By Raven Ramsey
Theme Editor
Freshman Salem Meade rocks her way to becoming one of the top 72 finalists in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with an original song.
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest was established in 1997 by Yoko Ono, Lennon’s wife. It features 12 different categories with 72 finalists, 24 Grand Prize winners,12 Lennon winners and one Song of the Year winner. According to Meade, she entered the competition in May in hopes of sharing a song she wrote at the age of 12 about her friend, Kathy Thiere, called “I’ll See You.” Thiere passed away in 2018, and Meade wanted to remember her by doing what Meade knew she was best at.
“Writing the song was very inspiring and emotional,” Meade said. “Signing up for this contest with this song made me so happy and excited that people would hear something that means so much to me.”
For the contest, Meade depended on her mentors, Deedee O’Malley and Grant Nicholas, to perfect the song for the judges and for her late friend. She recorded her song at Total Access, a studio in Redondo Beach, and O’Malley’s home.
“It was hard writing the song because you know and have to accept that someone isn’t with you anymore,” Meade said. “The song is really emotional, and sometimes it’s hard to put those emotions into words when writing a song.”
Despite the hardships of writing this song, Meade made sure it was ready to share with the world. When Meade won a spot in the contest, it guaranteed her song would be listened to by many skilled artists.
“This song makes me feel like a part of [Thiere] is still with me,” Meade said. “Knowing that I was taking a chance by submitting my song made me happy because the lyrics are really meaningful, and they would be heard by other talented musicians.”
In early September, Meade received an email with the news that she attained a spot as a finalist in the competition. The finalist prizes consisted of a Focusrite – which documents guitar, bass and vocals – a tablet holder and a one-year subscription to Guitar Player Magazine.
“I was so shocked because I didn’t expect to be a winning finalist at all,” Meade said. “But after I got over the shock I was so happy, and I felt even more inspired to keep writing.”
Meade was first formally introduced to music when she started piano and violin lessons at four years old. She now sings, writes her own music and plays guitar. Throughout her musical journey, Meade has played with several bands including, XYZPDQ, Live Wire LA and Feed the Kitty. She has opened for OTTTO, Classless Act and the Canyon Club Rock Godz Hall of Fame. Meade has also been featured in commercials for GAP clothing and Guitar Center.
“My mom would always play rock songs in the car when I was little, and I remember saying how I wanted to cover the songs when I got older,” Meade said. “Once I turned four my mom surprised me with violin and piano lessons, and ever since then I’ve been playing and writing my own songs.”
To add to all of her success, Meade was asked to be on the Kelly Clarkson Show on Nov. 2. On the show, she talked about her musical journey and even met her idols, Melissa Etheridge and Sheila Escovedo.
“I’m not sure what to say other than Kelly was absolutely amazing,” Meade said. “Meeting Mellissa and Sheila was so cool. These three women are incredible talents and all-around great and inspiring women.”
Meade has also made several appearances in movies, such as “The Call of the Wild” and “Mighty Oak,” and has even sung a cover of “I’ve Got a Dream” from the Tangled soundtrack in a music video for the Dream Big Princess Campaign for Disney. She will continue to play, write, perform and pursue both her acting and music careers in hopes of sharing her talent with the world.
“I want to be a singer, songwriter [and] guitarist for as long as I possibly can,” Meade said. “This contest inspired me to keep writing. I will keep improving at what I do and share [my music] with as many people as I can.”
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