Interview Adwaith chat Dydd Miwsig Cymru and new album ‘Solas’: “It’s such an honour to be singing in Welsh”
Ahead of the release of their new double album, the band’s drummer Heledd Owen tells us a little more about making it.
While some say that music is a universal language, here at DIY, we always believe in broadening our horizons, which is why we’re thrilled to have teamed up with Dydd Miwsig Cymru to help celebrate their annual event this month. Taking place on Friday 7th February, the day – also known as Welsh Language Music Day – focuses on celebrating and uplifting all forms of Welsh Language music, as well as highlighting the rich musical history of Wales as a nation.
To help mark this year’s edition of Dydd Miwsig Cymru, we’ve enlisted a few key players from across the Welsh music industry to help explain why the Welsh language and culture is so important to them.
Tra bod rhai yn dweud bod miwsig yn iaith fyd-eang, yma yn DIY, credwn mewn lledaenu’n gorwelion, dyna pam yr ydym wedi cael y pleser i ymuno hefo Dydd Miwsig Cymru i ddathlu’r digwyddiad blynyddol mis yma. Yn digwydd ar ddydd Gwener 7fed o Chwefror, mae’r diwrnod yn ffocysu ar ddathlu ac ymgodi pob math o gerddoriaeth Cymraeg, yn ogystal ag uwcholeuo cyfoeth hanesyddol Cymru fel cenedl.
I nodi Dydd Miwsig Cymru eleni, rydym wedi ymrwymo ambell i berson arwyddocaol o’r sîn roc Gymraeg i helpu esbonio pam y mae’r Iaith a’r diwylliant mor bwysig iddynt.
Ahead of the release of their ambitious new double album ‘Solas’ this week, we spoke to the band’s drummer Heledd Owen.
You’re about to release your new album ‘Solas’; what sort of headspace did you find yourself in when approaching the making of this new record?
We wanted to be really ambitious with this album. From the start we knew we wanted to create something special with ‘Solas’, so we started the process by trying to write as many songs as we could. We spent a lot of time reflecting on our home and how it shaped us and we wanted to pay homage to West Wales through the music.
What did you find yourself inspired by when making the record? Did you have a specific idea of what you wanted to explore with the record, or was it a more fluid process?
Since the last two albums we’ve all moved away from home, travelled together as a band and become more secure in ourselves, all of which has given us a fresh perspective on our roots. In the past, maybe it’s something we took for granted, but this album helped us rediscover our love for the place where it all began. This album explores the strength and vulnerability we’ve discovered in ourselves and we were inspired to create something that authentically represents us as people. ‘Solas’ is a Celtic word for light and it captures the joy of being welcomed home.
The album was recorded across a variety of locations; do you think each specific place brought something different to the feeling of the record?
We spent a lot of time recording ‘Solas’; I think we went to 5 or 6 different studios in the end and they all played a huge part in the final sound of the album.
We recorded a lot of the album in Black Bay Studios in the outer Hebrides and spending time there was very inspiring. We also went to Lisbon, which was incredible as it was the complete opposite environment to the Outer Hebrides. We were very aware that we wanted this album to be consistent as it was such a big body of work, and going to different studios really gave us a lot of time and perspective to really think about how we wanted the album to sound as a whole piece of work.
Making a double album is no mean feat – what made you want to do so? And what gave you the confidence to make (potentially) the first ever double album in Welsh?
Initially this album was only meant to be a 10 or 12 track album, but we had so many songs that we’d been working on and it didn’t feel right to cut them. Our manager came to see how we were getting on while we were in pre-production and he made a suggestion that it could be a double album in the making! We really wanted to push ourselves to make the best body of work we possibly could and it just made sense to make it a double as we had a story that needed to be told and told without any compromises!
“We’ve never had any doubt that people aren’t ready for non-English artists, it’s more the industry that’s been slow to change.”
— Heledd Owen
What does making music in Welsh mean to you?
I think it’s become more and more important to us as we’ve gotten older. It’s easy to take it for granted when you’re young, but then it gets to a point when you start to realise just how lucky you are to even be able to speak the language, let alone have the opportunity to write and perform in Welsh. It’s definitely a great privilege to us and we are very lucky to have had all these amazing opportunities and feel it’s such an honour to be singing in Welsh.
What does it feel like to get non-Welsh (speaking) audiences singing Welsh lyrics back to you?
It’s amazing! And it just shows it doesn’t matter if people don’t speak or understand Welsh, it still resonates with the audience just as much.
Does the success of artists like Kneecap and Gwenno make you more confident that people are ready for non-English language artists?
It definitely does! We’ve never had any doubt that people aren’t ready for non-English artists, it’s more the industry that’s been slow to change. We’ve definitely noticed a growing interest and audience for non-English artists in the UK from our own personal experience, it feels very exciting.
Why do you think it’s important for the likes of Dydd Miwsig Cymru to highlight and celebrate the Welsh language, especially through music?
It’s so important as lots of people in the UK even are unaware of the Welsh language’s existence. It’s a very accessible way to introduce people to a whole new world of music without it being too overwhelming. It’s cool that there’s a lot of press and shows around Dydd Miwsig Cymru too, it feels like a special day every year.
‘Solas’ is out 7th February via Libertino Records.
This feature is brought to you as part of our paid partnership with Dydd Miwsig Cymru.
If you’d like to find out more, simply head to gov.wales/welsh-language-music-day. Os hoffech ddarganfod mwy, ewch i llyw.cymru/dydd-miwsig-cymru. What’s more, we’re celebrating the day with a very special show at The Old Blue Last in London tomorrow night - grab your tickets now.
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