Brenns wins Songwriters Week qualifying round

Jonny Brenns must be ”Living Right.”

His song of the same name earned him a win at the Park Theater Thursday night during one of 60 qualifying rounds across the state as part of Tennessee Songwriters Week. The victory earned Brenns a gift bag from local sponsors The Hitch, Begonia’s, Visit McMinnville and the Park Theater.

Additionally, he earned the right to perform his song “Living Right” in the showcase round at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin Thursday, Feb. 26. Also earning a trip to Franklin was second-place finisher Chad Jervis with his song “Brighter.” The two emerged from a field of 18 songwriters ranging from locals to contestants from as far away as Indiana. The show was emceed by WBMC’s ”Town Talk with Raven and Rob” host Raven Young.

For the third consecutive year, McMinnville's historic Park Theater played host to a qualifying round for the Tennessee Songwriters Week competition. Tennessee Songwriters Week was launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in 2019 as a way to support music venues and provide aspiring songwriters and musicians with opportunities to perform their songs on stage.

Winners from 60 qualifying rounds advance to one of seven showcases. Winners of the seven showcases will move on to perform their songs at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville March 29.

Songs were judged by quality of the song (original lyrics/melody and clear narrative) and performance (ability to understand lyrics and connection with the audience). Judges for the local round were Jesslee, John “Bull” Fletcher and Steve Virginia.

Brenns currently lives in Murfreesboro but is originally from Maryland and was born in Mexico. Among his accomplishments is a top-14 “American Idol“ finish in 2018. Of his latest achievement, Brenns said he was pleased and excited about moving on to the Franklin Theatre.

“This means a whole lot to me,” Brenns said. “I stepped away from a full-time corporate role to do this, so to get the recognition and validation from people I’ve never met before is very special.”

Nora Reese, a 19-year-old who drove from Indiana to take part in the competition, and Mason Montgomery were chosen as runners-up who could move on to Franklin should either of the top-two finishers be unable to attend.

Also competing were King Carter, Tennessee Pheel, Anthony Crispigna, August Lows, David Ridgeway, Sandra Gilliam, Bill Markham, Jack Martin, Scott Turner, Frankie Thrower, Wendell Jones, KC Cope, Neal Smith and Jim Sartain.

“This show is always one of the highlights of our year at the Park,” Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright said. “We enjoy providing these songwriters with an opportunity to play the Park stage, to get their music out to the world and to connect with their fans. We’re so thankful to the sponsors, our crew, the participants, volunteers and everyone who works so hard to make this annual event what it is.”