New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the most prestigious and respected songwriting competition in the world, has announced its 2018 winners. Established in 2002, ISC received almost 19,000 entries this year from almost 140 countries.
For the first time in ISC's history, the Grand Prize is awarded to an R&B song. It is with great pleasure that ISC bestows its highest honor to R&B artist Reginald Lamar Williams Jr., (aka R.LUM.R) and artist/producer Josh Hawkins (aka Super Duper) for their co-written song "Frustrated." The Grand Prize consists of $25,000 in cash (USD) and over $30,000 in additional prizes.
Having amassed over 48 million streams on Spotify, "Frustrated" was written at a time when R.LUM.R had some big decisions to make. He was contemplating moving from Florida to Nashville to pursue his music, and the uncertainty he felt during his relocation became the inspiration for the breakout single. He did end up moving to Nashville, and it paid off for this incredibly talented singer and writer. Recognizable for his sultry, soulful vocals and effortless falsetto, R.LUM.R has performed the single on Jimmy Kimmel Live and has been praised by NPR Music,The New York Times, Vibe, Billboard and Rolling Stone (who called him "an artist you need to know").
Super Duper is an up-and-coming artist/producer who has toured with The Chainsmokers, The Glitch Mob, Big Wild, and more. After writing and producing for others, Super Duper began to release music under his own moniker. His single "
Angela" hit #1 on Hype Machine and entered Spotify's Viral 50 charts. He also received a Clio award for scoring the trailer to Steve McQueen's new film Widows.
"Winning the Grand Prize in ISC is a huge honor for me, especially when you consider how many incredible writers entered," says R.LUM.R. "it's amazing to think the song would be honored in such a big way."
In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters share in the prestige and kudos of winning their respective categories. These winners hail from all over the world and represent all genres of contemporary music.
Previous winners have included: Illenium; Vance Joy; Bastille; Gotye; Lindsey Stirling; Kimbra; The Band Perry; Kehlani; Gregory Porter; Passenger; Gin Wigmore; Missy Higgins; For King and Country; and many more.
For a list of ISC 2018 winners and to hear the winning songs, visit: https://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.
The 2018 judges include: Adam Lambert; Portugal.The Man; Tom Waits; Kane Brown; Nancy Wilson (Heart); Nicky Jam; Rodney Crowell; Sara Evans; Kristian Bush (Sugarland); Rakim (Eric B. & Rakim); Chris Lane; Keane; Danilo Perez; Jeremih; John Mayall;
Aaron Bay-Schuck (CEO/Co-Chairman, Warner Bros. Records); Jo Charrington (Co-President, Capitol
Music Group UK); Mark Mitchell (Co-President, Parlophone Records);
Daniel Glass (President, Glassnote Records); John Esposito (Chairman/CEO, Warner
Music Nashville); John Burk (President, Concord Label Group); and many more.
ISC is sponsored by: Art & Lutherie By Godin Guitars; Berklee College of Music; Celebrity Access; Eventric; Gig Salad; Lurssen Mastering; Merch Cat; Musician Wellness; Musicians Institute; oneRPM; PreSonus; Pro Tour Nutrition; Shubb Capos; SongU; Sweetwater; The Tracking Room; Tunedly; Vocal Eze; and Westone.
Entries are now open for the 2019 competition. For more information and to enter, go to https://www.songwritingcompetition.com.
