Student finishes in top five of national music competition

Brisbane Waters Secondary College student Sam Windley has finished in the top five in a competition to find Australia's best high school musical act.

"Unfortunately I didn't win," she said.

"But I am still so happy. This is such a huge achievement."

She said she looked forward to the opportunities it would bring.

Her song, Neighbours in the Morning, was entered in the Triple J Unearthed High competition and was already accessible on the Triple J Unearthed website.

It was placed second on the Unearthed rock genre chart for the week ending September 13, and 28th overall on a top 100 chart.

Sam said the song was inspired around hypothetical stereotypes, people watching and observing different things neighbours do throughout the day.

She said she had been playing the guitar from a young age and started singing when she was 12.

"My songwriting is based on feeling," she said.

"I feel like I have all these songs just brewing inside of me, and then every few months, I will sit down and just start writing."

With Year 12 finishing up in a few months, she said she was looking forward to the possibilities of a musical career.

"This is something I definitely want to keep doing.

"I really love playing live music," she said.

SOURCE:

Media release, 31 Aug 2020

Triple J Unearthed

Interview (Hayley McMahon), 9 Sep 2020

Sam Windley, Umina