DARLINGTON talent Calvin Bennett and Currambine band mate Farraday Tween have taken out the WAM Song of the Year Under-14 category.
The Helena College student, a guitar-playing songwriter, and Tween were named winners at the WAM Song of the Year awards night last week for their original track Meaning of Life.
The win follows the 13-year-old duo’s band Farraday’s Cage triumph at the City of Joondalup Defeat the Beat 2017 competition in April and taking first place at battle of the bands event Scholarpalooza 2017.
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READ NOW“My immediate reaction was resounding shock, especially being surrounded by WA’s most influential figures in the music industry who had a say who should win the categories,” Calvin said.
“It feels incredibly rewarding to have spent hours every day practicing guitar and writing songs and receiving recognition for doing so.
“I was ecstatic being nominated for the award.”
Calvin said the recognition meant a lot to him having fist picked up a guitar at the age of three.
“It has been my passion ever since,” he said.
“I dreamed of playing guitar professionally and receiving this award proved that my dreams, with enough dedication and obsession, have a chance of becoming reality.
“I would like to continue to explore song writing and guitar playing in a multitude of styles to expand my comfort zone as a musician and expand our audience with it.”
He said he was incredibly lucky to have found someone as vocally talented as Farraday, who attends Lake Joondalup Baptist College, to perform with.
“The song wouldn’t be where it is now without her voice to convey what I was attempting when writing the song,” he said.
Tween said she was “happy, surprised, delighted and grateful” that the duo’s talent had been recognised.
“This could be the start of something bigger for Farraday’s Cage,” she said.
“I love the joy in people’s faces when I sing.
“I would like my music to go really far. We are really excited to see where the next 12 months takes us having already achieved so much.”
WAM chief executive Mike Harris said the quality and depth of entries for the competition never failed to amaze him.
Farraday’s Cage will return to the Police Commissioner’s Bright Blue charity dinner in July to perform a second time at Sandalford Estate event in the Swan Valley.
For more on Farraday’s Cage, visit their Facebook page.