THE SCOTTISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD CEREMONY TO AIR SUNDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
FANS HAVE THE CHANCE TO WATCH THE MOMENT NOVA MADE HISTORY AS THE YOUNGEST EVER WINNER PLUS EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS FROM ALL TEN SHORTLISTED ARTISTS ON THEIR OUTSTANDING ALBUMS
TUNE IN FOR THE ULTIMATE CELEBRATION OF SCOTTISH MUSIC
VIA YOUTUBE FROM 6PM, SUN 1ST NOV
#SAYaward
Last night, The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award revealed the 2020 winner as Nova for her debut release ‘Re-Up’. Breaking records as the youngest ever winner in The SAY Award’s nine-year history and the first rap/grime album to win the award, 24 year old Nova (Shaheeda Sinckler) accepted her trophy and £20,000 prize remotely via video link, as she isolates following a positive COVID-19 test.
Today, The SAY Award announce that the full digital ceremony will be broadcast from 6pm on Sunday 1st November as a YouTube Premiere; giving fans around the world the chance to be front row at the normally industry-only exclusive event. Viewers can tune in for the ultimate celebration of Scottish music, as all 10 of the Shortlisted artists give fans exclusive insights into their outstanding albums, while judges such as Edith Bowman, Jack Saunders, Jess Brough, Ally McCrae and more share their thoughts. This year’s SAY Award Shortlist broke records, with an incredible eight of the ten albums being debuts, a first in SAY Award history.
Featuring live performances from Happy Spendy, Kapil Seshasayee, VLURE and Zoe Graham, the ceremony was filmed compliant with current COVID-19 restrictions with only presenters Nicola Meighan and Vic Galloway plus a film crew in an empty Summerhall. With the traditional SAY Award final ceremony normally hosting up to 800 industry professionals, artists, and media, this year’s ceremony looks a little different but remains a poignant celebration of Scotland’s music industry at a time it is needed the most. The digital ceremony saw each artist collect their Shortlist prize in-person, giving powerful acceptance speeches to an empty venue and sharing insights into the making of their albums, what inspired them and what it meant to be Shortlisted for The SAY Award in 2020, truly a year like no other.
The SAY Award Shortlist for 2020:
Blanck Mass Animated Violence Mild
Bossy Love Me + U
Callum Easter Here Or Nowhere
Cloth Cloth
Comfort Not Passing
Declan Welsh & The Decadent West Cheaply Bought, Expensively Sold
Erland Cooper Sule Skerry
The Ninth Wave Infancy
Nova Re-Up
SHHE SHHE
While Nova took home the coveted title and a career changing £20,000 prize, the remaining nine Shortlisted albums collected £1,000 each, as well as their own bespoke commemorative trophy, created specifically for this year’s SAY Shortlist.
oin Scotland’s national music prize for an evening of celebration and take a look back on what has been a year Scotland’s music industry will never forget.
Subscribe to The SAY Award YouTube now to ensure you don’t miss the exclusive ceremony.
Developed and produced by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), the 2020 campaign is delivered in partnership with Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, YouTube Music, 54EP, Sweetdram, Culture & Business Fund Scotland via Arts & Business Scotland, PPL, Summerhall, Ticketmaster and new charity partner Music Declares Emergency.
Now in its ninth year, previous winners of The SAY Award include Auntie Flo ‘Radio Highlife’ (2019), Young Fathers ‘Cocoa Sugar’ (2018), Sacred Paws ‘Strike A Match’ (2017), Anna Meredith ‘Varmints’ (2016), Kathryn Joseph ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ (2015), Young Fathers ‘Tape Two’ (2014), RM Hubbert ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ (2013) and the inaugural winner Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat ‘Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).
To keep up with The SAY Award 2020 journey, make sure you follow the award on Twitter @SAYaward, Instagram @sayaward and Facebook @SAYaward