Eduard Glumov
|
4/26/2008 8:48:40 AM
ISC Awards Grand Prize to Kazakhstan Songwriter
US-Based 2007 International Songwriting Competition (ISC)
Awards Grand Prize to Kazakhstan Songwriter
For Immediate Release, April 11, 2008 -- The prestigious US-based International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce that Eduard Glumov from Aktobe, Kazakhstan (lyrics by Z. Mulls) is the winner of the Grand Prize in this year’s competition for his song “I’m Not Your Friend.” This is the first time that a Kazakh artist has ever won the highest honor in any major songwriting competition. This prestigious honor is a major achievement for Glumov and throws the spotlight on the Kazakhstan arts community internationally.
ISC covers all genres of contemporary music, including rock, jazz, r&b/hip-hop, pop, and much more and is recognized as the pinnacle of excellence in rewarding achievements in songwriting throughout the world. Renowned for its celebrity judges, ISC received over 15,000 songs from amateur and professional songwriters from 100 countries worldwide, confirming ISC's status as the leading global songwriting event. The competition’s judges range from celebrity recording artists to presidents of major record labels, and they collectively select all ISC winners.
More than $150,000 in cash and prizes is shared among the 59 winners, including an overall Grand Prize of $25,000 (US) cash, the largest cash Grand Prize of any songwriting competition in the world, and $30,000 in merchandise and services.
For a complete list of 2007 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm
The song, entered in the Rock category, was written by Glumov with lyrics provided by Z. Mulls of Swarthmore, PA, USA. This collaboration – from Kazakhstan to the USA – from one side of the globe to the other – perfectly reflects ISC’s mission of creating a competition that is inclusive of songwriters worldwide. Glumov, a singer/songwriter, and Z. Mulls, a lyricist, met each other on MusesMuse.com, a songwriting resource website, and their musical collaboration produced the winning song.
Candace Avery, the founder and director of ISC, states, “It is amazing the way technology and the Internet allow songwriters from different parts of the world and cultures to collaborate, culminating in international partnerships such as this. I’m very proud that “I’m Not Your Friend” is the ISC Grand Prize winner because it epitomizes the core intention of ISC, to foster songwriting around the world. Eduard Glumov is such a talented songwriter and musician, and we are thrilled to bestow our Grand Prize to a Kazakh songwriter. The judges applauded his song for its creativity and haunting melody.”
Glumov, born in a small province town in the Soviet Union, started writing songs very early but became serious about songwriting at the age of 13 when his father was arrested and imprisoned for anti-Soviet activity. Later in the '80s, the era of political turmoil and unrest gave way to Perestroika, enabling Eduard to tour with his rock band. In the '90s, he began a studio career, writing, recording and producing songs and instrumental music for different artists, for theaters, and TV. He plans to release an indie CD in the near future.
Z. Mulls professes that writing lyrics is not a profession, but an avocation, stemming from a lifelong love of musical theatre and songwriting in general. He posts his lyrics on various websites, looking for collaborations with artists. He calls himself "a wordsmith in search of a melody."
In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters also share in the prestige and kudos of winning their respective categories in ISC 2007. With a total of 19 categories and First, Second, and Third Place in each, (along with a list of Honorable Mentions).
ISC judges include: Tom Waits; Loretta Lynn; Julian Casablancas (The Strokes); Nelly Furtado; Ray Davies (The Kinks); Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Ornette Coleman; Youssou N'Dour; Sean Paul; Jerry
|
|