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The full nominees for this year’s SAY Award have been confirmed.
The Scottish Album Of The Year Award is always a highlight of the year, platforming the best in Scottish music. Last year’s winner Fergus McCreadie stole judges hearts with his album ‘Forest Floor’, blending jazz and folk aspects to a sublime degree.
A few moments ago the full nominations for this year’s SAY Award have been announced, and it’s a typically broad bunch. There’s a host of Clash favourites in there – previous winners Young Fathers are represented, alongside Glasgow-based rapper Bemz, Free Love, and Dundee-rooted composer Andrew Wasylyk.
The final ceremony takes place at Stirling’s Albert Halls on October 26th.
Robert Kilpatrick, Interim CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association
(SMIA) said: “A massive congratulations to each of this year’s nominees. With 2023 seeing a record-breaking 437 eligible albums submitted, it’s an amazing achievement and a testament to the strength and diversity of Scotland’s recorded output.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland added: “The album is an anchor in the choppy seas
of random playlists. It’s a personal statement of intent, a self-contained body of work that lets
listeners know how an artist is feeling at a precise moment in time. The 20 nominees on this year’s
SAY Award Longlist celebrate friendship and fatherhood, confront anxiety and identity, and
sometimes just revel in the unbridled joy of good music. This is a fantastic snapshot of Scotland in all
its creative glory.”
The SAY Award Longlist in alphabetical order is:
Andrew Wasylyk – Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls
Becky Sikasa – Twelve Wooden Boxes
Bemz – Nova’s Dad
Brìghde Chaimbeul – Carry Them With Us
Brooke Combe – Black Is the New Gold
Brownbear – Demons
Cloth – Secret Measure
Comfort – What’s Bad Enough?
Eyes of Others – Eyes of Others
Free Love – Inside
Hamish Hawk – Angel Numbers
Joesef – Permanent Damage
Juliette Lemoine – Soaring
Kapil Seshasayee – Laal
LVRA – Soft Like Steel
Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower – Even Days Dissolve
The Snuts – Burn The Empire
Su-a Lee – Dialogues
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
Photo Credit: Rory Barnes