Oswego East Senior Wins Award For Remixing Song: 'Sometimes You Just Have To Take A Leap Of Faith'

OSWEGO, IL — An Oswego East High School senior received recognition from a prestigious music nonprofit for a song he remixed.

Raymond Sanders won the Illinois Music Education Association Junior/Senior General Music Remix Contest with his song "Let It All Go." The piece was also chosen to serve as the source material for next year's Remix Contest and earned second place in the Senior Rap/Hip Hop Composition Contest, Oswego Community Unit School District 308 announced Tuesday.

Sanders's sound is inspired by Jersey club, house, EDM and experimental hip-hop music, according to ILMEA. The student learned about the contest a few years back when an instructor encouraged him to participate.

"That encouragement stuck with me, and when the opportunity came around again, I decided to fully commit to the process," Sanders said, per a news release from District 308.

To participate in the contest, students have to create and submit an original song. In Sanders's case, he developed the concept, produced the instrumental components, wrote the lyrics and recorded the performance. He has been producing music for seven years, district officials said.

"One of the biggest lessons I learned was that authenticity can truly pay off," Sanders said. "The song I created approached hip-hop in a way that isn’t often done, and at first I wasn’t sure how people would receive it. But the experience reminded me that sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and trust your creative instincts."

"Let It All Go" is streaming on Spotify under Sanders's moniker, Da Real Yung Ray.