Each year, the UKSC awards more than £500,000 ($600,000) in gifts, prizes, and international event entry (a full list of which can be found here). One of the prizes included in this extensive list is the chance to have your song professionally mastered by Lurssen Mastering - the multi-Grammy Award-winning studio based in Los Angeles, CA.

In 2022, UKSC double award winner Nick Paschenda was the recipient of the Lurssen Mastering award, granting him the opportunity to have the lullaby he wrote for his son professionally mastered. As you can see in the above video, Nick was absolutely thrilled with the result. At the time of writing, his newly mastered song has already garnered over 27,000 listens on Spotify - an impressive feat. Well done Nick! You can listen to Nick Paschenda's original song here, and the newly mastered version on Spotify here. 

 *Don't skip the final paragraph*
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The world of music is rapidly evolving with the integration of technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have begun to play a significant role in the creative process, and songwriting is no exception. One example of this is ChatGPT, a language model created by OpenAI, which has shown promise in generating lyrics and aiding in songwriting.

To illustrate how ChatGPT works, let's take a look at a verse from a made-up song:

Verse 1:
I see you standing there
Looking at me with those eyes
I know that you're the one
The one that's meant to be mine
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Now, let's see how ChatGPT critiques this verse:

"While the first two lines are simple, they do an effective job of setting up the scene. The third line is where the lyrics become a little cliché, as it's a common theme in love songs. However, the fourth line brings something new to the table by introducing the idea of destiny, which adds an interesting layer to the song."
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As you can see, ChatGPT is able to analyze and provide feedback on the lyrics generated. While AI can be helpful in aiding the creative process, there are also concerns that it may undermine human creativity. AI-generated songs may lack the emotional depth and connection that comes from a human's personal experiences and unique perspective.

The use of AI in songwriting also raises questions about originality and ownership. Who owns the rights to a song that is partially or fully generated by AI? How can we ensure that AI is not simply replicating existing songs or styles, rather than creating something new?

Despite these concerns, it's important to recognize that AI can be a valuable tool in the creative process. AI-generated lyrics and music can inspire and spark new ideas for human songwriters. Ultimately, it's up to the songwriter to use their creativity and personal experiences to craft a unique and compelling song.
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The UK Songwriting contest is an excellent platform for aspiring songwriters to showcase their talent and creativity. By submitting your original songs, you have the opportunity to be recognized and celebrated for your unique perspective and creative vision. While AI may be a helpful tool, there is no substitute for the power of the human mind in the creative process.

Now here is the catch. Everything you just read about AI was written by chat GPT in approximately 5 seconds in response to a short set of prompts typed into a text box by the UKSC. Chat GPT came up with everything autonomously including the lyrics supposedly written by a human which it subsequently goes on to critique. There was no other human input in the writing on this article about AI. We welcome your thoughts and discussion points. Posts will be up on UKSC Insta / Facebook and Twitter for comments. 

In March of this year the Lyricist Of The Year (LOTY) results were announced with UKSC Singer Songwriter Finalist Mike P. Ryan taking his place on the podium as the winner with the lyrics to his song, 'Between Heaven And The Ground'. You can read and listen to these lyrics in full on the LOTY results page.

​Mike P. Ryan's song tells the story of the day the Wright brothers made the world's first successful powered flight in 1903. The lyrics were inspired by David McCullough’s superb book on the brothers and in the song Mike takes the listener on a journey back through time placing them with Orville and Wilbur Wright on the coast of Carolina at the turn of the century.  

"To me the key to engaging a listener is to tell a story from a human perspective", Mike has told the UKSC. "To do that I wrote the lyrics from a first person perspective making Orville Wright the song's narrator. To give the lyrics authenticity I had Orville speak in the dialect of that era with phrases like 'nineteen and aught three' ". Mike goes on to explain how he worked hard to avoid lyrical clichés about flight and instead searched for an interesting visual image for the lyrical hook. Coming from a Catholic background and based on the knowledge that the Wright brothers themselves were devoutly religious, Mike settled on the central theme of the song. This was the idea that the Wright brothers, through powered flight, were set on exploring that vast and intangible world which lies between 'heaven and the ground'. 

As we all know there is no secret formula to writing a good song. Some songs emerge quickly from a source of deep inspiration and others reveal themselves over time following hours of drafts and re-writes. With this winning song Mike explains that the lyrics came fairly quickly with a minimum of re-writes. However, the challenge was to, "condense an incredibly complex story into something which can be told in the few minutes a songwriter has available to hold a listener's attention". 

Congratulation to Mike P. Ryan and all the nominees and special mentions in the 2022 Lyricist Of The Year Awards. 

*All Lyrics Only entries from the 2023 UK Songwriting Contest will be given automatic and free entry into next year's LOTY awards. 
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The international songwriting awards (ISAs) were announced at the end of March showcasing exceptional talent from emerging artists around the world. These coveted peer recognition awards draw from a broad range of international music organisations including the UK Songwriting Contest in order to recognise and highlight the achievements of outstanding songwriters. 

The 2022/2023 awards were broken down into 7 categories; Singer Songwriter, Pop, Rock, Teen, Solo Songwriter, Co-Writing Team and the Lyrics Hall of Fame. Here we will hear from a selection of these winners with some valuable insights into their songwriting technique and the inspiration behind their songs. A huge congratulations to all of those in the Lyrics Hall of Fame and on the special mentions list who are not specifically mentioned in this article.  

Singer Songwriter
Terra Spencer (Canada)
Listen here

Terra Spencer is a funeral director turned songwriter from Nova Scotia, Canada. Many of her songs explore loss and the 'gentle art of saying goodbye'. Terra has told the UKSC that she has learnt the value of preserving stories through songwriting and it has become her mission not only to sharpen her own songwriting skills but to, 'fan the flame of songwriting with others so they can tell their own stories'. Since embarking on her songwriting journey Terra has toured across Canada, the UK and Germany sharing her powerful lyrics and melodies with lucky listeners around the world.

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Rock 
Trent-Jean Michel (Australia)
Listen here

Trent-Jean Michel, winner of the Rock category, aspires to create work which inspires people to rise over the obstacles and adversities they face in their lives. Writing to the UKSC Trent-Jean explains that he wants people to channel the superhero and rockstar within! The direction and motivation behind his winning song HIGH3R hanged when he found out that his father had been given a terminal diagnosis. The 'gears shifted', Trent-Jean explains and the song went from being about love and desire to a piece about rising above the challenges we face within our lifetimes. 


Teen
Rebecca Milne, Annalise Feilding, Jonah Widdis and Sebastian Smith 
Band name - Detour
(Australia)
Listen here

The band met at Rock Scholars, an independent music academy for young musicians in Perth, when they were 10 years old. Annalise Fielding (bass guitar), Rebecca Milne (vocals and rhythm guitar), Jonah Widdis (lead guitar) and Sebastian Smith (drums) have been writing music together ever since under the band name Detour. Their music navigates the 'turbulent time of young adolescence'.  They have told UKSC that they are friends first and band mates second and their 'rock-via-pop-punk' style is poised to take Australia by storm. 


Solo Songwritier
Chris Broom (UK)
Visit website
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Chris Broom is a songwriter from the UK who won the Open Category of the UKSC this year with his song Broken Dreams feat. Lucy Thomas. This powerful and evocative composition forms part of Chris' debut musical Rosie about a young girl who grew up in an Irish convent and moves to Edwardian London's West End.  This year's ISAs acknowledge Chris' outstanding contribution to the songwriting community through his solo songwriting and his efforts on his much anticipated debut musical. 


Pop
Ava Della Pietra (USA)
Visit website

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ava Della Pietra has a prolific repertoire of songwriting to her name. Aged only 17 she has written over 100 songs and she continues to write and record new music. Her music is a blend of pop, rock and soul with influences drawn from a wide range of popular artist. Ava's indisputable talent and dedication to songwriting have earned her recognition as the Pop category winner in this year's ISAs and we look forward to seeing what lies ahead in her songwriting career. 


Co-writing team 
Peter Lewis and Tony Hume (UK)
Visit website

Peter and Tony are no strangers to the UK Songwriting Contest and it is fitting to see their prodigious skill as a co-writing team recognised on the world stage. The UKSC has asked the duo to give some insight into their songwriting process. Tony writes the lyrics and plays the guitar and Peter, with a piano in his living room, will compose the melody and then shape the music. However, there is no hard and fast rule to their songwriting. Tony explains that their partnership is very fluid and they have, 'probably tried just about every way there is to write in order to get something interesting down'.  For Tony, songwriting is mostly about decision making and their partnership enables them to make joint decisions on the key elements which ultimately shape the song. Peter adds that he writes music in a very fluid way drawing from subconscious sources of creativity. He acknowledges that there are times in which you have to labour over individual lines. However,  Peter advises that if a song is not coming together, it is best not to force it, 'put it aside and if the idea has any merit the subconscious will often do the work for you'. When asked about their songwriting partnership Peter adds, 'It is great to have a partner whose judgement you trust because you're not always the best judge of your own work'. Visit Peter and Tony's website via the following link to see for yourselves their extensive body of work:  https://peterandtonysongs.com/ 

EARLY STAR RATING RESULTS RELEASED 
We know that it can be an agonising wait to find out how well your songs are fairing in the competition and we know that you would like to have more feedback throughout the contest on the status of your entries. In response to this feedback the UKSC will be introducing some changes this year. All entries submitted before the end of April will have their star ratings published in the first week of May and all five star rated entries will be carefully considered for a place in the Semi Finals and Finals. If you achieve a score of five stars it means that your song will be in the running for a Semi Finalist or Finalist position and could go on to become the Winner in that category.  As the contest progresses, all entries submitted before the last day of the month will have their Star Rating announced during the first week of the following month. 

SESSION ONE AND SESSION TWO EXPLAINED 
The 2023 UK Songwriting Contest is divided into two sessions. Session One started on the 27th of February and will run until the 30th June. Session Two will begin on the 1st of July and run until the 31st of October. At the end of Session One the UKSC will announce which five star song entries have made it to the Semi Finals of the contest. Remember that all Semi Finalists are carefully evaluated and considered for a position in the Finals of the contest. The full list of Finalists and Category Winners will be announced after the closure of Session Two. Selecting the winners is a complex process which relies on careful deliberation by our expert panel of judges and at the finals stages songs are often "deconstructed" and examined closely and in detail by our judges and producers. For audio tracks this involves playing the song on keyboards and guitars to hear them without any production. Chosing the winning song is a highly personalised and time consuming process and we always ensure that judges are given all the time they need to make these decisions.

​THE STAR RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED
Songs are awarded a star rating from zero to five stars. A rating of five stars means that the song is very well written and complete and shows a good understanding of the craft of songwriting, song form and composition. A five star rating indicates that the writer(s) have been recognised by the judges as talented, capable songwriters with definite potential and these writers have demonstrated that they can write songs of a professional standard. All songs with this rating are considered for the Semi Finals selections. All songs which do not progress into the Semi Finals are given awards by the judges. The UKSC awards range from 'Participant' to 'Highly Commended Entry' award with the best five star entries achieving the Highly Commended Entry award. A detailed explanation of the star rating system, special awards and final positions is here.