Black Country songwriter in contest semi-final
A Black Country man has beaten the odds and been chosen as a semi finalist in The International UK Songwriting Contest for a song he wrote about the death of his mother.
Steve Chivers, a 48-year-old quality manager from Oldbury, entered the prestigious competition with his country song ‘The Day I Said Goodbye’ and has made it to the semi finals, which means his song is in the top 20 per cent of all entries.
The song was dedicated to his mother, Jean Chivers, who sadly died from cancer in November 2008.
Mr Chivers said: “I wrote the song during that period, to me it’s a sweet tribute to my mum while also showing how I was dealing with my feelings after she passed away. Song writing is something I’ve done over the years and it’s more of a hobby as I’ve written lots of songs.
“I am absolutely chuffed to bits as I’ve never really showed my songs to people. A long series of events got me to where I am and it could be life changing if they pick my song, all it takes is for one judge to like it.”
He will now go forward to the next round where his song will be judged by experienced musicians and songwriters in the industry. The judges include Sting’s producer and musical director Kipper Eldrige and UK producer Stuart Epps, who is known for his work with Elton John, Robbie Williams, Led Zeppelin and more.
The International UK Song Writing Contest was launched in 2002 and allows beginners and experienced songwriters from around the world to compete on an equal level with the contest acting as a launching pad for new songwriting talent.
More than a 100,000 songs have been entered with over £1,000,000 worth of prizes being awarded to entrants over the years.
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