Fox has announced that "This Is My Now," a ballad written by Seattle residents Scott Krippayne and Jeff Peabody, is the winner of American Idol's sixth-season songwriting contest to find the song that will serve as Idol's sixth season winner's first single.

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"Over 25,000 submissions" were received for the songwriting contest, which were then narrowed down to 20 "semifinalist" songs by Idol creator Simon Fuller and other members of 19 Entertainment's music staff.  During the last several weeks, "almost 500,000 votes" were cast by fans via Idol's website and "This Is My Now" received the most, making it the competition's winning tune.

"The song clearly resonated with the American Idol fans and was the clear winner of the songwriting competition," said Fuller.

As their reward for penning "This Is My Now," Krippayne and Peabody have landed a publishing deal with 19 Entertainment, which owns the trademark and co-production rights for Idol.  According to Fox, Krippayne is already an "accomplished" singer-songwriter who "aspires to write songs that reflect life, resonate with people and touch the heart."  In addition to serving as Krippayne's songwriting partner, Peabody is also an advertising consultant, graphic designer and full-time pastor.

"Scott and Jeff wrote a song that speaks to why American Idol is so popular - the pursuit and achievement of dreams and taking advantage of the moment," said Fuller.

Fuller had previously made it clear he hoped that the contest would solve one of the problems that had plagued Idol since its 2002 debut -- the fact that due to the uncertainty over who will be the series' finalists, less-than-perfect song matches are frequently created during the finales. 

However it remains to be seen if the songwriting contest corrected the problem.  When Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis -- Idol 6's Top 2 finalists -- each performed "This Is My Love" during the final performance episode of the season, it was obvious to everyone watching and listening that the ballad was better suited for Sparks.

"I'm sure this is not the kind of song that probably suits your voice but you know you did a pretty good job with it... You don't have to feel that bad about it... It wasn't great, but it was just alright," Idol judge Randy Jackson told Lewis following his performance of "This Is My Now."  Added fellow judge Simon Cowell, "You looked a bit frustrated.  It's not a bad song, it's just the type of song you wouldn't normally sing."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio

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