youtube instagram newsong recordings

Jackson Grimm wins the 11th annual LEAF Songwriter Competition

Jackson Grimm has immersed himself in traditional Appalachian music, from studying with Wayne Erbsen and Kevin Kehrberg and Warren Wilson College to enlisting Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and storyteller Josh Goforth as the producer on his album. Onstage at the LEAF Performance & Songwriter Competition, on Saturday,… (read more)

May 13th, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Babe Club

Charleston-based Babe Club crafts cool-toned synth-pop with an emotive edge. The band is the brainchild of Jenna Desmond and Corey Campbell, who met at the College of Charleston and quickly became creative collaborators. After graduating, they joined the Americana act Susto, touring nationally and performing… (read more)

May 1st, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Andy Shaw

Andy Shaw is a singer songwriter based out of Columbus, Ohio, since 2004. Andy writes and performs music from a real place, conveying themes of love, heartache, social and political justice, and a curiosity about life and its meaning. His band the Andy Shaw Band,… (read more)

April 29th, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Jay Brown

Jay Brown is a roots music one-man-band from Black Mountain, North Carolina, who has been playing guitar and piano since the age of 7. A prolific songwriter, Jay's performances draw from a couple hundred original songs, as well as countless covers from the roots of… (read more)

April 24th, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Linda Dunnavant

Linda Dunnavant is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter originally from Moultrie, GA. She calls her genre “dream folk Americana” and her songs are inspired by daydreams, delusions, second chances, old hurts, getting stuck, getting free, and the natural world. She released an EP in 2023 called Tiny… (read more)

April 23rd, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Jackson Grimm

Jackson Grimm is an accomplished and respected multi-instrumentalist and teacher in the Asheville music community. His songs marry folk pop melodies with the lonesome sound of traditional Appalachian music. It is no surprise that Jackson’s songwriting is representative of his musical birthplace, Western North Carolina,… (read more)

April 23rd, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Finn O’Sullivan

Finn O'Sullivan is an indie folk/pop singer-songwriter based in Longmont, CO. She explores love and heartbreak, patriarchal privilege, the worlds of her favorite fictional characters, and the endless what ifs that keep her up at night. Finn writes and performs with equal parts depth of… (read more)

April 23rd, 2025

Q&A with LEAF Finalist Benjamin Burke

Benjamin Burke is a folk-country singer and songwriter. Reminiscent of modern greats like Jason Isbell, as well as artists from days gone by like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Burke invokes the timeless appeal of a songwriter and his guitar. His songs are clever, earnest,… (read more)

April 21st, 2025

Q&A with LEAF finalist Jackson Harden

Jackson Harden is a singer-songwriter from Utah, currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Combining elements of traditional folk, alt-country, and chamber pop, his music has a timeless quality that creates an airy, open atmosphere tinged with imagery of the vast desert landscapes and towering mountains… (read more)

April 17th, 2025

2025 LEAF Competition Finalists Announced

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2025 finalists of the LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, presented by NewSong Music: Babe Club — Charleston, SC Caroline Cotter — Ellsworth, ME Finn O'Sullivan — Longmont, CO Jackson Grimm — Swannanoa, NC Andy Shaw — Columbus, OH Jackson Harden — Concord, NC Jenna… (read more)

April 9th, 2025