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FeedOct 24, 2012 06:26 AM WV Sound
Keeping a beat in the Mountain State
Clarksburg Musician Wins ReverbNation Competition
Photographed by Victoria Evans
Clarksburg’s Lydia Simons, of The Amorous, recently won first place in the Christian Division of ReverbNation’s International Unsigned Only 2012 music competition.
ReverbNation is home to more than two million artists, labels, managers, and vendors. It attracts musicians from all over the world, with more than 30 million hits to reverbnation.com every month. Unsigned Only is a great opportunity for artists who haven’t signed a major label contract, and the competition is designed specifically for independent artists.
The competition aims to find the most talented band or solo artist who desperately needs to be discovered, and Lydia was exactly what that contest was looking for. On August 29, 2012, with more than 7,000 entries worldwide, ReverbNation announced the winners, placing Lydia + The Amorous first in the Christian Division. Two of Lydia’s songs were in the top 10, including her single, “Here It Goes,” which one first place, and “Free,” which gained honorable mention. Lydia said her producer, Brian Bunn, told her from the beginning that “Here It Goes” would be a big favorite.
Before the winners were announced, Lydia had started to doubt herself. “Being outside of the box can be encouraging and discouraging at the same time,” she says. “It can work for you, or against you, and it’s done both throughout my career.” Lydia says she didn’t know about her win until the day after the official announcement. “My sister called to congratulate me. I had no idea that I had won, and I was so excited.”
Lydia says she could hardly believe she was in the same competition as the other musicians she heard. When asked what she thought of them, she says, “They were all so good. I can hear every one of them being played on the radio.”
Part of the prize package included eight-week social media management from VERVE Management and a subscription to the A&R directory for a year, giving Lydia full access to labels and contacts. Because Lydia strives to surround herself with “artists who are creating unique sounds, and who are really pioneering in their field,” she was beyond excited to hear that Annie Clark, better known by her stage name of St. Vincent, was one of the judges. Among the impressive list of judges were also Jeremy Camp, Robert Smith (The Cure), and Kelly Clarkson. “All of the winners, in each category, were judged for the grand prize, so ‘Here It Goes’ was heard by so many famous artists,” Lydia says. Some of the record companies involved were Universal Republic, Razor & Tie, Atlantic, and RCA Records.
Lydia says she is excited about the future of her music career, with labels already calling for her self-titled EP, released earlier this year. You can check out Lydia + The Amorous on facebook.com/theamorousband.
Great blog and great news.. Go Lydia! (: -Brittany
So happy for you Lydia. God has something special in store for you. You go girl! Love from you friends Carolyn and Alan