World Cup anthem Yma o Hyd wins top music award

Yma o Hyd, the official anthem for Cymru’s 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, has won a Wales Folk Award for Best Original Welsh Language Song.

The song, by Dafydd Iwan and Ar Log, was originally released in 1983 and was remastered last year with the voices of over 70,000 members of the Red Wall recorded during the World Cup play-off matches.

The track also features the voices of the players singing the emotionally charged song in their post-match celebrations with Dafydd Iwan on the pitch following their 1-0 victory over Ukraine, which sealed a place in the World Cup Finals for the first time since 1958.

Yma o Hyd was also played at the World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar as the flags and football shirts of all the competing nations were taken out onto the pitch at the Al Bayt stadium in Doha.

Dafydd Iwan also won the Best Solo Artist accolade.

VRï

Welsh chamber folk trio VRï  won the best Best Album gong for ‘islais a genir’ at this year’s awards.

They also picked up the award for Best Instrumental Track for their song ‘Yr Ehedydd’.

Islais a genir (‘a sung whisper’) is the second album from the trio, whose acclaimed 2019 debut Tŷ Ein Tadau earned them a clutch of accolades, including Best Album and the Best Traditional Welsh Language Track at the 2019 Wales Folk Awards, a nomination at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and a nomination for the Welsh Music Prize.

Welsh supergroup and festival favourites Alaw won the Best Original English Language Song trophy for the song Fill the House and Phyllis Kinney, the American-born singer, collector and historian who is a leading authority on Welsh folk music was also honoured at this year’s event, winning a Lifetime Contribution Award.

Full list of winners:

Dafydd Iwan, Ar Log & The Red Wall ‘Yma o Hyd’ Best Original Welsh Language Song

Bwncath Best Group

Dafydd Iwan Best Solo Artist

Alaw ’Fill The House’ Best Original English Language Song

Calan Best Live Act

Mari Mathias ‘Tŷ Bach Twt / Milgi Milgi’ Best Welsh Traditional Song

Keith Floyd New Traditions Award

Cerys Hafana Best Emerging Artist/Band

VRï ‘Yr Ehedydd’ Best Instrumental Track

VRï ‘Islais a Genir’ Best Album

Phyllis Kinney Lifetime Contribution Award

Rusty Shackle wins by public votes for Wales’ Folk Favourite

The Wales Folk Awards celebrate and promote the music of Wales at its highest level. The public were invited to send in their nominations for ten categories ranging from Best Group to Best Emerging Act.

Any Welsh folk track/act/performance/album released between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2022 qualified for a nomination.