27 November 2015
Newsdesk
The organisers of the Welsh Music Prize, in association with Otley Brewing Company and Buzz Magazine, are proud to announce that Gwenno is the winner of the Welsh Music Prize 2014–2015 for her debut solo album, Y Dydd Olaf (The Last Day).
Gwenno Saunders is a singer, music producer, DJ and radio presenter from Cardiff. She released Y Dydd Olaf, her first full-length album, in October 2014 as a limited release on Welsh indie label Peski Records.
In May 2015, Gwenno was signed to Heavenly Recordings and the label re-released Y Dydd Olaf in July 2015. The critically acclaimed album, which is sung entirely in Welsh apart from one song penned in Cornish, went on to win ‘Best Welsh Album’ at the 2015 National Eisteddfod.
The album draws inspiration from Owain Owain’s 1976 sci-fi novel of the same name and covers themes such as patriarchal society, government-funded media propaganda, cultural control, technology, isolation and the importance of minority languages.
Before going solo, from 2005-2010, Gwenno was a member of the indie pop band, The Pipettes. A native Welsh and Cornish speaker, Gwenno co-hosts a Welsh language radio show on Radio Cardiff and has toured as a synth player with Pnau and Elton John.
Gwenno beat off stiff competition from albums released over the past year by the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, H Hawkline, Zefur Wolves and Paper Aeroplanes to scoop the prize.
The shortlist contained more Welsh language releases than ever before – with three in total making the top 15.
The Welsh Music Prize trophy was awarded to Gwenno by Welsh Music Prize co-founder Huw Stephens at a ceremony held at The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.
Gwenno said: Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me. These albums don't happen without the help of everyone else around you!
Now in its fifth year, the Welsh Music Prize has given artists in Wales a remarkable platform to showcase their music globally and celebrates the very best of what the Welsh music industry has to offer.
Organised by John Rostron and Huw Stephens, the Welsh Music Prize has been won previously by Joanna Gruesome for Weird Sister, Georgia Ruth for Week of Pines, Future of the Left for The Plot Against Common Sense and Gruff Rhys for Hotel Shampoo.
John Rostron said: "There was absolute consensus from our judges that Gwennos 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 it's journey this year. It's a bold, brave and wonderful record that, also, shows Wales at it's creative best. A deserved win."
The final decision culminated in over a year’s worth of activity where one hundred members of the Welsh music community whittled down their recommendations to the definitive list of nominees. From a shortlist of fifteen albums, twelve judges made up of industry experts, practitioners and tastemakers then cast their deciding votes by secret ballot to decide on the winning album.
The shortlist in full was:
Calan – Dinas (Sain)
Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balcony (Island / Communion Records)
Geraint Jarman – Dwyn yr Hogyn Nol (AnkstMusic)
Gwenno – Y Dydd Olaf (Peski / Heavenly Recordings)
H Hawkline – In the Pink Condition (Heavenly Recordings)
Hippies vs Ghosts – Droogs
Houdini Dax – Naughty Nation (Houdini Dax / Listen to This)
Joanna Gruesome – Peanut Butter (Fortuna POP!)
Keys – Ring the Changes (See Monkey Do Monkey)
Paper Aeroplanes – Joy (My First Records)
Richard James – All the New Highways
Tender Prey – Organ Calzone (Bird)
Trwbador – Several Wolves (Owlet)
Zarelli – Soft Rains (Bronze Rat)
Zefur Wolves – Zefur Wolves (Strangetown)
The panel in full comprised: Helen Weatherhead (BBC 6Music); Noel Gardner (Buzz Magazine); Kieran Evans (Film Director); David Wrench (Producer); Neal Thompson (Focus Wales); Owain Schiavone (Golwg / Y Selar); Iain Richards (Velvet Coalmine); Griff Lynch Jones (Ochr 1, S4C); Nici Beech (Gwyl Arall, Noson 4a6); Andy Bibey (One Little Indian); Ben Coleman (GreenMan Festival) and Laura Snapes (Pitchfork / NME).
This year’s Welsh Music Prize was sponsored by Buzz Magazine and Otley Brewing Company and supported by TON MEDIA.
For more information about the Welsh Music Prize go to http://welshmusicprize.com or follow us on Twitter @welshmusicprize
