Songwriting Veterans Dominate Top Two Spots In USA Songwriting Competition

Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA (PRWEB) December 13, 2010

Results of the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition have been announced. Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles and prolific Los Angeles songwriter Ken Hirsch won the top two positions of the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. This also marks the first time that music industry veterans dominate the top two positions of the USA Songwriting Competition fifteen year history.

Toronto Canada based Alannah Myles and co-writer Nancy Simmonds won Overall Grand Prize as well as the first prize of the Rock/Alternative category with their song Give Me Love. Alannah Myles is known for her Classic Rock hit Black Velvet. Black Velvet hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1990, won a Grammy award in 1991 for the same song. That song has become a classic and is a mainstay on Classic Rock and Pop radio stations worldwide. With her latest win, Alannah Myles is launching a comeback. This also marks only the second time that the top prize went to a non-US based songwriter. The last time the top prize when to a non-US based songwriter was 2006 when Vikki Simpson of the group The Waifs won.

Ken Hirsch and co-writers Rosie Casey, Peter Roberts & Hillary Podell of Los Angeles, CA, won first prize in the Pop category as well as Overall second Prize with their song Is that So Bad. Ken Hirsch is a prolific songwriter with several hits on the charts and is well known for his number one hit I’ve Never Been To Me. Like Alannah Myles’s Black Velvet, I’ve Never Been To Me has also become a classic hit and is a mainstay on Classic Pop, Soft Rock and easy listening radio stations worldwide. Ken has also written hits such as Two Less Lonely People In The World, a top 40 hit for Air Supply which he wrote with late legendary songwriter Howard Greenfield. Ken Hirsch has his songs recorded by music legends such as: Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton. Ray Charles and Mary J. Blige.

Christopher Tin, an Honorable Mention winner of the 15th USA Songwriting Competition has been nominated for two Grammys at the latest 53rd annual Grammy Awards: ‘Best Classical Crossover Album’, and ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists’ for his USA Songwriting Competition song entry ‘Baba Yetu’. ‘Baba Yetu’ won an honorable mention award in the 2010 USA Songwriting Competition.

USA Songwriting Competition has a long history of having winners getting recording and publishing contracts, have their songs placed on the charts as well as having their songs placed on film and television. 2009 First Prize winner (country) was signed to Universal Records. 2005 First Prize winner (Pop) Kate Voegele was signed to Interscope Records the year after she won and had her winning song hit top 40 on the Billboard Charts, her latest album hit Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Album charts this summer. 2007 Overall Grand Prize Winner Ari Gold had his winning song Where The Music Takes You hit #10 on the Billboard Dance Charts. Darrell Scott, winner of the country category of the 2005 USA Song writing Competition had his winning song cut by award winning country singer Faith Hill. Judges include A&R managers from record labels such as Warner, Capitol Records, Universal, BMG/SONY Music.

The following is the list of winners of the 2010 USA Songwriting Competition:

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE

Give Me Love – Alannah Myles & Nancy Simmonds; Toronto, CANADA

OVERALL 2nd PRIZE

Is that So Bad – Ken Hirsch, Rosie Casey, Peter Roberts & Hillary Podell; Los Angeles, CA

OVERALL 3rd PRIZE

Be Inspired – (T. Custis, T. Haddon) Ason; Upper Marlboro, MD

FIRST PRIZES IN EACH CATEGORY

1st Prize – LATIN

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Songwriting Veterans Dominate Top Two Spots In USA Songwriting Competition

Kelly Clarkson, Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Ozzy Osbourne, Janelle Monae and Many More Select the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) 2011 Winners

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) May 02, 2012

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), the world’s foremost global songwriting event, is pleased to announce its 2011 winners. ISCs Grand Prize is awarded to New Zealand native Kimbra for her song Cameo Lover, entered in the Pop/Top 40 category. Kimbra also holds the distinction of having won First Place in the Pop/Top 40 category in 2010 for her song Settle Down. The Grand Prize winner takes home $ 25,000 in cash (US) and an additional $ 25,000 in merchandise and services.

Called the songwriting competition to take note of by the New York Times, ISC was

established in 2002 and awards more than $ 150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and

professional songwriters around the globe. This year was the most competitive of any year

in terms of quantity and quality of entries, and winners were selected from over 16,000 songs

submitted from 112 countries worldwide. Judges included iconic artists Tom Waits, Jeff Beck,

McCoy Tyner, Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monae, Ozzy Osbourne, Lucinda Williams, Tori Amos,

Wynonna, Keane, and many more. In addition to the high-profile artists, the roster of judges

also included five record label presidents as well as other industry leaders, offering songwriters

the unprecedented opportunity to have their music heard by influential decision-makers. See

below for the complete list of judges.

For a complete list of 2011 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

Winning ISC’s highest honor is New Zealand’s latest export, the quirky and wonderfully eclectic artist Kimbra. Kimbra has recently exploded onto the international music charts as the featured singer on Australian artist Gotye’s current #1 hit song, “Somebody That I Used To Know.” Her recent TV performances with Gotye on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Saturday Night Live were electrifying and introduced her to the US public, fortifying her meteoric rise to fame.

Only 22 years old, Kimbra began writing songs and performing at the age of 10. Spending her early years gigging around her native New Zealand, it was only once Kimbra borrowed a small eight-track recorder from her schools music department that her songwriting blossomed in earnest. Since then, she has made enormous strides in her career. Her debut album, Vows, was released in 2011 in New Zealand and Australia, and in its first week of release the album charted at #3 in New Zealand and #5 in Australia (peaking at #4 on the ARIA Charts). The album will be released in the US and Canada on May 22.

Accolades include winning the 2011 NZ Critics’ Choice awards and also the Best Female Artist for Cameo Lover at the 2011 ARIA awards.

Even at such a young age, Kimbra already possesses great maturity and musical sophistication. Candace Avery, the Founder and Director of ISC, says this of Kimbra:

We first became aware of Kimbra in 2010 when she entered ISC and won First Place in the Pop/Top 40 category with her song Settle Down. At that time we knew she was one of those artists who had “it”. As a songwriter, her eclectic and somewhat quirky songwriting made her stand out. As an artist, she brings her songs to life with her unique vocal styling and compelling stage presence. Kimbra is rapidly establishing herself as a significant talent and a fresh and exciting new voice on the international music scene. We are proud to have her as our 2011 Grand Prize winner.

To download low-res photos of all winners, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

For high-res photos, please contact Candace Avery at cavery(at)songwritingcompetition(dot)com

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters also share the spotlight for winning their respective categories in ISC 2011. These winners represent diverse cultures and range from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans. See below for a complete list of ISC 2011 winners.

Applauded for its high caliber of judges, ISC compiled a stellar panel of judges for the 2011 competition, including:

Recording Artists: Tom Waits; Tori Amos; Jeff Beck; Lucinda Williams; My Morning Jacket; Kelly Clarkson; Ozzy Osbourne; Keane; McCoy Tyner; Wynonna; Francesca Battistelli; Janelle Monae; Billy Currington; Tegan and Sara; Massive Attack; Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor (Duran Duran); Michael W. Smith; Alejandro Sanz; Johnny Clegg; Jeremy Camp; Ray Wylie Hubbard; John Mayall; Craig Morgan; Basement Jaxx; James Cotton; Sandra Bernhard; Trombone Shorty; Robert Earl Keen; Black Francis (The Pixies); Mose Allison; Robert Smith (The Cure); Amadou & Mariam; Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.); Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); and Matt Thiessen (Relient K)

Industry Executives: Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); David Massey (President, Mercury Records); Brian Malouf (VP A&R, Walt Disney Records); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG); Ric Arboit (President, Nettwerk Music Group); Anastasia Brown (Music Supervisor, FORMAT); Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show); Allison Jones (VP of A&R, Big Machine Label Group); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids); Kim Buie (A&R and Artist Manager, Thirty Tigers); Douglas C. Cohn (Sr. VP, Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Trevor Jerideau (VP of A&R, RCA Records); Antony Bland (Co-Owner, CandyShop Management); Steve Smith (VP of A&R, Aware Records); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); and Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment)

Sponsors included: Presonus, Lowden Guitars, Sennheiser, Posse, Mrs. Fields Cookies, ASCAP, Berklee College Of Music, D’Addario, Thayers, Onlinegigs, SongU.com, The Music Business Registry, SongTrust, Independent Mastering, Indie Venue Bible, George Stein, Esq., Sonicbids, Taxi, and music Submit.

ISC is now accepting entries for 2012. Go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com for more information and an entry form.

The complete list of ISC 2011 winners is as follows:

Grand Prize

Cameo Lover – Kimbra (Auckland, New Zealand)

AAA (Adult Album Alternative)

First Place

Celia – Anna Heiberg Macdonald (Annah Mac) – Auckland, New Zealand

Second Place

For What It’s Worth – Maggie Eckford, Nathan Finochio – Nashville, TN, USA

Third Place

All My Love Is Gone – Dallas Frasca, Jeff Curran, Pete McDonald (Dallas Frasca) – Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Honorable Mention

Everybody’s Lost Someone – Matt Joe Gow (The Dead Leaves) – Melbourne, VIC, Australia

L.A. Can Wait – Michael Tiernan – San Diego, CA, USA

Les Filles Francaises – Gavin Duffy, Lewis Parker (The Jude) – London, England

Moonshine – Todd Michaelsen (My Pet Dragon) – New York, NY, USA

One More Last Chance – Tim Chapman London, England

RGB – Nuno Goncalves, Sonia Tavares (The Gift) – Alcoba

Kelly Clarkson, Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Ozzy Osbourne, Janelle Monae and Many More Select the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) 2011 Winners