Share:
11 October 2021
Bedford Girls’ School Year 9 student, Isla Campbell, has reached the finals of the prestigious Song Academy Young Songwriter competition (8-12 year old category) with her song, Did I.
This year’s competition attracted over 1,000 entries from aspiring young songwriters aged 8-18 across the world. The top three finalists of all categories will be announced on the 1st June and the winners will be announced on the 29th June.
The talented singer-songwriter who recently performed her song with other finalists at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill reflected: “The process of writing the song was thoroughly enjoyable and the concert was such a great experience to try something different. I loved performing in front of a live audience, and it has definitely been an experience in which my confidence has increased a lot!
“I started writing songs in around Year 5. A few of my friends and I created a mini choir/band, and we would write our own (very short) songs and perform them to our friends. It was only at the start of the second lockdown where I started writing proper songs, and using the garage band platform to create the music to bind it all together.”
“The song, Did I was written in lockdown after I wrote a poem about a bullying experience I had in a previous school. It was based on the feelings I felt about what had happened, and how it still affected me. Although that was the main base of what the song is about, I like to think it can be interpreted in different ways, according to how the listener feels when they hear the lyrics.
Bedford Girls’ School Music teacher, Mrs McKinnell said: “We are extremely proud of Isla for her fantastic achievement, being selected as a finalist in the prestigious Young Songwriter 2021 competition. This competition gives a wonderful opportunity for young people to express themselves through music, honing techniques in composition and vocal skills along the way. The finalists were described as standing out for their ‘creativity, invention and courage with lyrics’ and for illuminating the judges’ imaginations; this is a really high accolade from the likes of judges such as Tom Odell and Midge Ure. We look forward to watching a live performance of Isla’s song very soon.”
