NZ Songwriters Honored In Us-Based International Competition

New Zealand Songwriters Honored In US-Based International Songwriting Competition

Celebrity Judges Award Grand Prize To Joshua Hanson (Yellow Red Sparks) For His Song "Monsters With Misdemeanors"

May 2, 2013 - The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the world's premier songwriting event, recently announced its 2012 winners. Over 20,000 entries were submitted from 119 countries worldwide, and for the first time ever, more than half of the competition's 68 winners are from outside the USA. With three Grand Prize wins in ISC's eleven-year history, New Zealand songwriters have stepped up to the plate this year for another strong Kiwi finish. Kimbra Johnson and Louis MacDonald each claimed First Place in their respective categories. New Zealanders also received eight Honorable Mention showings in this year's competition.

Coming off a 2010 First Place win with "Settle Down" and the coveted 2011 Grand Prize for "Cameo Lover," Kimbra Johnson returns to the songwriting competition playing field with another pop hit destined for success--"Good Intent," co-written by Australian film composer and music producer Francois Tetaz. New Zealand native and Melbourne-based pop artist Kimbra Johnson was awarded Best Female Artist at the 2011 ARIA awards. Her feature on Gotye's internationally acclaimed hit song "Somebody That I Used To Know" reaffirmed her place in the spotlight and paved the way for her full-length debut Vows, available worldwide. Francois Tetaz received APRA's Feature Film Score of the Year in 2006 for Wolf Creek, produced Gotye's Making Mirrors album (including "Somebody That I Used To Know"), and co-wrote and produced several songs with Kimbra on her debut album, including "Settle Down," "Two Way Street," and this year's ISC First Place Pop/Top 40 song. Kimbra and Tetaz have also received an Honorable Mention for the same song in the Performance category for this year.

17-year old Louis McDonald has taken this year's First Place win in one of ISC's most competitive categories--the Teen category--with his song "You Would Know." In addition to the regular prizes awarded for winning the Teen category, McDonald also wins a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music's 5-Wk Summer Performance Program in Boston, MA, USA. McDonald founded the band Five Mile Town in 2011, and their self-titled debut EP was released soon after in March of 2012. Following their debut release, the band took New Zealand by storm and has since played some of the best festivals and top venues in the country. This year, Five Mile Town is journeying across the Tasman Sea for an Australian tour; armed and ready for new adventures with a brand new single in hand, called "Kids And Their Chemicals." They were recently nominated for Rip It Up's "Best New Act" in New Zealand and were invited to showcase at the prestigious South By South West (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas earlier this year. With McDonald's songwriting talents at the forefront and a strong group of determined band mates behind him, Five Mile Town has only just begun its journey down the road toward undoubted success.

In addition to those mentioned above, the following New Zealand songwriters also received Honorable Mentions in their respective categories:

• "All You Want Is Money" - Tom Lark, Sharon Fowler - Christchurch, NZ - AAA (Adult Album Alternative)
• "I'm So Shallow" - Darren Watson - Wellington, NZ - Blues
• "Walk Forward In Motion" - Phil Stoodley - Auckland, NZ - Music Video
• "Good Intent" - Kimbra Johnson (Kimbra), Francois Tetaz - Auckland, NZ/Melbourne, VIC - Performance
• "My Calculator" - Zoe Fleury, Henrik Jonback (ZOWIE) - Auckland, NZ - Pop/Top 40
• "Golden Girl" - Georgia Nott - Nelson, NZ - Teen
• "Love Alone" - Andrew Spraggon, Trevor Rennie (Sola Rosa) - Auckland, NZ - World
• "Tutuki" - Opetaia Foai - Auckland, NZ - World

"ISC's mission is to inspire and promote greatness in the field of songwriting," says Candace Avery, Founder and Director. "It is humbling to hear so many talented songwriters, and it is gratifying to play a part in the growth of the winners' careers." Established in 2002, ISC awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and professional songwriters around the world. Past ISC winners include Gotye, The Band Perry, Kasey Chambers, Amanda Palmer, Gin Wigmore, King Charles, Kimbra, Passenger, Andrew Bird, and many more.

Winning ISC's highest honor, the Grand Prize, is California native Joshua Hanson for his song "Monsters With Misdemeanors. The lead singer and songwriter of the award-winning indie folk/rock trio Yellow Red Sparks, Hanson is the son of a lounge-singing mother and a theatrically trained father. From a young age he was always fascinated with words and how the stories would unfold through the liner notes of some of his favorite songwriters. His ability of expression is eloquent and effortless, crafting and delivering candid and poetic lyrics that elicit the slightest hint of bittersweet heartache. Candace Avery, Founder and Director of ISC, says, "The judges loved the song for its sparse honesty and achingly tender lyrics. ISC is very excited to honor such a talented songwriter, and we anticipate a brilliant future for this promising artist." Yellow Red Sparks released their debut full-length CD in early 2013, and it has already garnered glowing reviews and the attention of music taste makers.

For a complete list of 2012 ISC winners, to hear the winning songs, and to download low-res photos of all winners, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

Applauded for its high caliber of judges, ISC compiled a stellar panel of judges for the 2012 competition. In addition to celebrity artists, judges also included seven 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.

Recording Artists: Jeff Beck; Nas; Tom Waits; Bernie Taupin; Martina McBride; Duran Duran; Janelle Monae; Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks; Robert Smith (The Cure); Bruce Hornsby; Suzanne Vega; Michael W. Smith; Darryl McDaniels(Run DMC); Mark Foster (Foster The People); Alejandro Sanz; Gerald Casale (Devo); Bill Evans; Anthony Hamilton; Brian Setzer; Avicci; Wynonna; Keane;Jeremy Camp; Tegan & Sara; McCoy Tyner; Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show); Francesca Batistelli; Craig Morgan; James Cotton; Robert Earl Keen; Black Francis (The Pixies); John Mayall; Anoushka Shankar; Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers); Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); Los Temerarios; Billy Currington; Sandra Bernhard; Basement Jaxx; and Matt Thiessen (Relient K)

Industry Executives: Dan McCarroll (President, Capitol/Virgin Label Group);Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); Alison Donald (Co-President, Columbia Records UK); Ed Vetri (President, Wind-Up Records); Richard Stumpf (President, Imagem Music US); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Albert Schilcher (VP Music & Music Mktg, MTV International); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids); Steve Smith (VP ofA&R, Aware Records); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Lori Tieg (VP of Talent, VEVO); Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Kim Buie (Head of A&R, Thirty Tigers); Douglas C. Cohn (Sr. VP, Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Allison B. Jones (VP of A&R, Big Machine Label Group); Jack Vaughn (VP, Comedy Central Records); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); and Jamie Masada (Owner, Laugh Factory)

Sponsors include: Presonus, Lowden, Marshall Amplification, Grooveshark, Solid State Logic, Berklee College Of Music, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Airplay Direct, DiscMakers, Thayers, SongU.com, The Music Business Registry, Independent Mastering, Indie Venue Bible, George Stein, Esq., Sonicbids, Songtrust, and Taxi

ISC is now accepting entries for 2013. Go to www.songwritingcompetition.com for more information and an entry form.

ENDS

© Scoop Media