The winners of this year's Echo Songwriting Prize (English version) are Kathleen Edwards and John Roderick, for their co-write of A Soft Place to Land. The annual competition, run by SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada), comes with a $5,000 prize.
The winning composition is a poignant, waltzing breakup song off Edwards' acclaimed Voyageur album. "I'm looking for a soft place to land," the Ontario artist sings, high and affectingly. "The forest floor, the palms of your hands."
Commenting on the prize, Edwards said it was the "highest compliment," and that it marked her growth as a musician. "I'm living proof that artists who are nurtured and supported can evolve and grow and do their best work years after making their debut."
Edwards made news last month when after suffered an anaphylactic shock after being stung by a wasp backstage after a performance. There is reason to believe that her win for A Soft Place to Land will take the sting out of that yellow-jacket episode.