TN Songwriters Week Recap Pt. 1
It has been quite the ride these last few weeks!
Yesterday I performed at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville in the finale performance for the 2022 Tennessee Songwriters Week. But before I dive into that, I wanted to take you behind the scenes of the competition from the beginning.
Tennessee Songwriters Week is an annual statewide competition where amateur artists and songwriters present one song to compete for the coveted opportunity to perform at The Bluebird Cafe. There are two rounds, a qualifying round held at over 100 venues across the state, and then a showcase at 6 legendary music venues. The competition is held by the Tennessee Tourism Commission in partnership with The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), and Taylor Guitars. There are 6 winners in total, one from each showcase, and each songwriter wins a commemorative Taylor Guitar, a 1-year membership to NSAI, and a hotel stay in downtown Nashville for the weekend of the finale Bluebird show.
I had many reasons to participate in this competition, but I was mostly excited to see if I could follow up my January 2021 Bluebird Cafe Golden Pick win for “Leave Me Home” with another win!
The Qualifying Round - February 6th @ The Commodore Hotel in Linden, TN
Francesca and I made our way to Linden, TN , a good 2 hours west of Nashville. We pulled up to the Commodore Hotel, a quaint hotel on Main St, a bit early because we had no idea what to expect for the day. Once inside, we were greeted with classic, small town southern charm. The owners, Kathy and Michael, checked me in and introduced the whole group to some of the organizers of the event. Soon after, we made our way to the restaurant where locals had gathered for good food and a show!
I wasn’t the only one to travel from Nashville, there were a few Belmont students and fellow songwriters I’ve met at rounds in town. Out of 14 participants, I was the 4th to perform. I had chosen to perform “I Will Remember”, a song I co-wrote with my good friend, Mark Elliott. We were judged based on songwriting, connection to the audience, and vocal performance. I was anxious waiting for my turn as the other participants sang their song, but once I hit the first note it all washed away and I nailed it! Francesca says she heard one of the judges let out an audible gasp when I sang the hook.
Once I was finished, we sat and waited for the remaining performances (for 2 hours!) before the judging could begin. During that time I met T.W. Hale, a #1 hit songwriter known for Reba McEntire’s “Why Haven’t I Heard From You” and Randy Travis’ “I’ll Be Right Here Loving You”. He performed during the judges deliberation, and a few weeks later we even got together to write a song!
Thankfully the judges didn’t take TOO long, but they did have a hard job of selecting only 1 songwriter to move onto the Showcase in Franklin (qualifiers in East and West Tennessee had multiple winners move on, but Middle Tennessee only had 1 from each qualifying round).
I am so honored to now be a representative for Linden, TN and The Commodore Hotel! The whole place made me feel like family, and they couldn’t contain their excitement to cheer me on in the next round.
I’ll be back in Linden performing at the Blooming Arts Festival on Saturday, March 25th!
