WA’s biggest songwriting competition continues to deliver the goods; with WAM Song of the Year again recognising and uncovering the absolute cream of WA’s rich songwriting crop, and providing even greater opportunities and rewards for successful nominees than ever before!
With judging complete, it’s time to celebrate and thrust the next crop of stars into the spotlight as we reveal the nominees for WAM Song of the Year 2017-18, all vying for a slice of the record-breaking $45,000 in prizes on offer over 16 categories.
Leading the pack with three nominations is John Bennett, with his song Country is Calling nominated in Best Country, Best Regional, and Best Indigenous categories. Following closely with two nominations apiece are Bolt Gun, Carla Geneve, Coin Banks, Farraday’s Cage, J.F.K, Riley Pearce, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving and Ziggy Ramo.
Rockpit Records artist Nucleust have also been nominated in the Heavy / Metal category once again following their win last year for the track “Of King And Tree”. The band are up for “Quantum Umbrella” which comes off their full length album “Terra Cerebral“. Other nominees in the category include Make Them Suffer and Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving.
The full class of 2017-18 #WAMSOTY nominees includes an exciting and diverse mix of artists, representing all genres, levels, backgrounds and genders, with their award-nominated tracks exploring plenty of powerful stories and themes. WAM Song of the Year Coordinator Claire Hodgson said, “It’s great to see such authentic self-expression across this year’s nominated songs, using music to not only share personal stories but also to draw attention to issues close to their heart. This is songwriting at its finest!”
A panel of music industry experts from the likes of Double J, Pendulum, UNIFIED, FBi Radio, RTRFM, Perfect Pitch Publishing, TheMusic.com.au, Spotify, Nannup Music Festival, Pilerats, Birds of Tokyo, Spinning Top, seegerMUSIC, New World Artists and many more whittled down this year’s 860+ entries to determine the nominees. With often only a few votes separating top songs from the rest of the pack, it was again a very tight competition.
Award winners will be announced at the WAM Song of the Year Awards Party, debuting at the Fly by Night Musicians Club on Wednesday 16 May at the iconic Victoria Hall in High Street, Fremantle. Hosted by MC Odette Mercy, the evening will feature performances from Song of the Year nominated acts The Justin Walshe Folk Machine, Feels and J.F.K, as well as tunes from DJ Chicken Wing (Kester Sappho / Jarrah Records) to help kick celebrations into full swing. Tickets available via moshtix ($25 + bf for WAM members and $30 + bf for non-members).
WAM’s Song of the Year Awards has a solid track record of propelling local acts on the rise to even greater heights, with WA legends Methyl Ethel, Beni Bjah, Tired Lion, Mathas, KUČKA, and many more all landing industry praise following their Song of the Year award wins – and this year’s awards promises to be no different!
For full details and a list of nominees head to wam.org.au
