One of the University of Lincoln’s former postgraduate students has been nominated as a finalist at this year’s Brit Writers’ Awards.
Jack Shaw is a solo songwriter, as well as musician and writer for Lincoln’s rock hip-hop band, Dancing Lotus, which he formed in his second year at university. He will go head-to-head with other talented writers in London on December 1st.
Shaw said: “It’s pretty awesome. I wasn’t really expecting anything from it. It’s a huge step for me to just be recognised for the work I do. You aim towards that kind of recognition through all sorts of things but to get an actual nomination on a national level by the industry is pretty amazing.
He added: “I love to write music for other people and this takes me one step closer to gaining a publishing deal.”
Shaw’s song, “Walk Away” has been nominated in the songwriter category and, although it was written almost two years ago, it still holds meaning for Shaw: “The main hook of the song is about trying to not lose faith in yourself and have a belief in what you do and stick to it cause it’s easier to throw in the towel sometimes.”
However, songwriting for Shaw still holds its difficulties: “I’m a bit of a creative person so it just comes naturally to me. But I can vary from track to track, project to project.
“One of our songs, ‘Kings of Men’ was incredibly hard to make because it was mixing math rock and finger tap with rap dance music. It was mental. But, for us as writers, it was trying to gauge where to take the song. Once you get through that process you then appreciate the results,” said Shaw.
Shaw started writing songs and playing the guitar at the tender age of sixteen. But after studying a master’s degree in Music Production at the University of Lincoln, he joined Dancing Lotus, before moving to London to pursue a career in music performance and writing.
Since becoming a songwriter, Shaw has released solo single, “Midnight,” with Lincoln folk rocker, Elliott Morris, which reached number 18 in the iTunes chart, with the album raising money for Barnardo’s children charity. He’s also written a book and worked on a number of projects with Dancing Lotus producer, Luke Billing.
Shaw explained: “Inherently, as a person, I like to bounce ideas off people. I think it makes sense to bring people in. I’ve learnt a lot from collaborations and, ultimately, I will write with other people and for other people so it will be interesting. What makes it fun is the people you meet along the way.”
He now looks forward to the next few months as he endeavors on a number of different projects and events, including a performance at StorySLAM live at London’s Southbank Centre and another single release with Elliott Morris.
Speaking about the year so far, Shaw said: “This year’s been ridiculous. We’ve got three months left and no doubt something crazy will happen. We’ve got some promising stuff coming up in the next few months.”
For tickets to the Brit Writers Awards and more information on Shaw’s upcoming gig, visit his website.