Front Range Songwriters Shine: Winners of the BMI Foundation's John Lennon Award
The Front Range serves as a wellspring of creativity for three talented songwriters who are crafting music that delves into themes of love, loss, and the human experience. Dafna Margalit, Chloe Southern, and Julia Kirkwood, all hailing from Colorado, recently secured scholarships from the BMI Foundation's John Lennon Award. This annual competition recognizes and supports young songwriters and composers, with Margalit and Southern, both Boulder natives, clinching the top two spots, while Kirkwood, from Laporte, placed third. Each artist received a cash prize for their original compositions, which were evaluated by a panel of music industry experts.
Margalit, a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, claimed the first prize of $10,000 for her song "CLINGWRAP." Born and raised in Boulder, Margalit, who now works as a software engineer in Los Angeles, drew inspiration from her personal experiences to create the award-winning track. Southern, a Boulder native who graduated from Berklee College of Music and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, secured the second spot with her song "Blueprints," which showcases her candid and introspective songwriting style. Kirkwood, a versatile musician and producer, rounded out the top three with her song "Honey," recorded in her college dorm room at Berklee.
The three winners, chosen from a pool of over 650 applicants, expressed their gratitude for the recognition and financial support, which will enable them to further their musical endeavors. Margalit plans to invest her prize money in creating promotional videos and new music, while Southern intends to release two additional songs by the year's end. Kirkwood, who will be starting her sophomore year at Berklee, will allocate her award towards her college expenses. For these talented songwriters, the John Lennon Award represents not only a validation of their artistic abilities but also a stepping stone towards achieving their musical aspirations.