With the year well and truly winding-up, it’s time for the musical world to reflect on 2014 and all of its achievements, and on this, one of the nation’s grandest songwriting competitions have just revealed their well-deserved songwriter winners of the year.
The Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition, a fund-raiser that supports Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia, has handed out their four prestigious awards for 2014, after a panel of industry professionals voted on the best submitted Aussie tracks to this year’s comp.
Bringing home the ultimate prizepool of $50,000 is Husky Gawenda of the folk outfit, Husky, for their track ‘Saint Joan’. A gobsmacked Gawenda spoke of his win, “I’m honoured to win, that the competition supports Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, a great cause, makes it particularly rewarding. It is a big thrill for me for ‘Saint Joan’ to have been chosen from among so many great songs.”
Runners-up, although, at her age, this a silver place shouldn’t be donned as a loss, is Triple J’s 2014 Unearthed Artist of the Year, Meg Mac, who has taken home $10,000 for her art-pop smash ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves.’
Having had a cataclysmic year, the youngster commented on her latest achievement, “I am so proud to have ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’ a part of this competition and couldn’t be more excited to have it recognised along with some of my favourite songs. It’s also really special that songwriters can come together like this and money can be raised for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.”
Taking out the bronze medal of the competition is David Le’aupepe of the band Gang of Youths, for his indie rock anthem ‘Poison Drum.’ A humble Le’aupepe spoke of winning $5,000, stating he was “completely undeserving and mystified and extraordinarily grateful to Nordoff-Robbins and APRA AMCOS.”
The final musician to win big was Andy Bull for his track ‘Baby I Am Nobody Now’, who was awarded this year’s Encouragement Award which came with a comfortable $2,000 prize.
These are fantastic results for all four promising up-and-coming Aussie musicians, as well as Nordoff-Robbins, who as a result of this noble fund-raiser, received $170,000.00 for their cause. All prize money was provided by APRA AMCOS and music company, Alberts.
The Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition 2014 Winners
1st Place – AU$50,000: ‘Saint Joan’
Husky Gawenda (Mushroom)
2nd Place – AU$10,000: ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’
Meg Mac
3rd Place – AU$5,000: ‘Poison Drum’
David Le’aupepe (Published by Universal Music Publishing)
Encouragement Award – AU$2,000 and production package:
‘Baby I Am Nobody Now’
Andy Bull
