Posted by Nova has won the SAY Award 2020.
The Scottish Album Of The Year Award returned last night – October 29th – to bring some light during this dark year, platforming a number of exceptional albums from Scotland. In the end there could be only one winner, with Edinburgh based Nova winning the SAY Award 2020 for her project ‘Re-Up’.
A startling record that melds together deconstructed grime tropes with her raw lyricism, it explores identity through the prism of Glasgow after parties.
The elated Nova commented:
“It is such an incredible feeling to have won the 2020 Scottish Album of the Year Award, just a couple of weeks shy of my 25th birthday! It is so affirming – any doubts that I might have had previously are now out of the window and I’m seriously so excited for the future. I’m excited to keep on this upwards trajectory, thrilled to encounter new experiences and take my professionalism to the next level. To think that my manager and I had no idea where we would end up when we started working together and now to have made it here is just fantastic!”
“It hasn’t always been easy – there have been a lot of late nights, night buses and moments of uncertainty, to name a few challenges, but winning this award has solidified my belief that hard work and determination bring results. So don’t call me lucky because I worked my butt off to move forward – and you can too.”
“There is so much possibility in the air and I feel so free, nurturing old bonds and making new ones is what I can see on the horizon. I’ve already begun working on my next project and I cannot wait to see how THAT is received. I’m sending much love and blessings to everyone who made this possible.”
While previous winners Young Fathers are undoubtedly a rap group, Nova’s ‘Re-Up’ is perhaps the first pure rap record to win the award, while Nova herself is the youngest recipient to date of the SAY Award.
Watch some highlights HERE.
Jonathan Rimmer provided Clash with an outstanding sampler on Scottish underground rap some time back – it still holds up, and you can find it HERE.
Lastly, check out ‘Re-Up’ below.