New Jersey Teen Wins NYC Songwriters Circle’s “Young Songwriter Award”

From the press release:

The New York Songwriters Circle (NYSC — www.songwriters-circle.com) and the Fashion Fantasy Game (FFG —www.fashionfantasygame.com) are proud to announce that 16-year-old Ali Brustofski of Oakland, NJ is the 2009 recipient of the NYSC’s “Young Songwriter Award” contest for her single “Rewind.” Finishing a close second was 19-year-old Pittsburgh, PA native Maddie George for her song, “GO.”

“I honestly couldn’t believe when they announced me as the winner,” said Ali. “I remember thinking, wait… that’s me! I totally forgot what I had planned to say out of my excitement. Winning this award means so much to me, and has really given me more self-confidence not only as an artist, but as a songwriter. It’s given me an added push to work on more original music and has really jump-started my career. I’d totally recommend the NYSC contest to all the young writers out there – it was a really cool and exciting experience that doesn’t come around often for young people like us. I’m truly honored to have been a part of it.”

New for 2009, the NYSC’s “Young Songwriters Award” was determined for the first time by votes cast online by 675,000 members of the Fashion Fantasy Game social networking and gaming Web site.

Recently, Ali performed her award winning single “Rewind” at the New York Songwriters Circles (www.songwriters-circle.com) fourth annual Songwriting Contest grand finale at the Bitter End in New York. Both Ali and Maddie proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why they were chosen out of thousands of entries to represent their generation.

“Ali is a fine young songwriter and singer with a lot of potential and possesses an amazing sense of how to promote her music, which is so important today as an aspiring artist,” said Tina Shafer, Artistic Director for the New York Songwriters Circle and host of the contest. “Ali and our runner up Maddie George both performed beautifully and showed everyone why the voting was so close.”

About the Fashion Fantasy Game

Fashion Fantasy Game www.fashionfantasygame.com is the online game and social network for young women who are passionate about fashion, friends and fun. Developed by fashion industry veteran and successful entrepreneur Nancy Ganz, players of Fashion Fantasy Game design and sell virtual fashions in a competitive online environment that offers them a taste of what it would be like to have their own fashion businesses.

About the New York Songwriters’ Circle:

For over 19 years, the New York Songwriter’s Circle has been producing and directing bimonthly shows at the legendary Bitter End club, in New York City’s West Village. The Circle has launched the careers of notable artists such as Norah Jones, Jesse Harris, Lisa Loeb, Vanessa Carlton, Gavin DeGraw, NYSC songwriting contest winner and regular on “One Tree Hill,” Kate Voegele, Company of Thieves and Chris Barron. The circle has quickly become one of the most popular music events in Manhattan, attracting not only the best up and coming songwriting talent from around the world but also top music industry executives looking to discover “the next big thing”. Currently The New York Songwriter’s Circle hosts live music showcases across the country including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as an educational “Loft Series” dedicated to supporting, nurturing and empowering artists in this new age of the Music industry.