Culture

Welsh Music Prize winner reflects on album he never intended to write

10 Oct 2026 3 minute read

A Welsh musician who won this year’s Welsh Music Prize for an album born out of a period of emotional distress will explore the personal story behind the record in a new documentary.

Reflecting on his win, Dafydd Owain revealed he had “no intention of writing the album” that took the 2026 Welsh Music Prize on Wednesday night and Welsh Album of the Year at this year’s National Eisteddfod.

Instead, Ymarfer Byw came from a difficult period in the musician’s life following the completion of his first album, Uwch Dros y Pysgod.

“A few things had happened in my life that had caused some quite difficult emotional distress, and I found myself in a very unclear emotional place,” he said.

“There was no intention of writing an album, but I found myself on a journey of trying to work through that emotional uncertainty and, at the same time, I was finding songs along the way.”

That emotional and creative journey lies at the heart of the film Dafydd Owain: Ymarfer Byw (I’r Byw), which combines a live performance of the album, recorded at Galeri Caernarfon in October 2025, with the musician’s personal reflections.

Divided into three acts – Haunted, Cwmpawds and Cheshire Oaks – the film, like the album itself, explores themes of grief and mental health, inviting audiences into a dark, surreal and unconventional world shaped by Dafydd’s unique way of seeing things.

The musician said: “I saw the film as an opportunity to process the ideas behind the album myself, because it had all happened in such a blur.

“I saw it as a chance for me to process the idea of writing the album; what I had admitted, what I had said, why I had done it. That was the core of the idea.”

The film, produced by Darlun, is almost entirely in black and white in order to reflect Dafydd’s vision of the world of Ymarfer Byw.

“When you’re in that storm, your mind becomes very black and white anyway and there isn’t much grey area. And sometimes it’s in that grey area that healing happens,” Dafydd explained.

“When you’re so determined to find an answer or some kind of justice, something to hold on to, your mind becomes very black and white.”

Ymarfer Byw was released on the I KA Ching label in October 2025 and was described by Nation.Cymru as “one of the most important albums from Wales this decade”.

The album was named the winner of the 2026 Welsh Music Prize at Wednesday night’s ceremony, having already won Welsh Album of the Year at this year’s National Eisteddfod and Best Album at the Y Selar magazine awards.

“The reason I do it is because it’s art,” said Dafydd. “The reason I call it art is because it’s art for myself rather than for anyone else. I get something out of sitting down and creating a piece of art that I like from my own feelings.”

Dafydd Owain: Ymarfer Byw (I’r Byw) will be available on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 10 October at 9pm.

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