Louise wins songwriting competition

Louise Murray (15), of Condorrat, won the contest with her self-penned song produced in the studios at the Cumbernauld Campus.

She also performed her track, The Fault In Our Stars, for a live audience of students in addition to having it broadcast on the College’s in-house radio station, RadioActive Scotland. Louise, a fourth-year pupil at St Maurice’s High School, said: “This has been really exciting because it is something that I’m passionate about and I’m really proud of the song.

“I’ve never won anything in my life, so I was really shocked.

“My song has quite a catchy chorus and my friends always sing the chorus.

“Playing music is a way for me to calm down and de-stress, particularly when I’m worried about exams.”

A multi-instrumentalist who hopes to study medicine after leaving school, Louise combines her passion for music with studying for seven National 5 qualifications.

The songwriting competition was organised by HND Sound Production student Paul Welch as part of his coursework.

19-year-old Paul chose to organise the competition to give him experience of working with different genres of music and more time in the studio.

A group of his peers and colleagues at his part-time retail job helped him choose three finalists from the entries, with Louise’s song the clear winner.

Paul said: “Louise’s song has depth and meaning - it was something different for me to record and taken me out of my comfort zone in terms of recording in the studio.

“I have enjoyed it and it has helped me build my portfolio.”