BMI Foundation Names 2023 John Lennon Award Winners
L-R: Chance Emerson, Zoe Ko, and Călin Lupea, winners of the 2023 John Lennon Award.
New York, NY - July 17, 2023 – BMI Foundation named Zoe Ko, Chance Emerson, and Călin Lupea the first, second, and third place winners of the 2023 John Lennon Award. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono and BMI Foundation, the John Lennon Awards honor preeminent songwriter John Lennon’s memory with three annual prizes totaling $20,000 for the best original songs by young songwriters in contemporary musical genres, including alternative, pop, rock, indie, electronica, R&B, and experimental.
The competition, which received nearly 400 applications, is led by Samantha Cox, Vice President, Creative, New York, BMI and Vice President of the BMI Foundation, and Timothy Pattison, Director, Creative, New York, BMI. Judges for the 2023 competition included Evan Lipschutz, Double Down 11 Management; Rich Christina, Warner Chappell; David Silberstein, Mega House Music; Danielle Middleton, Page One Management; and Ian Holder, Sony Music Publishing.
Upon receiving the award, first place winner Ko said, “Winning this John Lennon scholarship is one of the most empowering feelings and honestly biggest milestones in my career thus far. The little 7-year-old girl writing songs about her life couldn’t even fathom that this was her reality now. I couldn’t be more grateful because it will allow me to continue to pursue this crazy dream.”
Zoe Ko is a NYC-based singer/songwriter journaling her life through the emotive juxtaposition of upbeat & moody pop rock. Her vulnerable lyrics and infectious melodies make her songs feel as intimate and electric as dancing alone in your room. Ko has amassed over 2M streams to date with only six releases. Zoe closed out the year on a high note, being selected as a part of Spotify’s Fresh Finds Class of 2022. Listen to Ko’s winning song, “Petri Dish,” below.
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Chance Emerson is a 23-year-old Taiwanese-American singer/songwriter originally from Hong Kong now residing in Providence, RI. While enrolled as a student at Brown University, Emerson steadily built up a loyal fanbase amongst both college and indie/folk rock audiences through an unrelenting release and touring schedule, which saw him sell out countless headlining shows as well as support more established artists including Johnnyswim, Eli Young Band, Lawrence, Ripe, Blues Traveler, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs and Nancy Wilson's Heart. His recently released 10-track album, Ginkgo, showcases the many reasons behind his swift ascent from dorm-room troubadour to nationwide touring phenom, a rise driven as much by his fellow Gen Z/TikTok-engaging peers as by firmly established artists who have invited him to open for them. Listen to Emerson’s second place song, “House We Share,” below.
Călin Lupea is an eighteen-year-old singer/songwriter/producer born in Brașov, Romania, and raised in Miami, Florida. During his time attending New World School of the Arts high school, Lupea spent years training his vocal and performance abilities and has competed in numerous music festivals and international competitions, such as SuperStar Romania, where he placed as a semifinalist. He is passionate about music and hopes to pursue songwriting and production professionally. Lupea has already independently created several demos, singles and instrumentals and plans to release his first official EP as well as his third-place song, “Sweet Lies,” later this year.
About the BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and Instagram, and like BMI Foundation on Facebook.
Media Contact
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