The winner and 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the very first Youth Category of the Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest have been decided. All three are invited to perform their songs at the 2027 Will McLean Music Festival March 12th – 14th at the Florida Sand Music Ranch near Brooksville. Learn more about them and listen to their songs below.
Winner- Isabella Miller- Florida
Isabella Miller from Lake Wales, Florida is an aspiring musician who says she wants to spread the joy she receives from music. That is all she wants to do in life. She is a product of the hard work and care of Sandy’s Music Girls, an organization set out to teach young girls music for free. She has been working on her music career for about a year. You can find her on YouTube, Amazon Music, Spotify, and more as Izzy Rellim. Izzy says the inspiration for her song Florida came from the styles of Adrianna Lenker and Lianes Flores for the guitar portion. She also wanted to write something that personified the moving of trees, lakes, and wild animals in Florida. Isabella says her song describes Florida more as a beautiful and comforting divinity rather than just a place.
2nd Place Finisher- Alyssa Mandelin- Old Florida
Alyssa Mandelin is a rising 21 year old Folk Singer/Songwriter, born and raised in Florida. Her unique voice is reminiscent of Old Country and Traditional Folk. With her biggest inspirations being John Denver, Bob Dylan, Fleet Foxes, and Sierra Ferrell, she presents an enchanting blend of storytelling, acoustic guitar, and classical artistry. Her songs will take you on a journey without having to leave your seat.
From a very young age, Alyssa was inspired by her Poppi-Sal Ciccarello-A former member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. He began teaching Alyssa classical guitar, at the age of 15, helping to grow her love for writing and singing. Further inspired by her Nonni, Frances DiMarco Diaz, who was a professional singer in New York. At the age of 11, Alyssa began performing professionally in a Polynesian Dance group, where she first fell in love with performing. For Alyssa, writing and singing was a way to escape from anxiety and depression but quickly transformed into a passion and way of expressing herself.
Alyssa recently released her debut single “Falling For You,” a love song about the scary but beautiful journey of falling in love. The writing process began while dating her now husband, Andrew. “Falling For You” is available on all streaming platforms.
3rd Place Finisher- Austin Mortazavi- Roots
Austin Mortazavi says music has always been a big part of his life; country music was his first love. Growing up, his family would go on a long road trip every summer. “My parents didn’t give me a phone and didn’t let me watch TV, so all those cross-country hours were spent listening to the songs playing on country radio. I remember staring out the window, being fully enveloped by the songs. I was so moved by the lyrics that they’d send chills all over my body, and oftentimes I’d get rashes. That is how much it physically moved me. I’d throw a blanket over my head and start to cry,” says Austin.
He says he never thought he was a good singer, “My parents told me I was, but I just thought they said that because I was their kid.” As he grew up he says he got into reading, “I fell in love with the Hunger Games series, particularly The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I remember relating strongly with one character in particular: Lucy Gray. She was weird, funny, over-the-top, and the underdog. I never felt so much like a character in my life. I was moved by the way she won the games, not by being the strongest tribute, but because of her ability to touch people with her music. I wanted to do the same, because I never felt like a strong person, but I found my strength in music and my ability to convey my emotions and the greater human condition.”
“To me, songwriting isn’t a pretty talent; it’s wrestling with the ugliest parts of yourself and turning them into something beautiful. “Roots” was the first song I wrote that scared me. It begins as a question: why am I like this? But then it transforms into an anthem of sorts to never lose sight of who you are. Growing up, I realized very quickly that I wasn’t like the other boys I knew they liked football, cars, and all things violent. I didn’t like those things. Oftentimes, I felt like something invasive and tried to cover up who I was, but no matter how hard I tried, it never worked. “Roots” for me was the first time I was able to see the beauty in myself. I took this thing, this heavy thing that has weighed on me my whole life and saw that there was nothing wrong with me. I am who I am, and that’s beautiful. The song pays homage to my roots and where I come from, South Florida, and all the ways that has shaped me.”