Sennheiser

Hear. I am. - The Sennheiser My Song Contest

The Sennheiser “My Song” Contest began as a way to recognize the songwriting talents of high school students across the nation. We were absolutely blown away by the skills and talents of the many young musicians who shared their original tracks with us! Unfortunately, we could only pick 5 finalists. See and hear the top five My Song Contest winners below!
The Grand-Prize Winner:
Katie Costello: Isn’t it Lovely
Check out her song and album at KatieCostelloMusic.com
Katie Costello, 18, has a mighty imagination that yields a one-of-a-kind kazoo virtuosity and a unique lyrical approach to her vintage-esque original tunes. When she’s not 'song-doodling,' as she has been known to call it, Katie can be found sulking in public libraries, skimming through critically acclaimed tween drama-comedy novels, and/or collecting cute rocks with fun personalities from her hometown Hermosa Beach, or some other rock-abundant natural setting.
The imaginative songwriter has already enjoyed prime song placements on The CW’s “90210” and “One Tree Hill,” as well as ABC’s hit show “Private Practice.” Her music was also chosen as the “Top Tune of the Day” on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” program. Katie’s album, “Kaleidoscope Machine,” is available for sale on her website (www.katiecostellomusic.com) and on iTunes, where she was featured in the iTunes Indie Artist Spotlight.
The winning prize:
Katie’s prize package includes a free 10-piece, professional-grade Sennheiser evolution microphone kit, a spot in an upcoming Sennheiser ad and a profile as the August 2009 “Unsigned Artist of the Month” on the Sennheiser Artists site (sennheiserusa.com/artists).
The 10-piece evolution microphone kit includes everything one needs to mic a full band: two e 835 vocal mics, one e 609 SILVER guitar amp mic, one e 602 II bass drum mic, three e 604 tom/snare mics and two e 614 instrument condenser mics.
1st Runner Up:
Desmond Myers: You In Mind
Listen to Desmond’s album at MySpace.com/DesmondMyers
Desmond Myers feels trapped between his past and his future. He’s a small town kid, with big time talent. The teen phenom grew up on a family farm in rural North Carolina, where his imagination grabbed hold early and helped develop the creative skills he hopes will last a lifetime.
Surrounded by nature and wide-open spaces, he was writing poems and short stories by age five. On his eleventh birthday, piano lessons ended and an electric guitar that his brother built took center stage. Fast forward to 2009, and the teen has two records and a host of accolades under his belt. An all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles as the winner of MUZAK’s 2007 Noise! Competition introduced him to industry professionals and opened his eyes to the business side of music.
Through it all, Myers remains connected to his guitar and his songwriting. Insight as to where this up-and-comer is headed, musically speaking, can be found on the last track on his debut solo CD. “I’m blending my signature guitar with splashes of jazz influence, providing a fresh pop sound,” he said. For now Myers remains a young talent, with big dreams, in the middle of rural North Carolina. But he won’t be there long, as another great record and another new gig wait just around the corner.
2nd Runner Up:
Veronica Ballestrini: “Amazing”
Listen to “Amazing” at VeronicaBallestrini.net
Veronica Ballestrini might not be the household name that our modern “American Idol”-era industry is capable of producing overnight—yet. But there’s no doubt that Veronica is well on her way to mastering the art of our new media age and bringing a legion of fans with her in the process.
“I spend about four hours a day answering messages from fans,” she reveals. “Every message I get, I answer myself.” It’s a formula that has paid big dividends for the surprisingly down-to-earth young star. With one modest dream and an Internet connection, the enthusiastic yet mature-beyond-her-years teenager from Waterford, Connecticut has raised more than a few eyebrows with her self-made success story.
At the age of 13, Veronica first picked up a guitar and unknowingly logged on to a career. The bubbly teenager, known to many simply as ‘V,’ had modest aspirations way back in 2005.
“My first goal was just to get to Nashville and record an album,” she says matter-of-factly. “Now that I’ve accomplished that, I want that music to get heard by as many people as possible. I’ve had so many people tell me that my music has helped them out or helped them to achieve their own goals, so it means a lot to me to be able to affect someone’s life like that.”
3rd Runner Up:
Kerrington Cooper:
“Heat on the Treetop”
Learn about Kerrington Cooper at MySpace.com/KerringtonCooper
The band started in January of 2008 after lead singer Jordan Goldsmith wrote the song "Every Week" as a joke for his youth group. Very shortly after forming, the band began gaining serious attention on MySpace and was soon opening for bands Like ThrivingIvory, Ivoryline, and even with the Ballas Hough Band from "Dancing With the Stars.” The band’s live shows are very energetic and extremely interactive.
As for Kerrington Cooper’s sound, the band cites several influences. “I really like musicals and theater, but I like today’s pop-rock sound, too. So we just thought we'd put that all together and see what happens," Jordan says.
4th Runner Up:
Keller Avenue:
“Lose Control”
Check them out at MySpace.com/KellerAvenue
In a land far away (Biloxi, Mississippi to be exact), best friends Cody Robinson and Matthew Claudel were doing relief work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when they decided to form a band.
The two came back from relief work to their hometown of Carmel, California, and threw themselves at making and recording music together. What resulted was a blend of genres: acoustic indie with catchy pop melodies. One thing lead to another, and two musicians turned into four when the first opportunity to perform presented itself. Friend Cory Jones came on board to play drums and Cody's brother Camden took on the bass, and from simple means, Keller Avenue became a band.
Each runner-up also took home some exciting Sennheiser prizes, including an HD 280 Pro monitoring headphone and a Sennheiser e 835 vocal microphone.
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