Young Songwriter event with YouTube Music
We teamed up with YouTube Music, sponsor of The Young Songwriter 2024 competition, to offer our young songwriters an exclusive opportunity to learn from leading songwriters/producers Jason Julian and JayDX, have a tour of the impressive YouTube studios and meet like-minded peers.
Young Songwriter 2024 competition finalists, members of our mentoring programme, The Ad Lib. Club and selected others were invited. Song Academy leaders Lexi Du Buclet and Natalie McCool hosted a fascinating Q&A session with the grammy nominated songwriters and producers Jason Julian and JayDX. Young Songwriter 2024 finalists, Johnny Beau, Jas Ratchford and Chuksy & Dreamm performed their original songs and there was time for everyone to network and plan future collaborations.
Rowena Atkins, founder and CEO of Song Academy said “Our Young Songwriter event at Google HQ with YouTube Music had the perfect ingredients for success: 55 passionate and talented young songwriters, an engaging Q&A with 2 inspiring professional songwriters, Jason Julian and JayDX, a delicious platter of snacks and at the awesome Google HQ. It’s such a privilege having the support of YouTube Music for our Young Songwriter 2024 competition, making it possible for us to discover and nurture the next generation of songwriters”.
Jason Julian is a music producer from east London developing fresh ideas and pushing boundaries to help drive commercial sounds forward. Merging the realms of alt-Pop, Hip-Hop, and Dance with his roots from Mountain Elgon, Uganda. He began releasing house singles whilst still in secondary school and over time he picked up attention from Marc Williams of OddChild Music, where he began working with rising acts at the time Avelino, Ashnikko, and others. He then moved on to work with acts like Avelino, Beam, Dave, Dean Blunt, Asap Rocky, Stefflon Don, Wretch 32 , Major Lazer and others . In his work Jason is inspired by multilayered perspectives due his heritage. Approaching his creative input from various angles, to meet the collective goals for every artist he works with. Throughout his career Jason has been able to identify the gaps artists need to fill in order to elevate to the next level. His projects include three UK official hip-hop / R&B number one albums, mobo award winning album, and a nme award winning project . He has previously worked campaigns for Reebok, Levi’s, Victoria Secret, Google and Netflix.
Jay DX is a Grammy considered, Billboard Number 1, Brit Certified Pianist and Producer from London. His music career started at a very young age just playing in the church. He has since crafted his skills, and with over 10 years of musical experience he is now navigating the music industry in the production and live sector.
Jay DX has worked with and performed with the likes of: Tyla, J Hus, Craig David, Neyo, Flo, Wretch32, Tiana Major 9, Highlyy, Odeal, Nippa, Tyler Lewis, Imani, Che Lingo, Iyamah, James Vickery, JayO, Blade Brown, Mic Lowry, Benny Banks, Jaz Karis, Jords, Bellah, Shae Universe, Miss LaFamillia and more..
He has had in total 3 Number 1 hits in total, Grammy consideration
#1 Album on the Billboard #4 Billboard Afrobeats Charts #1 Official Hiphop and R&B Albums Chart #2 Afrobeats Chart – ART 2 Top 10 Records 100,000,000 million streams Album shortlisted Mercury Prize Rolling Stone Awards
About The Young Songwriter 2024 competition
The Song Academy Young Songwriter competition is the leading international songwriting competition for young people aged 8-22. This year attracted over 1,000 high quality entries. Song Academy gives the unheard youth a voice and platform to express themselves and be heard. The standard of finalist songs entered this year was exceptionally high. To select the top songs we listened for inventiveness, creativity & bravery with lyrics & melodies illuminating our imaginations. Young people have a unique way of expressing themselves, they are a new generation experiencing life in the most vivid and visceral way.
SAYS24 Star Judges included Cathy Dennis, Lost Boy, MNEK, Eg White, Jimmy Napes, Naughty Boy, Emily Phillips, Plested, Jon Maguire, Nina Nesbitt, Connie Talbot, Kenny Barber and Dan Gillespie Sells.
Official sponsors of The Song Academy Young Songwriter 2024 competition are Shure, PRS for Music, YouTube Music, Focusrite, Soundtrap and ICMP.
Official partners are Ditto Music, IK Multimedia, Amazing Radio,First News, MUSIC:ED, songhouse, and Music News.
The winners also receive trophies designed & created by Finnian Smith a designer, musician, songwriter and graduate of Central Saint Martins.
SAYS24 prizes include a Focusrite Scarlet studio bundle (all-in-one studio recording set-up with Scarlett Solo interface, microphone and headphones) and Novation keyboard, Shure legendary SM58 and new MVX2U interface, a recording studio session with the top producer Charlie Thomas, one year membership of the Song Academy mentoring programme and performing at The Young Songwriter 2024 showcase.
Naughty Boy (songwriter, producer, DJ and SAYS24 judge) says “Young songwriters are the future of music. A great song will always stand the test of time far beyond our years. I think this competition is important because every songwriter I’ve worked with was always waiting to be discovered.”
Tom Odell (singer songwriter and Young Songwriter judge) said “When I was 13 years old I started writing songs, and over the following years I became more and more obsessed with it. But the thing that always kept me awake at night was how to get them out there for people to hear them. This is why I think the Song Academy Young Songwriter competition is a great way to inspire and help through this process, and it’s something I wish had been around when I was starting out.”
Many of our past finalists are now making waves in the industry, including Gayle, Matilda Mann, Oscar Lang, Lexie Carroll, Wasia Project, Cassa Jackson, Oscar Welsh, Natalie Shay, Joshua Shea, Tom A. Smith, Andrea Turk, Cathy Jain, Sebastian Croft, Miriam Nyarko, Sophie Griffiths, Rosie Sullivan, Melanie Baker, Alien Blaze, Sweet Mylo, Hetta Falzon, Conor Marcus, Sophie DeMasi & Mullally.
The Young Songwriter 2025 competition
Get ready to enter next year’s competition, open for entries from the 1st February to 31st March 2025. Click here for more information.
