Dafydd Iwan Jones is a Welsh singer and nationalist politician who rose to fame writing and performing folk music in the Welsh language. From 2003 to 2010, Iwan was the president of Plaid Cymru, a political party which advocates for Welsh independence from the UK.
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Notting Hill (1999), Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000) and Enduring Love (2004) as well as his portrayals of Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), the supervillain Lizard in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man (2021). Other roles include Hector DeJean in the Epix thriller series Berlin Station, Mycroft Holmes in the CBS series Elementary, and Ser Otto Hightower in the HBO television series House of the Dragon.
Y Cyrff was a Welsh language indie band in the 1980s, initially formed at the Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy secondary school in Llanrwst, Conwy. The original line-up consisted of Barry Cawley (bass), Emyr Davies (vocals), Dylan Hughes (drums) and Mark Roberts. They performed on Welsh language television, and internationally, until they broke up in 1991. Afterwards, Roberts formed Catatonia, with Jones joining the band a while later. Cawley was also a guitar technician for the band.
Meic Stevens is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Stevens's songs have a mystical, faintly psychedelic flavour, and are mostly sung in his native Welsh language. Still largely unknown outside Wales, he was discovered by DJ Jimmy Savile, who saw him performing in a Manchester folk club in 1965. This led to Stevens recording his first single – with arranger John Paul Jones – for Decca Records that same year, though it sold badly.
Dafydd Ifans is a contemporary Welsh language novelist and translator, born in Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, west Wales.
Crys are a Welsh heavy rock/metal band from Resolven, South Wales. The band was formed in 1976 by the brothers Liam Forde Scott Forde ; and Alun Morgan while attending boarding school in Hereford, England. They were originally named 'Salic Law' and performed at numerous pubs and clubs in the South Wales area.
Endaf Emlyn is a Welsh musician, film, and television director.
Gwyneth Glyn is a Welsh language poet and musician.
Steve Eaves is a Welsh poet, songwriter and singer, working in the Welsh language. He has lived for most of his life in the Bangor area of North Wales. He has been a performing musician for over 45 years. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he worked as a labourer and musician, with frequent forays to Chester, Crewe and other locations to perform at folk clubs and underground venues of the period. He also performed at the now legendary Les Cousins folk club in Soho, sharing the floor spot with legendary blues singer Jo Ann Kelly. He also performed with various 'underground' luminaries of the time such as Al Stewart, Tea and Symphony, and the Sutherland Brothers.
Gareth 'Gai' J Thomas 'Toms' is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician, producer and actor. In 1992 he co-formed the popular Welsh ska-rock band Anweledig, which developed into one of Wales' top live party bands. From 1997 to 2007 he created an 'off the road' Welsh folk outfit Mim Twm Llai, releasing three albums on Recordiau Sain. Since 2008, he dropped the Mim Twm Llai pseudonym for his own lifelong nickname Gai Toms, performing solo on guitar or with his backing band. His latest album titled 'Orig', based on the life of Welsh wrestling legend Orig Williams, gave us Gai Toms a'r Banditos.
Al Lewis is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He became known in the Welsh language media after his song came second in the Cân i Gymru contest in 2007.
Y Bandana Are a Welsh language alternative rock band that formed in Caernarfon in 2007. The band is composed of brothers Tomos Owens (keyboard) and Siôn Owens, their cousin Gwilym Bowen Rhys and Robin Jones (percussion). They are known for combining humorous lyrics with catchy melodies.
Gareth Jamie Bevan is a Welsh language campaigner from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. Bevan refused to pay fines and costs to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrate's Court for breaking into Conservative Party offices in north Cardiff the day before a visit from David Cameron in a demonstration against cuts to S4C.
Myrddin ap Dafydd is a Welsh writer, publisher and chaired bard. In 2018 he was elected Archdruid of Wales.
Geraint Jarman is a Welsh musician, poet and television producer whose career dates back to the early years of Welsh popular music. He has recorded many albums as a solo artist and with his band Geraint Jarman a'r Cynganeddwyr.
Caryl Parry Jones is a Welsh singer, actress and presenter. She was born in the Flintshire village of Ffynnongroyw and attended Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St. Asaph, but now lives in Cowbridge, in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Yws Gwynedd is a Welsh rock band from North Wales named after its lead singer Ywain Gwynedd.
The Y Selar Awards are awarded annually for the best Welsh language rock and pop music, by the Welsh language music magazine, Y Selar. The awards ceremony is the only one particularly for Welsh language music.
Gwilym (transl. William) are a Welsh-language pop rock group from Ynys Môn and Caernarfon. The band consists of members Ifan Pritchard, Llyr Jones, Llew Glyn, Rhys Grail, and Carwyn Williams. The group was founded in 2017.
Triawd y Coleg were a Welsh close harmony group formed at University College of North Wales, Bangor in 1945 and comprising Meredydd Evans, Cledwyn Jones and Robin Williams. The trio achieved national fame as regulars on the Welsh language light entertainment radio programme Noson Lawen in the 1940s, and have been described as "perhaps the first Welsh-language pop group".
