The 2016 Vanda & Young Songwriting competition finalists have been announced, and the stellar list includes the likes of nostalgia conjurers Client Liason, singer-songwriter Jarryd James and soul queen Ngaiire.
The finalists were whittled down from 3,934 entries, with the judges eventually choosing 90 songs for the shortlist. It’s appropriate given that it’s also the 90th year of the competition.
There are seven acts who have two songs in the list, with Client Liaison, Emma Louise, Gordi, Katrina Burgoyne, King Social, Louis Schoorl and Oh Pep! getting double the chance at winning.
Gordi is just one of plenty of fresh faces included on the list which features 2016 triple j Unearthed High winner Gretta Ray, hyped band Middle Kids and new triple j favourite Tash Sultana.
The winner of this year’s prize will take home $50,000 with second prize being awarded $10,000 and third place $5,000. The winner will also join an esteemed list of artists including Kimbra, Megan Washington and The Preatures.
The winner of this year’s competition will be announced on 27th October.
Watch: Client Liason – ‘World Of Our Love’
Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition 2016 Finalists
Abbe May – Seventeen
Alesa Lajana – Birds Don’t Sing In Nashville
All Our Exes Live in Texas – Tell Me
Anders – As Before
Andrew Cavanagh – Is That Too Much To Ask
Aurelia – Chest
Auto – Brother Coda (Electric)
Ben Drysdale – Skid Row
Birdz feat. Jimblah – Rise
BRUVVY – Dire Love
Buchanan – Pressure in an Empty Space
Charlz – West LA
Citizen of the World – Setting Out
City Calm Down – Your Fix
Clea – Dire Consequences
Client Liaison – World Of Our Love
Client Liaison – A Foreign Affair
Deep Sea Arcade – Learning To Fly
Drax Project – Cold
Dustin Tebbutt – First Light
Elki – Soho
Emma Louise – Underflow
Emma Louise – West End Kids
Faint Capsule – Rancid
Finlay Tate – I Want
Fragile Animals – Signals
Frank Society – October
Future Jr. – Tell Me That I’m Wrong
Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick – The Hallway of My Heart
Georgia Fair – Slave to Nothing
Good Boy – Transparency
Gordi – Nothing’s As It Seems
Gordi – Can We Work It Out
Gretta Ray – Drive
Gypsy & The Cat – Inside Your Mind
Haarlo – Love’s Gone
Hannah Robinson – Half Past Ten
Holy Holy – Darwinism
J Motor – Meet In The Sky
Japanese Wallpaper feat. Airling – Forces
Jarryd James – Claim My Love
Jordie Lane & The Sleepers ft. Lollies – America, Won’t You Make My Dreams Come True?
Josh Pyke – Be Your Boy
Just A Gent feat. Lanks – Heavy As A Heartbreak
Katrina Burgoyne – When I’m Broken
Katrina Burgoyne – Tryin’ To Get To Georgia
Tigertown – Lonely Cities
King Social – Hypocrite
King Social – It Goes Around
Kirsty Lee Akers – Take me back
Lavers – Coast to Coast
L-FRESH The LION – 1 In 100,000
Lisa Crawley – Up In The Air
Lizzie Flynn – Prisoner in My Own Town
Lost Woods – Secrets in our Sleeves
Louis Schoorl – No More
Louis Schoorl – All This Time
Lucy Neville – Tease
M. Phazes feat. Thief – Hold Me Down
Maddy Rodriguez – Man Overboard
Matt Gresham – Survive on Love
Michael Walker – Dreams – Could take you somewhere
Middle Kids – Edge of Town
Mild Things – Good Girls
Morgan Bain – Why Don’t You Stay
NGAIIRE – House On a Rock
Oh Pep! – Doctor Doctor
Oh Pep! – The Race
Panama – The Highs
Rachel Maria Cox – Zips, Netflix & Dinner For Six
Ruby Boots – Wrap Me In A Fever
Ruel – Golden Years
Ruva Ngwenya – Me And You ~ #BLM
Sammi Constantine – The Game
Sampa The Great – Blue Boss
Shake Your Blood – Fox Amongst Bears
Sheppard – Sorry
Starley – Call On Me
Taasha Coates/The Audreys – When I Die
Tash Sultana – Notion
Jordi White – I’ll See Her Again
The Brown Wunda – It’s Our Time
The Creases – Impact
The Lulu Raes – Burnout
The Paper Kites – Revelator Eyes
Tia P. – 4 Seats From Beyonce
Tinpan Orange – Ordinary Lives
Urthboy – Daughter Of The Light
What So Not feat George Maple – Gemini
Why We Run – Hallway
