Shoals City Showdown is a brand new music discovery competition aiming to spotlight artists across the nation. The event was created by fellow artist CONNR in order to connect various communities through musical creativity.
It is important to note the competition has partnered with the Shoals Dream Center, an organization that works to feed families that live below the poverty line. For every public vote the showdown receives, they donate $1 to the Dream Center.
In addition to giving back to the community, the showdown declared many prizes for the artist who comes out on top: studio time, social media promotions, performance opportunities, branding, merch designs and cash.
In order to enter, artists had to submit an online form stating where they were from, declare a genre and include samples if they had previously released any music.
Submissions were open for two months, and the competition reached across the nation with a total of 130 submissions from over 20 states. Out of the submissions, 32 artists were selected to compete. Their names were released to social media Aug. 14.
The showdown was designed to have a total of four rounds, each with a different theme. The first round allowed for each artist to write an original song to show off their musicality.
Due to the amount of artists, voting was decided to be done in groups of 8. Voting would open for each group on a Tuesday, lasting through the following Friday.
Voting started Aug. 20 for the first 8 artists: Camacho, The Hourglass Cats, Clayton, Shy Blossom, Manny Moto, Stungun, Anastasia Elliot and Brother Goode.
The showdown is a bracket style competition. That is, votes are between a pair. For example, Clayton was paired against Shy Blossom, and Anastasia Elliot against Brother Goode. Of the eight artists, Camacho, Clayton, Manny Moto and Brother Goode moved on to round two.
Voting for the next eight artists of round one began on Aug. 27. The public had a choice of voting for Emi Sunshine or The Burney Sisters, Kirbi or Leah Slaughter, Mary Heather Hickman or Brandon Green and Lucie Tiger or Deidre Thornell.
Voting rules remained the same, The Burney Sisters, Leah Slaughter, Mary Heather Hickman and Lucie Tiger earned their way to round two.
Group three’s time for voting came on Sep. 3. Hunter Blake McClendon, Gavin Sumrall, Songbird, Lyla Dipaul, Abigail Virginia, Marissa Luna, Local Brand and Loose Bolts were the artists competing.
From the voting, Hunter Blake McClendon, Lyla Dipaul, Marissa Luna and Local Brand made their way to round two.
The final group’s voting opened up Sep. 10. The public could vote for Kliz or Thad Saajid, Charlie Pace or Eli Hannon, Kevin Padron or Malcom and My Mom is Here or Colleen Orender.
The results allowed for Thad Saajid, Eli Hannon, Kevin Padron and Colleen Orender to coast through to round two.
As many others do, Padron writes music as a way to express himself, writing songs that are both relatable and telling. “Overall, I just want my music to connect with as many people as possible,” said Padron. “I want to inspire, change and connect.”
Through the competition, Padron hopes to create a bigger name for himself. Having already released music, he is excited to see what other opportunities arise from the showdown. Fans of R&B will enjoy listening to his collection, but his music truly is for everyone due to its versatility.
Round one raised over $5,300 for the Dream Center as a result of so many people tuning in to cast their vote.
Additionally, the judges reviewed each artist’s original song and decided their favorite. Abigail Virginia won the opportunity to write alongside Rob Williford due to her song “People Don’t Love.”
For the second round, the remaining artists have been challenged to create or enhance songs to effectively capture the “Muscle Shoals Sound.” The area is historically known for its rich, cultural impact on music, and the judges will be analyzing how well each artist connected to the area.
Voting for the first group opened up Sep. 17. This time, it was Camacho vs. Clayton, Manny Moto vs. Brother Goode, The Burney Sisters vs. Leah Slaughter and Mary Heather Hickman vs. Lucie Heather.
Voting for this round was open until the following Friday. Camacho, Manny Moto, The Burney Sisters and Mary Heather Hickman will all move onto round three where they will be challenged to write or perform a song in a different genre than what they previously declared.
As of this point in the competition, the showdown has raised $10, 745 for the Shoals Dream Center, doubling what had previously been raised.
Voting for the second group opened up Sep. 24 for Hunter Blake McClendon vs Lyla Dipaul, Marissa Luna vs Local Brand, Thad Saajid vs Eli Hannon and Kevin Padron vs Colleen Orender.
The judge’s vote will still be automatically awarded, and the winners of this group will join the others in moving onto the artistry round.
Colleen Orender is another artist that has proved she is a force to be reckoned with.
Muscle Shoals has always been an area that intrigued her, musically. From this competition, specifically, she wants to create a record that is a “work of art” and submit it to the Grammys.
Music was passed down to her from her grandfather who was a country singer. Since her grandparents lived out in the Appalachian mountains, Orender said she grew up with stories being passed down.
Now, she makes music that reflects this, focusing on blues, soul and pop.
Since the second round is all about music that reveals the roots of Muscle Shoals, Orender aimed to implement as many horns as she could.
In general, horns are already a huge part of her band, so this part of the competition should really reflect her musicality. If she makes it to the live show, she will surely light the stage with her voice.
“The exchange of energy I receive when I’m performing is unparalleled,” said Orender. “Music will always be my life’s work and the love of my life.”
Voting for the third round will open Oct. 1. Since there will only be a remainder of eight artists, they will all be in the same group, that way, voting will still be between two artists. Additionally, the judge’s vote will still be up for grabs.
The four artists that make it to the fourth and final round will have the opportunity to perform live at the Vivian Theatre on Oct. 12. Anyone 18 and older can attend this free event where there will be plenty of food vendors and raffles.
The winner will be announced at the end of the night.
