Jeddah-based lyricist wins semifinals in UK Songwriting Contest

Afra Naushad, a writer based in Jeddah, has won the semifinals in the lyrics category of the UK Songwriting Contest (UKSC).
The UK Songwriting Contest has a reputation as one of the world’s best songwriting events and is well known in the music business as an important launching pad for new talent. It was launched in 2002 in association with The BRIT Trust (the charity body of the BRIT Awards, Britain’s music industry’s awards) with the aim of discovering and encouraging new songwriting talent and promoting the craft of songwriting.
Naushad’s song ‘Run into the Wild’ was written for an alternative/psychedelic rock and rhythm and blues audience.
The lyrical composition of her song deliberated on themes of personal freedom, chasing one’s dreams and finding a place in this world.
Afra Naushad, 27, writes for various publications — including Arab News — about music, arts and culture. After winning the semifinals, she said: “It’s a great recognition for someone who is not from either the UK or the US. It’s tough if you’re from an Eastern country trying to break into the Western music industry. The contest was a good indicator of how it’s not entirely impossible. Perhaps because my song was not written with a generic/pop perspective it couldn’t win the finals. But a popular record label has expressed an interest for future collaboration, so I’m quite optimistic.”
Contestants in the UKSC are watched closely by the music industry’s leading producers and publishers, and many finalists and semi-finalists are ‘spotted’ and go on to enjoy thriving music careers.
This contest is often described in the media as “prestigious” because it is the only songwriting contest in the world that has had winning writers, finalists and semi-finalists signed by top producers such as Simon Cowell and others, and the only one established in association with respected bodies such as The BRIT Trust and Music Aid International.