Local lad wins top music award

Former Garin College student Zac Griffith has taken the title of Overall Winner at the New Zealand Gold Guitar senior finals in Gore earlier this month.

The 18-year-old also scooped the title of Best Singer Songwriter with a song he wrote about break-up called ‘My River Runs to You’.

Despite never having been in love or never going through a break-up, Zac says it was just something he was inspired to write.

“I don’t really know where the idea came from, but I sat down to write and the break-up song is what came out.”

The track went on to win him first place, alongside a myriad of wins in seven other categories.

Coming first in the gospel, male vocal solo, new country, New Zealand song and country rock sections, he was also a member of The Harmony Hunters which won the band section.

“I never expected to win so much. There was a lot of talent there and I was grateful to be named among them,’’ Zac says.

He says he started singing when he was just seven years old after watching a movie about country music legend Johnny Cash.

“I have been singing for just over 10 years now so to place as overall winner of the Gold Guitar is a top-top thing to do. It’s pretty exciting.”

Part of his prize is to perform at Australia’s Tamworth Country Music Festival in January.

“There is a crowd of around 40 - 50,000 people who turn up over a two-week period, so I’m grateful to visit there and experience that.”

He will get the chance to record his winning song next year, too.

“I’m quite an off-the-cuff person when it comes to music. I’ll just pick up my guitar and get on stage to perform. I’m in it for the love and to put my music across.

“I did get nervous for the first time ever at the awards, which was unusual for me.”

Zac was the intermediate final winner in 2021 at the Gold Guitars, and won the 2022 Solo/Duo category of Smokefree Rockquest last year where he got to record at a studio in Auckland.

He says his ultimate goal is to play on stage at the Grand Ol’ Oprey at Nashville.

“That’s the dream,’’ he says.

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