HOMETOWN PRIDE. Hanson has quickly made a name for himself in the film scoring industry in New York, earning a position teaching at NYU's Steinhardt School quickly after graduating (Submitted Photo).

Sometimes all you need to do to follow your dreams is imagine yourself in the place you want to be and take a leap of faith to make it happen. 

Hunter Hanson, an Eau Claire native now residing in Brooklyn, New York, was just named the 2021 Session II Grand Prize Winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest’s electronic category for his original song “Breezeblow.” The competition was started in 1997 by Yoko Ono Lennon to give songwriters an opportunity to express themselves, gain recognition, and get their music heard. The proceeds from the competition benefit the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, an organization with the mission of stimulating, encouraging, and promoting students’ interest and appreciation of music in schools.

“This is such a huge honor for me,” Hanson said. “It’s a big deal for me, not just because [the song] is being recognized, but also because it is for an organization that has such a good heart. I’m glad this isn’t just another soulless competition, because I’m generally against the idea of hyper-competitiveness in music. I’m glad they have their heart in the right place."

Every year two rounds of 12 Grand Prize Winners are chosen (24 winners total) in their respective genre categories: children’s, country, electronic, folk, gospel, hip-hop, jazz, Latin, pop, R&B, rock, and world. The submissions are then judged by a panel of all-star judges including Prince Royce, George Clinton, Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers), American Authors, Lita Ford, Bob Weir, and dozens of other industry professionals. 

With the Grand Prize award in tow, the next step for Hanson in the competition is a fan vote against the other session’s electronic category winner, and if he advances past that stage, he will be up for a $20,000 award and the coveted title of Lennon Song of the Year this July.

Hanson’s Bon Iver-esque track, “Breezeblow,” was written during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when he spent a few months quarantining in his family’s cabin in New Auburn.

“The quarantine period was a very reflective time for me,” Hanson said. “I was contemplating what it means to be alone, not necessarily viewing it in a negative sense as loneliness, but as a point of reconnection and discovery with yourself. Solitude doesn’t just have to be isolating, it can also be rejuvenating.”

Since leaving Eau Claire after graduating from Memorial High School, he has earned a bachelor’s in music composition with a minor in music technology from Northwestern University, his master’s in screen scoring from New York University’s Steinhardt School, and now works as an adjunct professor and administrator in the screen scoring program at NYU Steinhardt. He continues to pursue performing original music, as well as freelance film scoring, in addition to his professional career.

Keep up to date with Hanson’s musical journey at hshanson.com. You can also listen to his song, and those of the winners in other categories, on the John Lennon Songwriting Contest website.