Singer Dafydd Owain has won the 2026 Welsh Music Prize with his album Ymarfer Byw.<\/p>\n
A total of 15 albums were shortlisted for the \u00a310,000 top prize across genres from rap and metal to pop, folk, rock and indie rock. <\/p>\n
Receiving his award at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on Wednesday, Owain, from Caernarfon, said the last time he had performed on the same stage was as a 16-year-old choir member.<\/p>\n
“I mimed the whole thing because I was… scared of making a bum note,” he recalled.<\/p>\n
“It’s weird to have an award for what’s essentially singing now,” he told the audience.<\/p>\n
Owain acknowledged “one big family” of people, including his band members, who he said contributed to his success.<\/p>\n
In August, he won the Welsh Language Album of the Year award with his second album.<\/p>\n
Singer Mary Hopkin, from Pontardawe, Swansea, who was one of the first artists signed to The Beatles’ label Apple Records, received the Welsh Music Inspiration Award for her contribution to music over several decades.<\/p>\n