SCOTLAND'S national music prize has officially announced the 20 albums on this year’s award longlist.
The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award recieved 437 eligible album submissions in 2023 - the most ever-received in the award's 11-year history.
The SAY Award is a Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) production and has distributed over £330,000 in prize money to Scottish artists since its inception in 2012.
The longlist will now be whittled down to a Shortlist of 10 albums, one of which will be chosen via a 72-hour online public vote from October 2-4, with the winner to be announced at Stirling’s Albert Halls on Thursday, October 26 at The SAY Award Ceremony 2023.
You can vote here when the vote opens.
In the running to win the title and a £20,000 cash prize 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
The SAY Award longlist is chosen by 100 impartial nominators – selected from sectors including journalism, music retail and music venues.
Robert Kilpatrick, interim CEO and creative director of the SMIA, said: “Each year, artists, industry professionals and music fans alike eagerly anticipate which 20 outstanding Scottish albums will make up The SAY Award Longlist.
“Scotland’s cultural identity is shared; it belongs to and is influenced by everyone that calls Scotland home. In a music context, it’s the SMIA’s job to make sure that the full spectrum of Scotland’s music industry is reflected in our work, and with The SAY Award longlist being determined by 100 impartial industry nominators – comprising individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and genre specialisms from right across the country – this means it’s much more than a list of 20 great records; it’s the soundtrack of life in Scotland".
Previous SAY Award winners and shortlisted artists Young Fathers, Paolo Nutini (above) and Andrew Wasylyk are included in this year's nominations alongside Becky Sikasa, LVRA and Brooke Combe making their debuts.
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.”
