Joy recognised once again in national songwriting competition!
We’re proud to celebrate the continued success of Year 13 student Joy Feng, who has been named a finalist in the 2025 Play It Strange Peace Song Competition. This prestigious national event invites young songwriters across Aotearoa to compose an original piece exploring the theme of peace – a theme open to wide interpretation and creativity.
Joy’s entry, titled Nuclear Mind, delves into the search for inner peace amidst the pressures and chaos of teenage life, particularly within the context of school. With a vibrant disco-funk style, the track stood out for its exceptional songwriting and impressive production techniques, featuring rich instrumental layering and advanced mixing techniques. This marks Joy’s second consecutive year being recognised in the Peace Song competition, having taken out first place last year – a remarkable achievement.
As a finalist, Joy has earned the opportunity to professionally record her song at a studio of her choice – an incredibly valuable experience that we’re sure will further her artistic journey.
In the final week of Term 2, we were also delighted to welcome Evie and Paige from Play It Strange into our senior contemporary music class. They spoke about the organisation’s mission to empower young Kiwi songwriters and offered insights into the range of competitions and opportunities available throughout the year. A few of our students even had the chance to share their current works-in-progress with them and receive feedback.
We look forward to seeing more of our talented students submitting songs for upcoming Play It Strange competitions – including their largest: the Lion Foundation National Songwriting Competition, which closes on 16 July. We encourage any and all songwriters in our Westlake student community to submit their songs!