Known the world over as the land of song, Wales (and the Welsh) have a rich and unique musical heritage that spans the centuries. Our musical tastes have evolved over time too – reflecting the changing tastes and styles of Wales and our Welsh identity. From festivals to stadiums, ‘Calon Lan’, ‘Yma o Hyd’, and ‘A Design for Life’ are sung with full passion – a sound unrivalled by any other nation IMO.
In recent years, Welsh music has experienced a bit of a resurgence due, in part, to the influence of social media as well as a certain national teams! This is my guide to experiencing the best Welsh music, and the best talent our green, green grass has to offer.
Croeso Abertawe Festival – This lively 4-day festival held annually in Swansea Bay celebrates contemporary Welsh culture through live music, art exhibitions, comedy, food and drink. It’s a great opportunity to experience the diversity of modern Welsh talent across many mediums and to hear your favourite Welsh language artists. The festival starts on the 29th of February and runs until the 3rd of March and is held across Swansea’s city centre.
Eisteddfod – The National Eisteddfod is one of the largest music and arts festivals in Europe. Held annually in different locations across Wales for over 150 years, it showcases Welsh language song, dance, literature and more, with competitions held across various art forms. This year’s festival is being hosted in Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd from the 3rd to the 10th of August.
Tafwyl – An annual free festival held in the heart of Cardiff City Centre, Tafwyl celebrates the Welsh language through gigs from Welsh language acts, literary events, workshops, and children’s activities. It’s an entertaining way to engage with the language.
Adwaith is a band going places. Hollie, Gwenllian and Heledd from Carmarthen are producing some fantastic bilingual songs, with clever lyrics and catchy tunes. In June 2022, they performed at Glastonbury on the BBC Introducing stage, wowing audiences with their unique take. Their second album, Bato Mato, won the Welsh Music Prize in 2022, with songs like ‘Eto’ and ‘Wedi Blino’ – and their banger of a song “Addo” was just released at the end of 2023. I can’t recommend them highly enough!
Foxxglove is a singer and songwriter from Ferndale, who just released her debut EP, “The Chaos”. With such an emotive voice that takes you on a journey from her upbringing in the south Wales valleys to moving to Cardiff and even heartbreaks. This artist is one to keep on your radar for sure. To get you started we recommend her song “Paradwys”, in collaboration with Luxembourgian artist Eädyth.
Sage Todz – A rapper and producer from Wrexham, rapping rapid-fire lyrics in Welsh and English. He’s leading a new wave of Welsh language hip-hop, with song like “O HYD” in collaboration with FAW for Wales world-cup playoffs in 2022. He’s now collaborating with notable Welsh artist such as Mace the Great and Luke RV to bring in the new wave of Welsh hip-hop and rap into 2024. We recommend “Deg I Deg” as a must listen song, want to give a special shoutout to “Teithio Cymru” a Welsh rap song he features on.
@HorizonsCymru – The BBC Horizons/Gorwelion radio show on BBC Radio Cymru and Radio Wales supports up-and-coming Welsh acts. Their social media shares new music discoveries and live performances so you can always be in the loop of gigs and artists you should be listening to.
@anthem_cymru – Anthem is a music charity, supporting artists across Wales to access music, generate opportunities for artists and supporting them throughout their journey. They are at the front of young music coming out of Wales and are the account to follow to find the next big thing coming out of Wales.
The future of Welsh music looks bright and diverse, with lots of talented Welsh artists breaking through. As social media continues to grow in popularity, Welsh musicians are capitalising on and captivating a new and global audience. With a rich cultural heritage to look back on and a diverse range of musical styles and genres to look ahead to, Welsh music is poised to continue to grow and evolve.
As a result, we can expect to see more Welsh artists achieving successes, to rival the legends of the past. I can’t wait!
