SHE is a community activist, consultant, film-maker and producer and was once referred to as the Mother Theresa of Bermuda’s creative talent.Now Lesleyann Virgil, fondly known as LA, has achieved another milestone in her career.

Under the Sons of Ace Label ‘World Beat’, her songs Spiritual Awakng <$>and People nge <$>received airplay while her dance tune composition You Are the One for Me was heard throughout the US East Coast.

In the annual Song of the Year songwriters competition held across the United States she received an honourable mention for her offering.

“Honourable mention means that the preliminary judges and/or the professionals offering the critiques have found your submissions exceptional for one reason or another,” she said.

“It could be the lyrics, melodies, music, etc. If Song of the Year receives a lot of positive responses from our judges about a song, you will be placed in the Honourable Mention category.

“This status indicates that a submission was found impressive by a number of judges,” Ms Virgil explained.

She is comfortable working behind the scenes inspiring people to pursue their dreams and has produced several shows, including ‘Voices Unheard’ at the Belmont, which was the first vocal section of the British Federation for the Advancement of the Performing Arts Festival, “Chances ‘97”, the first Road Safety music video commercials, “Gospofest ‘97 and 2005” and promoted “Radical Praise”, the first gospel reggae concert at St. Paul AME Centennial Hall, where she was publicly ridiculed, and “A Night of Bermuda’s Stars” for the Bermuda International Business Association. Here she established the first united pay scales for local artists at a range of $100 to $500 per song.

A songwriter since the age of 16, she was the winner of a contest at Talent, Inc. in Boston which inspired her to write her first overseaong, Lovesick<$>, and soon after became a certified lyricist and was eventually featured on the All American Hollywood Artist Recording label with producers Eddie Parris and Steve Louis.

Her song-writing skills were noticed by Edra Debarge, who introduced her to Motown’s legendary Suzanne Depasse and Tony Jones. She’s also currently a writer for the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers and the International Marketing Co-ordinator for studios which did the sound track for the film In Her Shoes.

According to Ms Virgil, the status definitions in the competition process are divided into the following categories[bul] Winners

The winners are the songwriters with the No. 1 rated song in their category in a given month. These songs will compete at the end of the year in their respective category to establish the annual winner. The annual winner from each category will then compete for the grand prize and status of a song of the year.

[bul] Finalists

The finalists are the top four rated songwriters, after the winning song, in his or her respective category (if the votes are within a minimal range, an extra song may be included as a finalist’s song). These submissions, along with the winning submissions are sent out to the Song of the Year resources for further consideratio

[bul] Honourable Mention<$>

This means that the preliminary judges and/or the professionals offering the critiques have found artists’ submissions exceptional for one reason or another. It could be the lyrics, melodies, music, etc. If Song of the Year receives a lot of positive responses from the judges about a song, artists will be placed in the Honourable Mention category. This status indicates that a submission was found impressive by a number of the judges.

[bul] The judging panel consists of producers, labels, professional musicians, songwriters, managers, agents, A&R representatives, publisher representatives, and many others who have displayed success in their profession. Included on the judging panel are Grammy Award winners, Emmy nominees, editors from Rolg Stone <$>magazine, as well as many individuals who have worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry.

[bul] Suggested artists are musicians or songwriters that the Song of the Year staff found impressive and would suggest for listening. Unlike the Honourable Mention, the Suggested Artist is based on the Song of the Year staff, not the judges. Song of the Year keeps the listings updated on the web site since many music industry professionals refer to the site. Song of the Year wants them to know that the staff thought that these artists were quite impressive.

At present based on Pennsylvania, Ms Virgil said that as an associate member of the Grammy Board she would like to see a Bermudian walk across the stage to receive a Grammy.

With an impressive resumé and more than two decades’ worth of experience as a performing artist, she may very well be the first local to achieve that coveted award.