Singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini is being honoured with a special Scottish Album of the Year award given to those who still inspire music being made in the country today.
The SAY Award organisers have confirmed that the Modern Scottish Classic Award winner for 2023 is the Paisley-born artist's debut album These Streets which peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart.
And it was a double celebration for the Scots star as it emerged that his latest album Last Night in the Bittersweet was the winner of a public vote, which meant its inclusion in this year's SAY Award 10-album shortlist.
Nutini's 17-year-old album, which contained hits such as the debut single Last Request and New Shoes was picked by the 20 artists longlisted for this year's SAY Award and it will be celebrated at the awards ceremony to be held later this month.
It is only the third time the award, given in association with YouTube Music, has been given with dream pop pioneers Cocteau Twins being honoured last year with the Grangemouth-founded band's sixth and most commercially successful album Heaven or Las Vegas.
Frightened Rabbit's classic Midnight Organ Flight was chosen as the inaugural winner in 2021.
The organisers say These Streets was an "instant classic, catapulting the then-19 year old singer-songwriter onto the UK’s music scene with huge hits... and cementing him as a household name".
READ MORE: Cocteau Twins win 'modern Scots classic' album award
The first of four albums, the album announced the arrival of the songwriting prodigy and went on to sell over 1.5 million copies in the UK.
It also entered the charts in many other European countries, and in 2011 it was certified double Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales of over 2,000,000 copies in Europe.
Lizzie Dickson, head of label relations, YouTube UK said: "These Streets is a stunning, timeless record from a sensational talent that reflects Scottish artistry at its finest. Paolo Nutini set new standards for lyrical and vocal quality with this debut, and he continues to inspire artists and fans around the world."
It comes as the judges of the SAY Award, the national music prize that has been described as Scotland's answer to the Mercury Prize, revealed the top ten shortlist for album of the year.
It has been whittled down from a record-breaking 437 eligible albums submitted.
The ten are Andrew Wasylyk'sHearing the Water Before Seeing the Falls; Becky Sikasa's Twelve Wooden Boxes; Bemz's Nova’s Dad; Brìghde Chaimbeul's Carry Them With Us; Brooke Combe's Black Is the New Gold; Cloth's Secret Measure; Hamish Hawk's Angel Numbers; Joesef's Permanent Damage; Paolo Nutini's Last Night In The Bittersweet and Young Fathers' Heavy Heavy.
With Nutini named as the public’s choice on this year's shortlist, the remaining nine albums were chosen by The SAY Award judging panel, who will reconvene to choose 2023’s winner at this year’s ceremony at Stirling’s Albert Halls on October 26.
Video: New Shoes was the fourth single from Paolo Nutini's debut album, These Streets. It was used as the headlining single for the US release of the album.
The ten albums are now in the running to win the final prize of £20,000 and the coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year.
Nine runners-up on the shortlist will each receive £1,000 plus a bespoke prize from The SAY Award Design Commission, created by Brutal Concrete Workshop.
A Stirling-based artist using new low-carbon processes and recycled materials, Brutal Concrete will create 2023’s shortlist prizes for what the organisers say will be a "lasting reminder of the enduring links between art and music".
READ MORE: Frightened Rabbit win inaugural 'modern Scots classic' album award
Robert Kilpatrick, interim chief executive and creative director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), which launched the SAY Award in 2012, said of the shortlist: "This is a fantastic representation of the strength and diversity of Scottish music; past, present and future.
“In light of the recent government cuts to culture funding, and with a myriad of wider financial challenges currently impacting artists at all levels, The SAY Award’s role in celebrating, promoting and rewarding artistic endeavour remains crucially important. Culture is our identity; it’s how we see ourselves, how we see our place in the world and how we relate to others. It’s the stories of life in Scotland, and it underpins mental well-being – both collectively and individually – in many ways.
“Our lives and our stories matter, and through championing our nation’s musical output, we can share our stories with the rest of the world and find new ways to connect. The SMIA is proud of its ongoing commitment to the value of music in Scotland, and The SAY Award is an essential part of that work. Thanks to our partners for their invaluable support, and we look forward to what will be an incredible night to remember at our ceremony in Stirling later this month.”
The five finalists for The Sound of Young Scotland Award, designed to support the next generation of Scottish talent are Danny Cliff, Pearling, Pippa Blundell, No Windows and Queen of Harps.
The winner also announced on October 26, will receive a funding package worth over £10,000 to help them create their debut album. The prize includes cash grants, recording studio use, business advice sessions and a run of up to 500 vinyl pressings from Seabass Vinyl, Scotland’s first vinyl pressing plant.
Now in its twelfth year, previous winners of The SAY Award include; Fergus McCreadie's Forest Floor (2022)' Mogwai's - As The Love Continues (2021); Nova's Re-Up (2020); Auntie Flo's - Radio Highlife (2019); Young Fathers' Cocoa Sugar (2018); 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 the inaugural winner Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat's Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).
The judging panel for the SAY Award is headed by the chairman and culture journalist Arusa Qureshi who was recently announced as Summerhall’s new Music Programme Manager.
This year’s panel also includes Adem Holness, head of contemporary music at the Southbank Centre in London; Scots screenwriter and actress Andrea Gibb; Ariel Cohen, strategic partner manager for artist development at YouTube Music; Becci Scotcher, senior grants and programmes manager with new music funders PRS Foundation; Glaswegian fashion designer Charles Jeffrey; Edinburgh-born broadcaster Gordon Smart; John Rostron, cheif executive of the Association of Independent Festivals; writer and editor Katie Goh; entertainment reporter and presenter Laura Boyd; Pete Sparkes, artistic director of Drake Music Scotland and Titania Altius, head of member services with UK's music licensing company PPL.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel