Gwenno wins Welsh Music Prize 2015
The fifth Welsh Music Prize has been won by singer Gwenno.
Her critically-acclaimed debut album Y Dydd Olaf was picked from a shortlist of 15 from an original selection of 60 albums produced in Wales. She said: "These albums don't happen without loads of people around you." The awards were launched by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and music promoter John Rostron, who called it "the best of a brilliant bunch." He added: "It's a bold, brave and wonderful record that also shows Wales at it's creative best. A deserved win." Keyboard player and singer Gwenno Saunders, from Cardiff - who is also a DJ and radio presenter - won the Welsh Language Album of the Year Award in the summer. Saunders, 34, a fluent Welsh and Cornish speaker, sings in both languages on the album, which is inspired by a 1970s Welsh sci-fi novel written by nuclear scientist Owain Owain. Accepting the award in Cardiff, Saunders paid tribute to the other shortlisted albums and added: "I haven't slept - I've just had a baby!" It was first released on Cardiff-based Peski Records before being taken up by indie label Heavenly, who included a CD of remixes in the re-release. "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," said Rostron. Saunders added about the novel she was inspired by: "It's written by a scientist predicting how we'd be controlled by technology and the media - it's a timely album and I was so excited to discover something like that." Last year's winners Joanna Gruesome were nominated again for the follow-up to Weird Sister. The first winner was Gruff Rhys for Hotel Shampoo in 2011 and this year a fellow Super Furry Animals member Cian Ciaran was shortlisted for his side-project with Zefur Wolves. Others on the shortlist included Welsh language veteran Geraint Jarman and Catfish and The Bottlemen. Judge Griff Lynch Jones said the competition bridged the gap between English and Welsh language music. "There's a lot of separation usually," he said. "It sends message out it doesn't matter what genre it's in or what language it's in." "There was a bit of argument but in the end we were all agreed on the winner." The shortlist: