Winning song inspired by crush

1.00pm - By NICOLA BOYES

A teenage crush has paid off for a Whakatane schoolboy who wrote a song about the object of his affection.

It was two years ago when Josh Turner was smitten by a brunette at the Parachute music festival, whom he couldn't get out of his head for six months.

The 17-year-old will not name the girl and he has never seen her again, but the song he wrote about her has won the Play It Strange, National Secondary Schools Song Writing Competition.

This is no love story, however; the girl he fell for swept a number of others off their feet as well.

"It's about, hang on, found out all this stuff about you and you're not quite what you seem."

The emotional rock song, titled To An Extent, took him six months to write and he spent nearly two years developing it.

The Whakatane High School student was shocked to take out the national competition which 270 young people entered.

He says he thought it was cool to get into the top 30 at the finals at Baradene College in Auckland on Saturday. "When I got into the top five I thought it can't get any better than this, then I won. It was just an awesome night."

Turner received prizes including $750 towards a day in a recording studio, $1000 from The Rock Shop, and the national release of his song on the Play It Strange CD.

And what of the girl? "I've no idea, I don't even know where she is."

The Top Five

1. To An Extent: Josh Turner, Whakatane High, Whakatane

2. 5 Minutes With You: Justin Pitt & Ben Shuker, Taradale High, Taradale

3. Far Too Often: Sam George-Allen, Northcote College, Auckland

4. Enthusiastic: Jeff Parsons, Waiuku College, Waiuku

5. I Wonder Why: Yhana Reweti, Tokoroa High, Tokoroa