The Georgia Songbirds Weekly Top 10 Countdown Week 36

Dustin Chapman

There are many people in this world who find music therapeutic, Dustin Chapman is certainly one of those individuals. Possessing a passion for music from a young age, Chapman fell in love with the sounds of Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, and more, but didn't realize just how vital music was to his individuality until life threw him the ultimate curveball. During the young singer's senior year of high school, Chapman began experiencing issues due to a rare disease, Achalasia. This disease, which has left Chapman unable to swallow solid foods, help Chapman discover the power music possesses—the power it has to restore brokenness, encourage hopefulness, and breathe life into the lifeless. During Chapman's trials with sickness, he’d sing. When he felt anxious about an upcoming test or procedure, he’d sing. He discovered that music had the ability to give him words when he felt as if there was nothing to say, and this is when he decided to pursue a career in music. After making this decision, he allowed himself to enter a place of vulnerability that would allow audience members to do the same. Chapman broke down emotional barriers and began showcasing music’s abilities to help him overcome, music’s abilities to help so many others overcome, and what he truly hopes people see is that there is a beauty and power that music possesses that can help them overcome as well. With that in mind, Chapman write songs that balance various subjects, songs that express heartbreak and frustration, highlight joy and happiness, and tackle serious topics with feel-good melodies which ultimately showcase that there’s reason to search for ways to achieve prosperity through hardships. Though young, Chapman has experienced numerous hardships which he is holding close and carrying with him far and wide to show the world that individuals set their own obstacles and that everyone has the power to achieve anything they set our mind to.

Coffee & Flowers

Coffee & Flowers is an acoustic duo from Tuscany, formed in January 2019 by the singer Gianluca Niccoli and by the acoustic guitar player Alessandro Moschini. The duo is based in the little and famous town Montecatini Terme in the Valdinievole area. The repertoire proposed by the two musician is a mix of original (genre acoustic rock/pop/songwriter) and many famous italian/international songs. After 3 singles ("When you fall in love" reached 115.000 streams on Spotify) the duo released in July 2020 the debut album "Capatosta", available on all the main music platforms in the web.

KJ Wood

A singer songwriter from the UK

Art and Wick

Based in Atlanta, GA, Art & Wick is an indie band created from the collaboration between Christian Artieda and Amy Smithwick. Our debut album is available anywhere you listen! www.artandwick.com

Heather Ragnars

Heather Ragnars is a singer-songwriter, composer and performer based in Montreal, Canada. Her first EP, Bench Warmer, came out in November 2018. The album can be described as a mix of folk and retro R’n’B with clear influences from the 50’s, 60’s and strong female vocalists like Amy Winehouse, Adele and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. Heather has twice been voted as one of the Top Ten Singer-songwriters in Montreal by the magazine Cult MTL. She has played shows in Canada, the United States, West Africa and Iceland. Recent performances include the Melodica Reykjavik festival and performances at the Wiggle Room, where she shares the stage with Montreal's finest burlesque artists.

Born in Iceland and raised in the United States and Canada, Heather was raised in a musical family. She was exposed to various types of music throughout her childhood including traditional choir music, opera, musical theatre, pop and rock’n’roll. She started taking piano lessons at a young age and soon began taking classical voice lessons in the hopes of one day performing on Broadway. When she discovered songwriting, she knew she had found her calling: her songs are heartbreaking, yet barefaced accounts of the many things we think but don't say.

While perhaps most known for her regular gigs at the Wiggle Room in Montreal, Heather has performed at various festivals and venues throughout the years including Le phare des mamelles in Senegal, Smitefest in the U.S.A. and The St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival in Canada. She maintains strong ties to her homeland of Iceland most recently performing at the Melodica Reykjavik festival in August of 2019. Heather has written two psalms for the Women’s Church of Iceland, one of which appeared on a compilation CD and book by the same name published by Kirkefondet in 2019 (Himlen og Jorden må feste - salmer og sange fra hele verden).

In the spring of 2019, Heather took a 15-week masterclass in film composition under the guidance of Mehdat Hanbali. She is currently studying Composition in the Music Department at Concordia University where she also studies Jazz Voice.