Four teams with ties to Victoria have been selected as top 15 finalists in the Canadian Songwriter Challenge 2020 presented by MusicBC and Bell Media.
Finalists with Victoria roots include Steph Macpherson and Noah Edwards, J.P. Maurice, Tess Anderson, and Grayson Lenner and Kirsten Mar (Better Together).
In April, pairs and trios of emerging artists and songwriters from across the province applied to participate in the contest. A jury selected 15 teams to record a song demo with an assigned mentor to the theme, “Alone Together.” All 15 songs are now available to listen to and you can vote for five of your favourites. Public voting (from May 18 to 22) will be part of each team’s final score. 5 teams will win $1000 that will go toward recording their song in studio.
This is the 6th edition of the Canadian Songwriter Challenge. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the first time the challenge has been held completely online.
Winners will be announced Monday June 1, 2020.
To cast your votes, CLICK HERE.
Below are the Victoria contestants’ songs.
Victoria’s Steph Macpherson and Noah Edwards teamed up for ‘Everything You Thing You Know,’ a song that was inspired by the current COVID-19 situation.
“We wanted to speak to our experience of realizing that sometimes, being taken out of your busy and habitual routine can be a good thing; it can make you slow down and realize what, or who, you’ve been taking for granted.”
Former Victoria artist J.P. Maurice is paired with Bend Sinister lead singer Dan Moxon for ‘Take The Good With The Bad’.
“We wanted to make a song that touched on the current global situation and idea of being Alone together, but also had a more timeless feel and ambiguous meanings that could be more universal years from now.”
Former Victoria artist Tess Anderson paired with Vancouver RnB artist Tissa Rahim for ‘So Far So Good’.
“This song was written about being far away from someone you love, but still feeling close to them regardless of the physical distance. It begins with daydreaming about memories created with the one you love and then waking up to realize you’re alone”
Victoria-born duo Better Together (Grayson Lenner and Kirsten Mar) have entered with a song called ‘Feels Like November.’ The song was written while stuck inside on a rainy spring morning.
“Uncertainty, loneliness, hope for the future, and memories of being with friends and family connect us all. Most importantly, this song emphasizes the importance of caring for others during difficult times in our lives. Although we may feel alone now, and at other times throughout our lives, we always have support and people to lean on.”
