MILLBURN, NJ / ACCESS Newswire / April 23, 2025 / The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) has announced the finalists in the 21st Annual Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs music competition. This statewide initiative encourages high school students to use their musical creativity to raise awareness about substance use prevention and promote healthy lifestyles.
Sponsored by the New Jersey Broadcasters Association (NJBA) and 95.9 WRAT, this year's virtual Prevention Concert will be held on Tuesday, May 7, and streamed online at ShoutDownDrugs.com. The event will be hosted by Jimmy Steal, Creative Services Director and PM Drive Host for WRAT, and will feature the finalists' original songs.
The public is invited to vote for their favorite performance now through May 2. The results of the online vote will be combined with judges' scores to determine this year's winner, who will be announced live at the conclusion of the concert. The winning artist or group will receive a $5,000 music contract with PDFNJ. The contestant with the highest number of online votes also receives a special prize and recognition at the concert.
"The Your Song! Your Voice! competition is a powerful reminder that young people are not only full of talent, but also deeply passionate about making a difference," said Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. "Each of these students has crafted a personal and meaningful message about prevention, and we are honored to help amplify their voices across the state."
This year's finalists are:
Bergen County
Luke Mande, "Stay the Same," Grade 10, Upper Saddle River
Martin Rojas Ortiz, "Bruno," Grade 11, Hackensack
Nanami Ishihara, "Life That I Call Mine," Grade 9, Fort Lee
Decade featuring Daniel Shynkarou, Grade 9, Fair Lawn; Owen Rocks, Grade 10, Hawthorne; Idris Vatsuev and Serhant Kose, Grade 10, Wayne, "The Next Choice is Mine"
Camden County
Sekou Freeman, "Don't Even Ask," Grade 9, Gibbsboro
Avriana Agosto, "Two Pills," Grade 9, Glendora
Essex County
Jeff Lascano, "ChainBreak," Grade 10, Newark
Azyah Fair, Grade 12, and Kyler Flournoy, Grade 11, Newark, "Stay Away"
Gloucester County
Brian McAleer, "Many Moons Ago," Grade 11, Gloucester Township
Hudson County
Emily Lazo, "Oh Dear," Grade 10, Union City
Mercer County
Mischa Chorba, "Being Sober's A Myth," Grade 12, Hamilton
Chloé Cheng, "End It Again," Grade 10, Princeton Junction
Ocean County
Riley Donlon, "Hold On," Grade 12, Barnegat Township
To listen to the songs and vote for your favorite, visit shoutdowndrugs.com/contestants.
Contact: Lisa Batitto, news@drugfreenj.org
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Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership's New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey's history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 230 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.
SOURCE: Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey
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