Yam Haus: “There has never been this much lead up to performing one single song in our lives.”

In just 24 hours the premier of the American Song Contest will start – but before the show airs we got a chance to interview Minnesota’s representative Yam Haus! Together we chatted about how they learned about ASC, how they came up with the band’s name, and so much more. Check it out below!

Hello there Yam Haus – I’m excited to have the chance to interview you! For our readers who have never crossed paths with you or your music, why don’t you introduce yourselves?

Thanks for being willing to interview us! We’re a band from Minneapolis, MN made up of Lars Pruitt (front man), Zach Beinlich (bass), Seth Blum (lead guitar) and Jake Felstow (drums).

And of course, you’ve been announced to represent your home state of Minnesota in the American Song Contest this year! How has life been for you all since the cast was revealed on March 3rd?

We’re blown away that we got asked to represent Minnesota. There are so many talented artists in our state, so it was a huge honor to be asked. Life has been very eventful with all the prep leading up to a live show like this one, but we’re so excited to perform our song.

Speaking of Minnesota, some of our international readers might not know a lot about your state. What are some of the best things about your state?

Some of the best things about our state are the supportive people, the four seasons, the music scene, hockey, and the unbelievable food and coffee.

Now I’m interested to learn more about how Yam Haus first came together. How did you all first meet, and at what point did you realize you wanted to make music together?

Three of the guys grew up playing music together and me (Jake) in college. That’s when we all quit our jobs and started the band. We moved into the same house together (which we called the Yam Haus).

The Yam Haus, a good pun I like it! And your band name is extremely original – how did you come up with the name for the band?

We decided “Yam” should stand for You Are Me- which was our way of saying to treat people well. It was even more of a reminder for us who were spending the majority of our time together. Since we all lived in the same house, we thought Yam Haus would be quirky enough to work.

While I know that you’ve performed alongside music greats like Adam Lambert, Tori Kelly, Kacy Musgraves and more. But if you had the opportunity to pick one artist or band to collaborate with on a new single, who would you invite to the recording studio and why?

We would love a Taylor Swift collaboration! She’s been an artist that we’re inspired and blown away by no matter what she releases. I think her and Lars’ voice would blend well together. Taylor if you’re reading this, what do you think?

Here’s a bit of a hard question for you all – what is one thing that people would be surprised to learn about each of you? Like something that they wouldn’t be able to find on social media or the internet.

Seth- he’s an eagle scout
Zach- was a camp counselor before joining the band
Lars- takes ice baths every day
Jake- he is a big coffee snob

Those are some good facts – you heard it here first folks! Let’s focus over to the American Song Contest, the big reason we’re all here. How did you first hear about the contest and what made you decide to enter a song into the song portal?

We got word through our management that this show was coming to America and thought it might be worth submitting a song. We’ve had overwhelming support from the midwest since we began,
but thought this would be a great way for new people to hear about our music.

I know that your song isn’t out just yet, and you can’t tell us too much about it. But can you tell us about how the song came together? Was this the only song you considered submitting for ASC?

The song is called “Ready To Go.” It started with Zach creating the bass and guitar part in the garage in summer of 2020. He didn’t think it would even be a Yam Haus song. Lars immediately came up with the Chorus after Zach showed him the demo. Its more rock n roll than some other Yam tunes, but it felt right. We considered a few others for this show, but felt like the right amount of energy for a show like this.

I’m aware that you’ve played concerts and tours across the country in the last few years, but a televised song contest is a completely different process to figure out! What are you most excited about for the show or your life performance and is there anything you’re a little nervous about?

We’d be lying if we said we weren’t a little nervous to perform on this show. There has never been this much lead up to performing one single song in our lives. It puts a lot of pressure on the moment we get up on stage to introduce this song to America. But overall, we’re pumped to let loose and give this moment everything we got.

For our readers who want to connect with you ahead of or after the contest, where can they find you and your music?

You can find us on every main social and streaming platform including Spotify, Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter,  and YouTube to name a few.

Alright, one final question for you – is there a final message you’d like to share with our readers?

Yes- we would LOVE if you watched and voted for our band on March 21st on NBC. We’ve given this dream everything we have and can’t wait for you to hear this song.

Well Yam Haus, I want to thank you again for your time today and we wish you the best of luck in the American Song Contest moving forward!

Remember #YOU can catch Yam Haus on the first episode of the American Song Contest on Monday night, March 21st, at 8 PM Eastern/7 PM Central. #YOU can also jump into the ASC discussions on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!