The 2018 winner of Scotland’s national music prize, the Scottish Album of The Year (SAY) Award, was tonight (Thursday 6th September) announced as Young Fathers for their album 'Cocoa Sugar'.

At a ceremony presented by co-hosts Vic Galloway and Nicola Meighan at Paisley Town Hall, the audience of music industry professionals from across the UK, engaged music fans and Scotland’s consistently strong mix of creatives celebrated as Young Fathers emerged as the winner, scooping the £20,000 first prize.

The band also received an exclusively designed, album-inspired commemorative award, created by the winner of The SAY 2018 Design Commission, Geri Donnelly of Obsidian Ore.

Band member, Alloysious Massaquoi was ecstatic, saying: “We want to thank everyone who voted, it’s fantastic for Scotland and diversity in music. This is a total surprise and an honour for us to win it twice and make history. We are obviously a multi-racial group who stand for openness, kindness, and love.”

Formed in Edinburgh in 2008 by Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings, they released their introductory mixtapes, Tape One and Tape Two in 2012. The trio then signed to Big Dada and released debut album, ‘Dead’, in 2014. Following an extensive world tour the band began work on their sophomore album, ‘White Men Are Black Men Too’, which was released in 2015. Their album ‘Tape Two’ won the Scottish Album of The Year in 2014 and four years later, the band have won again with their third studio album ‘Cocoa Sugar’.
Robert Kilpatrick, General Manager at Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), said: “A huge congratulations to Young Fathers for winning 2018’s Scottish Album of the Year Award. ‘Cocoa Sugar’ is a fantastic, world class record, which showcases the band’s incredible song writing talent and musicianship. Having previously won The SAY Award for ‘Tape Two’ back in 2014, as well as The Hyundai Mercury Prize in the same year for ‘Dead’, they continue to go from strength to strength, defying expectations and creating some of the best music to have come out of Scotland. A truly well-deserved win from an outstanding, crucially important Scottish act.”

Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland, said: “This second victory for Young Fathers is so well deserved for a band who have gone from strength to strength since they first stormed the SAY Award stage in 2014. It’s their most accessible release yet, with pop hooks and soulful vocals emerging from their trademark monsoon of global beats. Congratulations also to all the nominees who made this such a bold and diverse year for Scottish music.”

Louisa Mahon, Head of Marketing, Communications and Events at Renfrewshire Council, said: "We have had a fabulous night at this year’s Scottish Album of the Year Awards here in Paisley and I would like to offer a massive congratulations to the winner Young Fathers and to all the artists who made this year’s shortlist. This year’s award has showcased once again the incredible breadth and diversity of Scotland’s thriving music scene. Hosting the SAY Award is a perfect fit for Paisley, long-established as a music town, and has put us firmly on Scotland’s major events map – I can’t wait to see what’s next.“

Peter Leathem, Chief Executive Officer at PPL, commented: “Congratulations to all of the artists shortlisted for this year’s SAY Award. Scotland produces a consistently strong musical output across a variety of genres and this event plays a key role in championing a diverse range of Scottish artists. We are very proud to support the SAY Award once again in 2018.”

Throughout the night guests were treated to outstanding live sets from some of Scotland’s most exciting emerging artists, including Hairband (chosen by last year’s SAY Award winner, Sacred Paws), multi-instrumentalist from Orkney, Erland Cooper, the timeless and unique sounds of Megan Airlie and the dynamic and unapologetic Declan Welsh & The Decadent West, who was selected by TicketWeb.

As well as Young Fathers claiming the first prize, the nine other Shortlisted albums (listed below) each won a £1,000 prize and bespoke commemorative award including a soundwave from each of the albums’ lead tracks.

The Shortlist in full is:

BABE - ‘Kiss & Tell’
Best Girl Athlete - ‘Best Girl Athlete’
Franz Ferdinand - ‘Always Ascending’ (Public vote winner)
Golden Teacher - ‘No Luscious Life’
Karine Polwart With Pippa Murphy - 'A Pocket Of Wind Resistance’
Kobi Onyame - ‘Gold’
Mogwai - ‘Every Country’s Sun’
Out Lines - ‘Conflats’
Siobhan Wilson - ‘There Are No Saints’

The Shortlist was chosen by a highly-respected panel of judges who rigorously listened to and considered each album as an artform. Gathering in Paisley on the night of the final ceremony, the panel deliberated and chose the winning album moments before it was announced publicly. Judges include Derek Robertson (Editor-in-Chief at Drowned in Sound), Davy Wales (Performer Development Specialist at PPL), Sarra Wild (DJ/Promoter), Stephen Allen (Head of Learning and Partnerships and curator of ‘Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop’ at National Museums Scotland), Mark MacKechnie (Promoter at Riverside Festival / Electric Frog / Melting Pot), Bob Last (Co-founder, Fast Product), Caroline MacLennan (Director at HebCelt Festival), Rhiannon Mair (Producer with projects including Laura Marling, Bryde, Emma McGrath and Kimberly Anne) Rose McDowall (Musician, Strawberry Switchblade), Lynne Ramsay (BAFTA winning film director) and David Martin (Creative Director at Hidden Door Festival).
Notes to editors:

The SAY Award is produced by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), in partnership with Paisley Is, Renfrewshire Council, Creative Scotland, Harviestoun, TicketWeb and PPL. The SAY Award is delighted to be supporting Help Musicians Scotland in 2018, as the award’s official Charity Partner.

Launched in 2012, The SAY Award celebrates, promotes and rewards the most outstanding Scottish albums released each year. Respected by artists and valued by the industry, it is responsible for a surge in musical discovery and an explosion of impassioned debate on social media. Previous SAY Award winners are Sacred Paws’ ‘Strike A Match’ (2017), Anna Meredith’s ‘Varmints’ (2016), Kathryn Joseph’s ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ (2015), Young Fathers’ ‘Tape Two’ (2014), RM Hubbert’s ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ (2013) and Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat’s ‘Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).

The public can listen to and learn more about all longlisted albums by visiting www.sayaward.com.

Press is handled by both Genuine and MCPR Scotland. For further press information please contact Chris Hunt / Shauna McGregor at Genuine on chris@genuine.scot / shauna@genuine.scot or contact Murray Chalmers / Sarah Henderson / Fiona Raisbeck on murray@murraychalmers.com / sarah@murraychalmers.com / fiona@murraychalmers.com or call 020 7361 0730.

The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) is a membership organisation and innovation agency which exists to represent and develop the Scottish music industry. With a sharp focus on common rather than competing interests; a commitment to communicate and cooperate across all areas of the industry and, above all, a determination to deliver services, projects and a programme of events that are both meaningful and of benefit, the SMIA is inclusive, positive and progressive; meeting need, realising potential and encouraging ambition.

Having recently joined Creative Scotland’s Regular Funding Network 2018-21, the SMIA will soon deliver a pioneering innovation-led development programme, designed to help nurture business talent and build infrastructure in the Scottish music industry. For further information on the SMIA and its services, projects and events please visit www.smia.org.uk

Twitter: @TheSMIA | Facebook: www.facebook.com/scottishmusicindustryassociation

Paisley.is Our new destination brand, Paisley.is, will showcase everything that makes Paisley a great place to live, invest and visit. The new destination brand was co-created with local people and businesses across Renfrewshire and sparked a global conversation that reached 170,000 people. The new site reflects what the people of Renfrewshire told us Paisley is – bold, friendly, honest, good fun, together and proud.

Backed up by a new website (www.paisley.is) and social media presence the brand will signpost to everything we want the world to know about Paisley and Renfrewshire.

Social media channels: (twitter @paisleyis – Facebook /paisleyis – Instagram /paisley.is)

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.

For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland

Harviestoun - for the last 35 years, our independent brewery has been obsessively experimenting in the pursuit of perfection and our story is one of continuous innovation. We have always challenged expectations, driving us to create category defining beers. From maturing our beers in world-famous whisky casks in the foothills of Scottish mountains, to sourcing wild local ingredients. In fact, we’ve been doing just about anything that means we can explore the many possibilities of our craft, to produce delicious beers time and time again. We were one of the pioneers of Barrel ageing, Brewing with US hops, Craft lager, Craft beer in keg and indeed craft brewing techniques.

We live to expertly hand-brew ground breaking, quality, multi award-winning beers to be enjoyed across the globe.
Our beers are enjoyed in over 20 countries around the globe and our range has won accolades such as World’s Best Lager – Schiehallion, World’s Best Ale – Bitter & Twisted, World’s Best Porter – Old Engine Oil, World’s Best Speciality Dark Ale Ola Dubh 40yo, UK’s Best Wood Aged Beer – Ola Dubh 12yo. Together with our incredible brewers, our ingredients allow us to brew these amazing beers, using only full cone hops and our own unique yeast, so important in the brewing process. Our water is from a natural source, perfect for brewing and our malt is sourced from within 10 miles of the brewery. Today, we stand proudly at the foot of the Ochil Hills where we continue to hand brew iconic and flavour packed beers that we believe continue to set the standard for quality as the craft category develops. Visit us at harviestoun.com to find out more about our range of lovingly crafted beers and discover why we are masters of the craft……

TicketWeb started in 1995 as small group of music fans who wanted to build a truly DIY ticket site dedicated to shining a light on the freshest new acts. We’re now the go-to ticket seller for independent promoters and venues in the UK, Ireland, North America & Australasia. Two decades later and we’re still proud to be part of that scene but now we also work directly with the artists who fill those venues to make it even easier for real fans to get into their shows.

Find out more at www.ticketweb.uk. TicketWeb – a Ticketmaster company.

Founded in 1934, PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO) for tens of thousands of performers and record companies. We license recorded music in the UK when it is played in public (shops, bars, nightclubs, offices etc.) or broadcast (BBC, commercial radio, commercial TV etc.) and ensure that revenue flows back to our members. These include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and influential festival headliners. PPL’s public performance licensing is now carried out on PPL’s behalf by PPL PRS Ltd, the new joint venture between PPL and PRS for Music.

PPL has a market-leading international collections business, with 90 agreements in place, helping members to maximise their revenue when their repertoire is played overseas. We collected £218.8 million in the UK and internationally in 2017 and paid over 98,000 performers and record companies.

For more information please contact:

Clive Drew, PR Manager
clive.drew@ppluk.com
020 7534 1262

Help Musicians Scotland Help Musicians UK is Britain's leading independent music charity. Since 1921, Help Musicians UK (HMUK) has provided help, support and opportunities to empower musicians at all stages of their lives. The charity works in partnership to transform the music industry through advocacy, campaigning, programmes and targeted investment for all those within it.

In 2018 Help Musicians UK launched a permanent Scottish base to support and empower the Scottish music industry. Help Musicians Scotland aims to reach the entire country, having an impact beyond the central belt into the Highlands, Islands, and borders of Scotland through programmes of support, advice and campaigns. HM Scotland is inclusive of all genres in Scotland and will celebrate the musical heritage and history of Scottish music as well as creating sustainable programmes and funding for the future.