viewer vote. After the qualifying rounds, the jury will then select two “redemption songs” to join in the semifinals, for a total of 22 remaining acts.

The same selection process will be facilitated in the semifinals to determine the 10 acts that will compete in the final. Those results will be presented in “Eurovision”-style, with each jury member awarding their 12 points, then adding in the viewers’ points. The viewer votes will be weighted, with each state and territory worth 12 points. Much like in a presidential election, it’s not about a popular vote. It will be about winning as many states as possible.

The show has partnered with Atlantic Records to release every tune it features. Nitra says that’s a blessing in itself.

“That’s amazing to even be able to work with Atlantic and especially since I only released my first EP last year. That’s unheard of. It’s a total honor to even be here working with some amazing people,” she said.

And if her song should get chosen among all others for the grand prize?

“It would feel like I’m in ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,’ and I literally just got the golden ticket. That’s what this whole thing feels like right now. And I’ve always wanted that golden ticket, and then, here we are. So to win it would feel like that times infinity.”

“American Song Contest” starts Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC.