The winners of the second Stortford Young Songwriters Competition (SYSC) have been officially announced with three talented young songwriters achieving top marks from SuRie, Jon, Josie and Georgia for their compositions.
The winner of the senior category (School Years 10-13) was Logan Dobson who goes to The Bishop’s Stortford High School. His rap-inspired entry Long Way won universal praise from the judging panel.
“Whoa, I enjoyed this so much,” said SuRie. “Such tight production, great mood and style and then hitting me with this engaging vocal and top line. You spit some serious bars and had every syllable super clear. This is seriously impressive and not an easy balance to mix in this genre. Totally worthy winner. Congratulations. Bring on your EP!”
Bishop’s Stortford College student, Quincy Mastin, won the School Years 7-9 category. His song Lost was a blockbuster hit with Josie who praised Quincy’s catchy melodies and his cinematic composing style.
“A beautiful vocal line with repetitive and catchy patterns that hook the listener in,” she said. “This is like a pop-musical theatre fusion, with Panic at the Disco influences and a bit of James Bond theme in there too, creating a really expansive soundscape. Bravo!”
“Great use of drums which gave the piece a driving force,” said Jon. “The song had plenty of space and real structure. The ending really worked with the vocals hitting those higher notes with piano and drums building. Great work.”
The winner of the School Years 3-6 category was Florence Macfarlane, who’s a student at Northgate Primary School, for her song I’m Going to Find Your Dreams. All four judges were united in praising Florence’s hooky piano motif with SuRie calling her songwriting “very promising and exciting!”
“I love the catchy piano riff and how it fits together with the lyrics,” said Georgia. “The lyrics are strong and effectively convey the meaning of the song. The range that is used in the vocal line is fabulous. Overall, this a great entry. Well done!”
Congratulations from everyone at here at SYSC HQ to Logan, Quincy and Florence. Keep song writing!
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