A KHTS sponsored contestant, Savannah Burrows, will move on to the State finals for the annual Country Showdown after winning the preliminary rounds at a local music store and at the Concerts in the Park event in Central Park on Saturday.

Savannah Burrows, a Santa Clarita singer and songwriter who only performs her own original music, is no stranger to playing for large crowds.

She has performed for a large audience of 3,000 in Los Angeles as well as at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn., where Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks were discovered. In Valencia at a music festival, she opened for the Swon Brothers, who were nominated for the Academy of Country Western Music’s “Vocal Duo of the Year.”

However, she faced an even larger crowd Saturday night. Over 8,000 Santa Clarita residents showed up to hear the local finalists for the Country Showdown competition: Burrows, Jarett James and Joshua Wade Aigner.

“It was really exciting,” Burrows said, “and one of the best days of my life.”

She added that the concert was an incredible event, and that her mission is to take the lessons she learned from the performance and use them to become better.

“I cannot describe how cool it was singing to my hometown,” she said. “I’m learning that working very hard on my music allows me to continually improve.”

Burrows will travel to Knott’s Berry Farm in September to compete in the California finals. If she wins there, she will be on her way to the western regional finals and finally to the national finals in Nashville.

The national finals for the competition will take place in the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It will be a national television special, hosted by LeAnne Rimes, with the singers performing for a prize package worth $100,000, including a recording contract.

Previous winners include Jason Aldean, LeAnne Rimes, Billy Ray Cyrus, Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and Miranda Lambert.

Even those who don’t ultimately win the competition often go on to achieve fame. Some famous losers of the competition include Tim McGraw, Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood. 

Photos: 2016 KHTS Country Showdown At Concerts In The Park Photos

Burrows believes she can win the entire competition “If I keep pushing hard,” but is focusing on readying herself for the immediate challenge of the state, regional and national finals.

“I’m super excited and I am looking forward to it,” she said. “I can’t wait and I can’t describe how cool it is to be in this competition.”

The local round of the competition was sponsored by local businesses: Reeves Complete Auto Center and Keyboard Galleria.

Last year’s KHTS winner and two-time Country Showdown finalist Suzanne Harper and her band, Talk Like June, was the headliner at Saturday night’s show, performing after Burrows, Aigner and James.

For more information on the Country Showdown, click here.