Tennessee Songwriters Week Wraps With Showcase Events Across The State
Meagan Allen
The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development recently wrapped its annual Tennessee Songwriters Week, celebrating the craft of songwriting around the state.
The competition’s sixth year had over 1,200 songwriters participating, performing at qualifying rounds at more than 50 venues, museums, attractions and cafes across the state during February. The showcase events took place last week all over Tennessee, where seven finalists were selected by judges to perform at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Those finalists include Izzy Arthurs, Jacc Moran, Ned Abernathy, Jeremy Wise, Echoing Sunset, Jack Settle and Meagan Allen.
Alex Hall, Adam Sanders and Tigirlily Gold served as judges for the competition in addition to CMT’s Leslie Fram. Tigirlily Gold also performed their song “I Tried A Ring On” at the showcase event in Portland, Tennessee, and Blake Shelton made a surprise video call to the audience and songwriters at the showcase event at Ole Red in Gatlinburg.
Each of the seven finalists earned the opportunity to perform at The Bluebird Cafe during a private event in March with music industry professionals as well as a branded commemorative Taylor guitar, two-night stay in Nashville, $100 gift card for travel and a one-year membership to Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
Helmed by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee Songwriters Week was established in 2019 to support music venues, celebrate songwriters with live performances in all genres of music, drive visitation and inspire travelers to experience the state’s music stories, history, attractions and venues. Since its inception, more than 4,000 songwriters have shared their original music across Tennessee stages during the annual celebration.
