Aucklander takes top prize

A first-time entrant in the MLT Songwriting Awards, Lauren Thomson, took home gold last night in front of a packed crowd at the awards' final.

The Auckland singer-songwriter, who had two songs in the final cut of 10, won with the composition Where Would I Be. Runner-up was another Aucklander, well-known artist Tami Neilson.

New Zealand Songwriting Trust trustee and awards co-convener Mike Hood said both songs were marked well ahead of the competition. Where Would I Be was one of those songs that was instantly likeable, even if the listener was not sure why, he said.

Both Thomson and Neilson were in the south recently with the Saints and Sinners tour. Coincidentally, making up the trio was one of this year's songwriting judges, well-known former Gore entertainer Jackie Bristow.

Hood said a new judging system, similar to that used by RIANZ, was introduced this year. While the names of the writers were withheld from the five judges – Bristow, Trudy Rowe, John Meddlings and Craig Reeves – they were given the soundtracks to take away and score individually. Their marks were then collated by Hood and co-convener Jeff Rea.

Hood said he liked the concept. Sometimes if judges were in a room together making the decision, a judge who was not as strong as the others would give ground, he said.

The songwriting trust's seminar was once again a hit, with about 45 people attending. Hood said securing tutor Pat Pattison, who mentors the likes of John Mayer, had been a major coup.

The professor of lyric writing and poetry at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, had a unique way of teaching and it would be great to have him back, Hood said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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