South African trio Bonfire Buffalo’s song ‘A Little Sunshine’ received the silver award in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category at the 2017 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). 'Light Up' by Austalia’s Fletcher Gull and 'The War' by the UK's Thea Gilmore took first and third prize respectively.
The ISC is an annual global song contest that provides an opportunity for both aspiring and established artists to get international recognition. The competition receives more than 16 000 entries from 140 countries and is judged by well-known artists such as Adam Lambert, Bastille, The Script and Kaskade.
“We are extremely proud and honoured to announce that our track 'A Little Sunshine' came second in the International Songwriting Competition 2017 Folk/Singer-Songwriter category,” Bonfire Buffalo wrote on Facebook.
The band's bassist, Carl Dedekind, said: "We are extremely proud and honoured to be winners in this competition, especially because it is considered the most prestigious songwriting competition in the world.
“With songs entered from all over the world, is an awesome achievement to be one of the winners. Also, some of the judges have had major influence on our music, including Bastille, Tom Waits and Lorde.”
“It is a huge compliment for them to consider the song to be one of the winning songs. We ourselves are proud of the song and are warmed that it has received some international acclaim."
Other South African acts that competed in the ISC are Wonderboom, Rubber Duc and Dan Patlansky.
Founded in 2016, Bonfire Buffalo, which is fronted by singer Ann van Rooyen, earned recognition through the band's debut single ‘Back in School’. The song was followed by ‘Good In Another Life’ featuring rapper ShabZi Madallion.
Bonfire Buffalo has performed alongside the country’s biggest rock acts such as Prime Circle and Fokofpolisiekar.
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