This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Founded by Belfast born musician Saskia Griffiths-Moore, Talent is Timeless is a groundbreaking songwriting competition which started life as an online lockdown project to bring musicians aged 50+ together.
The music industry is full of inspirational artists aged 50+ who are still thrilling audiences around the globe. At the age of 64, Madonna has announced a whistlestop 35 date arena tour. In 2022 at the age of 80, Beatles legend Paul McCartney was the oldest artist to ever headline Glastonbury. And the iconic 75 year old Elton John is concluding decades of hits with a world tour and much hyped Glastonbury headline performance this summer. Other mature artists who are still well and truly on the musical radar include Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Eric Clapton, Diana Ross, the list goes on.
Sponsored by Universal Audio, APS Speakers, JWC Guitars, and Caffè Nero, Talent is Timeless provides a platform for older songwriters to connect and share their passion for music with the world.
The first prize includes a record deal with JAM Records, recording at Abbey Road Studios, a music video, photography and production.
“I believe artists over 50 deserve to be just as visible as everyone else, but while there are countless opportunities for artists aged 18-25 there is nothing out there for anyone over 30, let alone 50. So I started this movement during the pandemic as a way of shining a light on the talent in songwriters over age 50 and challenging age-ist stereotypes that hold people back”, said Saskia.
Speaking about how she came up with the concept, Saskia said “I started Talent is Timeless during lockdown to challenge ageist attitudes in the music industry. My objectives were to have people focus on being creative because I believed it was essential to our well-being and shine a light on the talent in people over 50. It has already developed a long way from its original goal of being a one-off songwriting competition and we are now in our third year and welcome songwriters from anywhere in the world.”
To help judge the thousands of entries Saskia has assembled an all-star line-up including Ian Matthews from Kasabian, Grammy award winner Judy Collins, Chris Difford from Squeeze, Ralph McTell, Tom Speight, Boo Hewerdine, Elles Bailey, and more. The competition is open to songwriters aged 50+ and closes on 31st March 2023. To enter or for more information visit talentistimeless.com.