After reviewing over 220 submissions, our Golden Ticket Special Event Pitch with Lauren Lucas delivered an incredible lineup of Rising Star Contender songs from the SongU community during The Big Reveal, a live event where we were reminded of what happens when songwriters show up, share their work, keep writing, and connecting.
As part of The Big Reveal, Lauren shared valuable insight into her listening process and what set the contender songs apart. She emphasized that strong songwriting begins with the lyric. Before listening to the songs, she often read the lyric to help her focus on true craft over production.
The songs that rose to the top used vivid imagery, clear hook development, and natural, conversational melodies, all while moving the story forward with purpose.
Just as importantly, the evening reinforced that putting your songs out there takes courage! Every submission is planting seeds, and meaningful connections within the community can lead to opportunities when you least expect them. You never know how, when, or which door opens next!
👏👏👏 Congratulations to all of our Rising Star contenders. Kudos to the Top 10 !
✨The Golden Ticket Winner of a pro-cowrite with Lauren Lucas is Eric Blossman with his song “Deadlines in the Sand.”
🎶Read on to see the full contender’s list and listen to ALL their songs in this Rising Star Playlist !
🏆 Golden Ticket Top 10 Songs
- # 1 – Eric Blossman —DEADLINES IN THE SAND (Eric Blossman) (Winner!)
- # 2 – Brad McKinney — STANDING STRONG (Brad McKinney, Derrick Breaux, Elizabeth Eckert)
- # 3 – James DeBorde — SECRET BRUISES (Leslie Miller, James Deborde)
- # 4 – Logan Wamsley — THE GREATEST MAN I KNOW IS A WOMAN (Logan Wamsley)
- # 5 – Jeremy Wayne Lewis — GHOST OF MY CHEVROLET (LYRICS) (Jeremy Wayne Lewis)
- # 6 – Cassie Leuffen — TO BE HONEST (Cassie Leuffen)
- # 7 – Scotty Spain — HOLY GHOST IN A HOTEL ROOM (Scotty Spain)
- # 8 – Adam Byrd — JUST ANOTHER TATTOO (Adam Byrd/Sarah Motes Ashley)
- # 9 – Tina Rivera — GRIDIRON GIRLS (Tina Rivera/Cory Lee Barker)
- # 10 -Tina Rivera — YOU LOOK LIKE JESUS (Tina Rivera/Cory Lee Barker)
The Rising Stars! (Contenders List – Not Ranked)
- Eric Blossman – WHO I THOUGHT YOU WERE (Eric Blossman)
- Melyssa Corrigan – THE FALL (Melyssa Corrigan)
- Janet Devers – UP AND DOWN (Janet Devers and Bryan Huwar)
- Janet Devers – THE ONLY THING MISSING IS YOU (FEMALE) (Janet Devers and Doug Stanglin)
- Carin Fradin – ANGEL DOWN (Carey Latham, Andrew Langdon, Carin Fradin)
- Carin Fradin – MODEL LIFE (Molly Rose Hansen, Jennifer Alvarado, Carin Fradin)
- Kenneth Grundstein – HONKY TONKIN’ AGAIN (A.C. CUSTOM) (Ken Grundstein)
- Morris Haynes – HIP/ROCK VERSE (CHASING LIGHTNING) (Morris Haynes )
- Kerry Jeter – WHY GOD MADE SAD SONGS (Kerry Jeter)
- Pat Kelley – IT IS FINISHED (Pat Kelley)
- Pat Kelley – COFFEE CUP (2) (Pat Kelley)
- David Kraut – RUN (David Kraut)
- Tony Lanni – THE LONG WAY HOME (THE SCENIC ROUTE) (Tony Lanni)
- Carey Latham – COLD IN TENNESSEE (Carey Latham, Michael Greco)
- Eric Lee – FIRST TWO MEN (Eric Lee & Andrea Brodeur)
- Cassie Leuffen – BOOM BOOM (Cassie Leuffen/Ricky Amburgey )
- Cassie Leuffen – I’VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH CHRISTMAS (Cassie Leuffen)
- Israel Malek – GET UR BOOTS ON (Izzy Malek)
- Mac Millen – A LONG GOODBYE (REWRITE) (Mac Millen)
- Sarah Motes Ashley – GET OFF OF MY LAWN (Sarah Motes Ashley and Adam Byrd)
- William Nugent – IS THAT ANY WAY? (COUNTRY GRUNGE) (Bill Nugent)
- Andrew Olson – WE’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON (Andrew Olson, Renee Messinger)
- Heather Platania – RADIO SILENCE (Heather Platania)
- Heather Platania – HEY ANGEL (CAN I GET A RIDE) (Heather Platania)
- Heather Platania – YOUR EXPERIMENT (Heather Platania)
- Heather Platania – HOW DO I LOOK IN THESE BOOTS (Heather Platania)
- Heather Platania – PORCH LIGHT (Heather Platania)
- Tina Rivera – I JUST DON’T DO MARRIED (Tina Rivera )
- Don Rosenthal – BAD HABIT GONE GOOD (Don Rosenthal)
- Pam Ross – #SOS (SIPPING ON SOMETHING) (Pam Ross)
- Derek Sholeen – I WALKED A LONG WAY (Derek Sholeen)
- John Stockwell – SHE’S A CHECKBOOK WOMAN AND I’M A REDNECK MAN (John Stockwell)
Thanks to everyone who participated in this event. Whether you were a contender or not, your talent and perseverance is never take for granted. Keep up the great work!
Here’s how participants weighed in on The Big Reveal…
“Lauren was terrific—her comments were incredibly helpful. It’s easy to see why she’s such an effective songwriting teacher among her many other accolades.”
“First time I’ve done one of these. It exceeded my expectations!”
“I did not submit a song but wanted to observe. I enjoyed hearing her process in how she worked through each song. Very informative!”
“I thought Lauren was amazing. It was extremely sweet of her to say something about every song and then rank the top ten.”
“I want to thank SongU, the great staff, and Lauren Lucas for taking the time for all of the songwriters, and for providing a platform for us to do what we love to do.”
“I didn’t submit a song, but really enjoyed the session. I suspect I will submit a song next time SongU does something like this.”
“Thank you for making SongU such a wonderful experience. I can feel myself growing as a writer, and I deeply appreciate the support you provide to all of us.”
“SongU has a good heart, and this was another sweet example.”