Watch: Stunning new version of ‘Yma o Hyd’ by Welsh Drill artist Sage Todz released

A stunning new version of the Dafydd Iwan track ‘Yma o Hyd’ has been released by FA Wales alongside Welsh Drill artist Sage Todz.

The exclusive track released before Wals take on Ukraine in the World Cup play-off final on Sunday begins with a rousing sample of legendary folk artist Dafydd Iwan’s Yma O Hyd before leading into Sage Todz’s stirring rap.

Sage Todz’s ‘O HYD’ is complemented with a verse from fellow Welsh rapper and Swansea native Marinoin a bid to get The Red Wall even more hyped for Sunday’s match.

Commenting on the collaboration with the FAW, Sage Todz, said: “I’m very excited to be working with the FAW and Cymru on this track. Football is a huge game both in Wales and across the World and it has a big place in my heart. It has been brilliant to combine the aspects of the things I love and create something special.

“The FAW and Cymru National Teams are so important to the country. When footballers go out there and represent the country it is more than just a game, but is about community, unity and is a representation of who we are and what we, as Welsh people, can do.”

On the importance of Welsh culture and his use of the Welsh language, Sage Todz added: “Welsh culture means a lot to me as an artist. I obviously speak Welsh and do so in my day-to-day life, so I feel it is only natural for me to share our language in the music I make.

“I’m really glad to continue to bring the Welsh language into a more modern context and show that Cymraeg can translate to a different vibe of music from what it is used to being applied to.”

‘Respect’

FAW Head of Content and Engagement, Rob Dowling said: “The FAW is a modern, progressive organisation that doesn’t need to play by the conventional rules of others. This confidence is represented in the collaboration with Sage Todz. We naturally engage with modern Welsh culture to highlight not only the talent within the country, but also to represent the diversity of that culture, where people express their national identity in many different forms.

“The FAW pays respect to Welsh history and language, which is represented in all of our work, whilst also being an advocate for us all to be proud and confident in what it means to be Welsh as we look towards the future and create our own history.

“This collaboration epitomises our modern nation with an ancient heart, as Dafydd Iwan’s Yma o Hyd has become synonymous with The Red Wall and the Cymru National Teams. The lyrics and meaning of the song seem to settle at our core of how we identify with being Welsh, and for Sage the resulting creative expression is in ‘O HYD’.”

The collaboration between the FAW continues a history of the football association working with and supporting Welsh artists via the BBC Horizons’ scheme.