Ondara’s music is a true reflection of the diversity and richness of human experience (ISC Founder/Director – Candace Avery)
NASHVILLE, TN, May 10, 2023 /24-7press release/ — The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced the winners of its 2022 competition, giving the highest honors to a diverse group of talented songwriters from around the world. The annual competition, known for recognizing emerging and established songwriters, received more than 15,000 entries from 150 countries. The winners were selected by a jury composed of well-known prominent artists and industry professionals.
Founded in 2002, ISC is recognized as one of the most prestigious and prestigious songwriting competitions in the world. Winning the ISC is a significant achievement for a songwriter as it provides recognition, exposure and potential opportunities for their music to be heard by a wider audience. In addition, it serves as an acknowledgment to the songwriter of the hard work and talent that goes into creating music.
ISC winners included many artists who achieved huge success including Vance Joy, Bastille, Tones and I, Gotye, Illenium, Fantastic Negrito, Lindsey Stirling, The Teskey Brothers, Passenger, Bastille, The Band Perry and many more. This year’s competition received entries in 24 categories including Pop/Top 40, Rock, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Country, Jazz and more.
ISC is pleased to present the gifted singer/songwriter Ondara with its highest award, the 2022 Grand Prize. Artist Ondara, originally from Kenya but now based in the United States, wins a US$50,000 prize package which includes US$25,000 in cash as well as various other prizes. His winning entry, An Alien In Minneapolis, is from his third album, The Spanish Villager No. 3” and is a powerful and emotional piece that describes his true life experience of moving to America and being an outsider in a strange place. His work showcases his masterful songwriting skills and reflects a deep understanding of the human condition and the power of music to connect people of diverse backgrounds.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Ondara grew up listening to rock songs on his sister’s battery-powered radio. Inspired by Nirvana, Jeff Buckley and especially Bob Dylan, Ondara fell in love with music even though his family could not afford to buy him a musical instrument. After winning the green card lottery, he relocated to Minneapolis, MN to pursue a career in music. He taught himself to play guitar and began performing at open mic nights and small venues. His big break came when a local radio station played one of his songs and pulled the audio from his YouTube channel. In 2019 his debut album Tales of America (Verve Label Group) was released, depicting the life of an immigrant in America. The album charted on Billboard and was nominated for Best Americana Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards. His second album Folk n Roll, Vol. 1: Tales of Isolation was released in 2020, followed by The Spanish Villager No. 3” in 2022.
“Ondara’s music reflects the diversity and richness of human experience,” said Candace Avery, ISC Founder and Director. “His ability to convey authentic, complex emotions through his lyrics and music is truly remarkable. We are very excited about this artist and it is a great honor for us to award him the ISC Grand Prize.”
In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other songwriters excel in their respective genres and are a testament to the high quality of the entries received. These winners hail from around the world (53% of this year’s winners are from outside the US) and represent diverse cultures, ranging from talented amateurs to seasoned veteran songwriters.
For a full list of winners and to listen to the winning songs, please visit the ISC website at www.songwritingcompetition.com.
The full jury of 2022 includes:
Recording artist: Coldplay; Gloria Estefan; Tom is waiting; Joe Hahn (Linkin Park); Jeremiah Fraites (The Lumineers); Brantley Gilbert; Kristian Bush (Sugar Country); James Adam Shelley (American authors); NEED TO BREATHE; Ian Felice (The Felice Brothers); Lonnie Liston Smith; Sarah Evans; Rosanne cash; sidewalk prophets; Steve Lillywhite; Nancy Wilson (heart); Krewella; Glenn Ballard; AKRAZE; Danilo Perez; Above and Beyond; chajanne; Jack DeJohnette; Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane); Dave Koz; James McNally; Jordan St Cyr; Gordon Goodwin; Chris August; Ashwin Batish; Carter Burwell; and Nicholas Gunn
Industry judges: Briony Turner (Co-President, Atlantic Records UK); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Daniel Glass (President/Founder, Glassnote Records); Richard Stumpf (CEO/Founder, Hawkeye Music Group); Ed Vetri (President, Wind-Up Records); David McTiernan (Senior Director, Artist & Label Relations, Vevo); Will McDonald (VP A&R, Elektra); Greg Johnson (Vice President of A&R, Columbia Records); Kate Labrel (VP A&R, Warner Records); Garrett Davis (director, A&R, Capitol Christian Music Group); Golnar Khosrowshahi (President, Reservoir Media Management); Will Speer (Managing Director, Magic Star Records/Sony); Nate Albert (EVP of A&R, Capitol Records); Kim Buie (VP of A&R, New West Records); Dan Chalmers (Head of Music, YouTube, EMEA); Christopher Muller (Global Head of Music Partnerships, YouTube); Jacob Edgar (Founder, Cumbancha); Cassidy Murphy (Publishing Coordinator, Glassnote Records); Matt D’Arduini (Sr. VP of A&R/GM, Last Nite Records/Arista Records); Joel Timen (VP of A&R and Publishing, Curb/Word Entertainment); Sarah Wandall (ARC Music); Justin Prager (Sr. Dir. Music Programming & Curation, VEVO); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Julie Kertes (Editor/CEO, Hot Diggity Media); Jacqueline Post (Publishing Director, Connection Music Publishing); Ben Kramer (Global Lead, Artist and Label Development, YouTube); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); Katherine Dines (Advisory Board and Chair of the Magic Penny Award, Children’s Music Network); Claire S. Green (President, Parents’ Choice Foundation); Benjamin Groff (President, Brill Building Music Publishing); Tamara Conniff (EVP, Roc Nation Music Publishing); Carl Caprioglio (Founder and CEO, Oglio Entertainment); and Elena Epstein (Director, National Parenting Product Awards)
ISC is sponsored by: AGD Entertainment; Arturia; Audeze; BSquared management; Eventric; Gibson; Lewitt Audio; Lurseen mastering; Play MPE, PreSonus, Protegé; SongU; Ultimate Ears Pro; and Wondershare Filmora
Registrations for ISC 2023 are now open. For more information and registration see https://www.songwritingcompetition.com
For low-resolution photos of all winners, see https://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners
For high resolution photos, please contact Candace Avery at [email protected]
For over 20 years, the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has been the world’s leading songwriting competition. ISC’s mission is to offer both emerging and established songwriters the opportunity to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena. ISC is designed to nurture the musical talent of songwriters at all levels and encourage excellence in the art of songwriting. Amateur and professional songwriters and musicians from around the world are invited to participate. ISC has the most prestigious jury of any songwriting and music competition in the world and offers the opportunity to have your songs heard by the music industry’s most influential decision makers.
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