We are very proud to announce that one of our first year Professional Music and Production students, Richard, has won the Classic Rock and Blues Trophy at the Radio Wigwam International Music Awards for his entry ‘Whiskey in the Water’.
Taking place at the infamous Bedford Hotel in Balham, the Radio Wigwam Awards have been running since 2018, but have quickly established a cult following and gained international notoriety.
Richard, who is a Weston-super-Mare local, told us “I started to write songs and only decided in the last year to send them to radio stations. I was really surprised that a song I had written had been nominated.”
After teaming up with Mike Palomares, the other half of their duo ‘Born & Brewed’, the pair went on to win the award, presented to them on stage before 4,500 competing acts from all over the world.
Richard was thrilled when Born & Brewed were announced as the winners, saying “to be honest I was just proud to be nominated…for me to win the award really is something that I will hold dear to my heart…the award acknowledges my talent for song writing and really pushes me to carry on believing in myself and to follow my dreams”.
Richard hopes to continue his passion for music after graduating from University Centre Weston by building his own brand and getting his own studio. He told us “going to university at UCW has really opened my eyes to other avenues and I am excited to see where life will take me next.”
Richard is currently working on his first album with Mike, provisionally titled ‘Born & Brewed Established’ whilst working towards performing live throughout the Southwest Music scene in Summer 2023. He hopes his story and journey to winning inspires others!
‘Whisky in the Water’ can be listened to on YouTube or Spotify. To watch the music video, click here.
To find out more about our Music degree programme, click here.
