Shirebrook songwriter bags top award for his song about his 'grey town'
A young singer-songwriter from Shirebrook has beaten stiff competition to win an international music award.
River Hopkins went viral in 2020 with his song ‘Welcome to Mansfield’ about his experiences of the town as a teenager.
The 16-year-old was gobsmacked to receive the news that his song had beaten more than 10,000 other entrants to win a national songwriting competition this week in the under-18 category.
The UK Songwriting Contest is a major annual international music competition for songwriters, formed in association with The BRIT Trust, and it is one of the world's most popular and prestigious songwriting events.
The Shirebrook teen said: "I can’t believe I won, but it is nice to have something good happen.
"It is very hard as a musician to motivate yourself if there are no shows, and nothing to look forward to, so I'm really happy.
"The quality of the talent I was up against was mind blowing, I didn't think I stood a chance.
"I love Mansfield really, and the council have been very supportive with my music.
"I wrote the song as a bit of fun, not to offend anyone, I just want there to be more opportunities here for young people.”
River is not letting his success go to his head though, he is busy trying to pass his GCSEs, keeping up to date with his coursework and attending classes online, so that he can get into college.
His next song is due to be released shortly in conjunction with Centrepoint, a charity in the United Kingdom which provides accommodation and support to homeless people aged 16–25.