NEWS: Gwenno wins Welsh Music Prize 2014 – 2015

Thursday 26th November, Gwenno Saunders was announced the winner of this year’s Welsh Music Prize for her debut solo album Y Dydd Olaf, beating the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, H Hawkline, Zefur Wolves and Paper Aeroplanes.  The trophy was awarded to Gwenno by Welsh Music Prize co-founder Huw Stephens at a ceremony held at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre.

It was first released in October 2014 as a limited release on the Welsh indie label Peski Records.  After signing with Heavenly Recordings in May 2015, Y Dydd Olaf was re-released in July.  The critically acclaimed album is sung almost entirely in Welsh, with one song sung in Cornish.  It also picked up the prize for Best Welsh Album at the 2015 National Eisteddfod.

The album draws inspiration from Owain Owain’s sci-fi novel from 1976 – also titled Y Dydd Olaf – featuring themes of patriarchal society, government-funded media propaganda, cultural control, technology, isolation, and the importance of minority languages.

Welsh Music Prize Co-founder John Rostron had this to say:

“There was absolute consensus from our judges that Gwenno’s album was the best of a brilliant bunch.  Some had discovered the album on its original release on Peski, and others later in the year when it was picked up by Heavenly Records…  I think, in some way, that reflects the story of this record, which has grown in following and stature and adoration through its journey year.  It’s a bold, brave and wonderful record that also shows Wales at its creative best.  A deserved win.”