Teddington School student William Massie, aged 12, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Young Songwriter Competition 2020.

He's seen off over 700 other entrants to reach the Top 10 of the competition for 8-12 year olds.

William's song, 'No Place' which he made in his bedroom at home, sits alongside other songs that have been written with special resonance at this time with titles such as "This is not the end", "Don't you worry" and "No-one knows everything".

Members of the judging panel include award winners Tom Odell, Imelda May and Miranda Cooper.

Odell said "When I was 13 years old I started writing songs, and over the following years I became more and more obsessed with it. But the thing that always kept me awake at night was how to get them out there for people to hear them.

"This is why I think The Song Academy Young Songwriter competition is a great way to inspire and help through this process, and it's something I wish had been around when I was starting out."

William has written and performed several other songs, all with an electronic baseline, including "Feelings" and "The Answer".

He is excited to find out if he will make the top 3 on June 2nd, and be in the running for the top prize of half a day in a recording studio, the chance to perform at the Young Songwriter Showcase at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill as well as a selection of other goodies. The winner will be announced on June 20th.

In a Q and A interview with Song Academy, (www.songacademy.co.uk) William told how the plight of refugees had inspired him to write the song.

What inspired you to write your song?

I'd been noticing a lot on the news about refugees and children being forced to leave their homes and I started to imagine how devastating it must be and how they must be so brave to get through it. I decided to write a song about the issue, to honour these families, as there is no place like home.

What got you into writing songs?

My Mum says I was born singing. I started playing the piano when I was around 6, but I wasn't keen on reading and following the music that my teacher would give me, so I started writing my own music and coming up with my own songs.

What is your favourite part of the songwriting process?

I know it sounds cliche, but I love the whole thing. I love the feeling when you come up with a lyric in the middle of the night, the feeling when you play what could be the chord sequence to your next song, and the smile on my face when I finish writing and rush downstairs to play it to my family for the first time.

Describe your setup that you used to write your #SAYS20 entry, was it just a pen and paper or a fully kitted out studio?

To write my SAYS20 entry I used a pen and paper (a lot of post-it notes lying all over my bedroom!) and my keyboard. I then used my laptop to record and mix it.

How do you usually start a song? How do you find that spark?

Normally when I start to write a song it's either me thinking of a lyric in bed at midnight, or recording a melody on my phone in the park. Sometimes it's when I'm reading about worldwide issues in geography, R.S. or on the news etc.

Who would be your dream artist/writer/band to collaborate with?

If I could collab with any artist it would be sooooo hard to choose, but I'd probably go for Oak Felder. Oak Felder is a songwriter and pop record producer and has been nominated and won grammy awards. He likes to make his music just using a laptop and basic recording equipment.

What made you enter #SAYS20? How did you hear about it?

I entered last year when I saw an ad in the Stagecoach magazine. I loved the experience and was so keen to enter again this year. It's a great focus especially right now in lockdown!

What would you say to someone aged 8-18 who is thinking about entering the Song Academy Young Songwriter competition next year? Do you have any tips for them?

For someone entering the competition for the first time, I would tell them that if they ever think of a lyric, or a melody, or a riff, don't wait until later to write it down or record it in music memos. Do it then. Do it in THE moment. There have been so many times where I've thought of something, not written it down, and then forgotten it. And it kills me to know that that idea could have been my best song yet, and that i'm never going to be able to use it. There is no time that's not a time for writing music.

What are your favourite other entries from this year's competition? Who out of the other entrants (it doesn't have to be a finalist!) would you like to collaborate with?

If I could collaborate with one of the other entrants from this year's competition it would probably be Skye Bishop and not just because she won last year. I like the style that she writes in and I think that we could make some amazing music together.

What do you like about the Song Academy Young Songwriter competition?

What I like about the song Academy young songwriter competition is how it brings like -minded people together and how it allows us to share our music with others and get feedback on it and find ways to improve our music next time we write a song.

With thanks to Song Academy

Listen to William's entry No Place here

Learn more about Song Academy