Passing the Torch in Canadian Music. Canada’s Music Incubator.

This week’s guest blog is appropriate because of the recurrence of related topics such as contests – which has come up more than once on “Now Hear This Entertainment” – and your attitude (below being specifically about one of gratitude), which is addressed a lot in Bruce’s Bonus Book Volume 2.  Singer/songwriter Maddy Rodriguez is the writer of the inspirational blog below, which she published on her website last August.  She had been the guest on Episode 45 of NHTE.

What did it mean to me to be selected for Music Ontario’s Songwriting Challenge (in partnership with the Bell Media National Songwriting Initiative and the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations)?

Well, it meant the world!

I recently wrote about how I felt after winning the Grand Prize and Lennon Award in the John Lennon Songwriting Competiton. I wrote that it’s always a wonderful feeling to be recognized for your talent. As an artist and songwriter starting out, sometimes you question yourself as to whether you’re good enough, whether you’re going to be able to make a living with your art. There are so many obstacles and such strong competition in the music business that you really have to believe in yourself to keep going. Winning the prizes from the JLSC and being selected to take part in Music Ontario’s Songwriting Challenge reinforce my belief in myself. I can do this!

About 200 talented Ontario songwriters applied for the Songwriting Challenge, but there were only five spots available! Of course I was elated to have been chosen. To work with a songwriter and producer like Gavin Brown (Metric, Barenaked Ladies) was amazing! I am very happy with the song we came up with. I hope the song gets cut by a major artist so you can hear it on the radio in the future! You may not know how valuable a mentorship like the one provided by this opportunity means in specific terms, but I can tell you that it is expensive to book a great studio like Coalition Music to write and record. It’s expensive to produce good quality pitchable demos and it’s really, really hard to meet and collaborate with established awesome producers like Gavin. Beyond that, to know that your talent is taken seriously, that’s priceless.

I am very grateful to Music Ontario, the Bell Media National Songwriting Initiative and the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations for this opportunity. I promise you I will continue to work very hard to make it in this business and make you proud. Best, Maddy Rodriguez

Visit Maddy’s official website to see other blogs, news, and an array of content, plus links to her social media sites.  (Go here to see the prior guest blogs we've published.)