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The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its 2016 winners. Now in its 16th year, ISC is the world's largest international songwriting competition, receiving more than 16,000 entries from 137 countries throughout the world. More than $150,000 in cash and merchandise is awarded to 71 winners in 23 categories covering all genres of music.
For the first time in the history of the competition, the Grand Prize is awarded to Canadian songwriters. It is with great pleasure that ISC bestows its highest honor to Winnipeg troubador Matt Epp and Morocco-born Manitoba-raised 16-year old phenom Faouzia for their co-written song "The Sound Ft. Faouzia." The Grand Prize winners take home $25,000 in cash (USD) and over $45,000 in additional prizes.
The winning song is a duet and is the perfect synergy between the seasoned songwriter Epp and the up-and-coming young artist Faouzia. It showcases the talents of each songwriter and singer, interweaving the yin and yang of Epp's stark, tender vocals with Faouzia's soaring delivery.
The collaboration came about while Epp was on tour in Germany and received an email from his infant daughter, who he had been writing to since she was a newborn. The unexpected email from her read "What sound does a longing heart make?" In a hotel bathroom, he tearfully wrote the chorus of this song.
Fast forward a few months to when Epp was assigned to mentor a group of talented young performers; among the participants in the program was Faouzia. Perhaps unlikely kindred spirits, Epp and Faouzia formed a quick friendship, and they finished the song together. The song went to #1 on the CBC Radio 2 chart, and it recently earned the SOCAN No.1 Song Award in Canada based on its radio success.
Candace Avery, the founder and director of ISC, states, "Lyrically the song's central theme of longing...