Georgia Music Hall of Fame Award Presented to Cumming Teen

When 16-year-old Riley Biederer of Cumming takes the stage at the 34th Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards show Sunday, she will be doing so for several reasons.

The young singer and songwriter from Cumming will not only be in the company of many superstars from the music industry, she'll be performing for the first time in front of a television audience, and she'll be accepting the distinguished Horizon Award.

The Bill Lowery Horizon Award is given annually to one up and coming performing artist or songwriter from Georgia who is expected to make a significant future contribution to the world of music.

Biederer, who was nominated for the award this past summer, told Cumming Patch, "I'm super excited."

Gov. Nathan Deal will present the award to Biederer.

Previous award winners include Justin Bieber who won in 2011, and Snellville native Dianna DeGarmo of American Idol fame in 2005.

Riley said she'll be performing one song during the awards show. DeGarmo will also perform, along with many of this year's inductees.

As for the 2012 inductees they include, Robert Spano, Sugarland, 38 Special, Alex Hodges and Gary Rossington with Johnny Jenkins, Bob Camp and DJ Skinny Bobby Harper as the posthumous inductees.

Sunday's event will be held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and will be televised on GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) beginning at 5 p.m.

Following the show, Biederer plans to head back to Los Angeles to meet with record labels and present industry officials with songs she describes as "complete smash hits."

"We're just looking for those really huge smash hit songs and then we're going to be taking them to labels and trying to get a feel," she said. "Then cutting a whole album. So I'm excited."

Read more about Riley Biederer on the Rocket Music website, that's her management company co-founded by Elton John.

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