SOCAN member Eric Ethridge has won the overall Grand Prize in the 2018 Unsigned Only competition, for his song “Girl on Fire.” The fast-rising country singer-songwriter is the third SOCAN member Grand Prize winner since the competition launched in 2012, following in the footsteps of Wes Mack and Faouzia. In addition to winning $20,000 USD in cash, and $20,000 USD in merchandise and services, Ethridge also receives one-on-one mentoring from a group of upper-echelon music industry executives.
Ethridge has been gaining momentum for the past few years: he’s earned a mention in Rolling Stone, won the CCMA Discovery Program, reached the Canadian Country charts, and debuted on SiriusXM’s The Highway. His debut EP topped the iTunes Country chart, and peaked at No. 3 on the all-genres chart. A doctor-turned-country-artist, Ethridge has written and recorded songs that have been streamed more than three million times since his EP was released in July of 2018.
Said Unsigned Only in a media release, “The Grand Prize winner needs to be an artist who possesses extraordinary talent, and is ready to take the next step in his or her career. We’re always on the lookout for that artist, who not only creates music that will be in demand, but who also makes music that’s enduring. Ethridge embodies these traits, and he’s one of the most exciting artists Unsigned Only has been privileged to discover.”
Other first-place SOCAN member winners are:
- Reign, who won in the Electronic Dance Music category, for “Make Me”;
- Royal Foundry, who carried the day in the Rock category, with “Lost in Your Head” (co-written by Beth and Jared Salte); and
- frequent songwriting contest winners Big Little Lions, who took the top prize in the Screenshot category, for “Find Your Tribe” (co-written by Helen Austin and Paul Otten).
Jayde won second place in the Screenshot category, for “Perfect Strangers.”
In addition to these winners, 12 other Canadian artists have won an Honorable Mention in their respective categories. SOCAN congratulates all of our winning members on these achievements. For a complete list of winners, and to hear the winning songs, click here.