SAY Award winner announced as Kai Reesu and KT Tunstall picks up Modern Scottish Classic Award 07 Nov 2025
GLASGOW BASED BAND AWARDED £20,000 AT NATIONAL MUSIC PRIZE CEREMONY IN DUNDEE
KT TUNSTALL PERFORMS LIVE ON THE NIGHT AS 2025'S MODERN SCOTTISH CLASSIC WINNER
AND ALICE FAYE WINS THE SOUND OF YOUNG SCOTLAND
Kai Reesu's 'KOMPROMAT vol.i' was tonight announced as winner of The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, as the country's national music prize Ceremony took place in Dundee's Caird Hall for the first time. Kai Reesu took home the £20,000 first prize, bespoke trophy and coveted title ahead of a Shortlist including Kathryn Joseph, Jacob Alon, Brooke Combe and more. The Glasgow band's debut album blends jazz and hip-hop, psychedelia and grime, led by Paul Copeland on keys and featuring vocals from Glasgow-based LA rapper Jurnalist.
KT Tunstall's debut album 'Eye to the Telescope' was awarded the Modern Scottish Classic Award, presented by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), with the singer-songwriter performing a special three-song set at the SAY Award Ceremony to celebrate. Plus, Alice Faye was named The Sound of Young Scotland, winning a funding package worth up to £10,000 to support the creation of her debut album.
Following 2025's Ceremony, The SAY Award will have distributed over £425,000 in prize money. Now in its fourteenth year, it has recognised and championed 280 Longlisted albums across a wide range of genres. 2025's Ceremony was the first to take place outside of the Central Belt, as part of a three year partnership with Leisure & Culture Dundee, V&A Dundee, Dundee City Council and UNESCO Dundee City of Design to make Dundee the new home of The SAY Award.
Kai Reesu, (Paul Copeland) winners of The Scottish Album of the Year Award 2025 said onstage, "Thank you so much, this is quite unexpected because we were honestly just having fun with this album. It's so good that it resonated with people.
I want to thank my mother, who's here...and without her honestly none of this could be possible. We recorded a lot of this stuff in her living room. I think people should have more fun when they're making music and just make more music right now. "
Kai Reesu, (Jurnalist) said, "This has been a magical moment for me. We're just going to keep making music! I think people should have more fun when they're making music and just make more music right now. "
KT Tunstall, winner of 2025's Modern Scottish Classic Award for 'Eye to the Telescope' said, "This is such a surprise - I had no idea this was coming so the phone call was a total thrill and it's just so lovely because we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album. It means a lot to me being a Scottish musician - I live in America and I travel all over the world and people love Scottish musicians, so I'm just very proud to be in that lineage of amazing Scottish artists that have contributed an awful lot to the world, even though we're such a wee country.
"I started busking here in Dundee when I was 15 - you didn't make any money and I got moved on by the police!
"I love the albums that have been awarded this in the past - Cocteau Twins was the first album I ever bought myself and it was in Dundee, so it's a special connection to be in a category that they have won."
Alice Faye winner of The Sound of Young Scotland Award said onstage, "Thank you so much. I didn't think I was going to get it. I love making music, and I love Scotland so much, and I love the Scottish music scene, and before I was a part of it, I wasn't very happy and I'd say I'm a lot happier now! I just want to say congratulations to the other four finalists - I think you're all so incredible and I really didn't think I'd get so thank you thank you so much!"
At one of the biggest nights in Scotland's music calendar, the Caird Hall welcomed artists, industry professionals and music fans alike to celebrate the strength and diversity of Scottish music; past, present and future. Co-hosted by Nicola Meighan and Vic Galloway, the Ceremony featured live performances from 2024 SAY Award winners redolent, 2024's Sound of Young Scotland Dillon Barrie, corto.alto, Brooke Combe and a special set from Modern Scottish Classic winner KT Tunstall to close the night. The iconic singer, who grew up in St Andrews, performed three songs from her 2005 album; 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree', 'Suddenly I See' and 'Eye to the Telescope'.
A melting pot of underground hip-hop and jazz, Kai Reesu have played slots at Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Kelburn Garden Party and more, with 'KOMPROMAT vol.i' subtly telling the story of how Jurnalist came to Scotland, linked up with Kai Reesu and their journey thereafter. Band members hail from Paisley, Thurso, Glasgow and LA, with the sextet releasing their first single back in 2023, before their debut album was released in May 2025.
Listen to The Scottish Album of the Year, KOMPROMAT vol.i by Kai Reesu here.
Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said, "Massive congratulations to Kai Reesu, with 'KOMPROMAT Vol. i' claiming 2025's coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year for a bold, genre-blending record that moves effortlessly between jazz, hip-hop, grime and psychedelia. Rich with live instrumentation and storytelling, it traces Jurnalist's journey to Scotland and the collaborative spark at the heart of the group. It's prophetic, propulsive and defiantly inventive – a truly well deserved SAY Award winner.
"Tonight we also celebrated Alice Faye as 2025's Sound of Young Scotland winner, as well as KT Tunstall's 'Eye To The Telescope' as this year's Modern Scottish Classic – two awards that shine a light on Scottish music's bright future and rich past. It was particularly special to have KT perform at the ceremony this year, closing what was another emotive celebration of the strength and diversity of Scottish music.
"This year marked our Dundee debut, and hosting SAY at the iconic Caird Hall has been incredibly special. Creativity and collaboration run deep in this city, and we're proud to be adding to its rich musical heritage.
"After tonight, The SAY Award will have distributed over £425,000 in prize money. It's a powerful statement about the value that Scotland places on music – and on the album as an art-form – in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and metrics."
Head of Music at Creative Scotland, Alan Morrison said, "Jazz and hip hop are arguably the most inventive scenes in Scottish music at the moment, and they combine magnificently in Kai Reesu's dynamic debut album. Like the band itself, this is an album that brings an international lyrical perspective to a home-grown groove. And the exciting thing is, as the name says, this is just Vol. 1. Congratulations too to Alice Faye who, as winner of the Sound of Young Scotland Award can now head to the recording studio herself and get in contention for a future edition of The SAY Award, which Creative Scotland is proud to now support through Multi-Year Funding to SMIA."
Anna Day, Head of Library and Cultural Services at Leisure & Culture Dundee said "Congratulations to Kai Reesu on being named the 2025 Scottish Album of the Year. Tonight marks a milestone for Dundee, as we proudly hosted The SAY Award Ceremony at Caird Hall for the very first time. The event builds on the venue's incredible past and rich history in music. It's a moment that celebrates our city's reputation as a vibrant hub for music, culture and creativity.
"The three year partnership with The SAY Award, that continues into 2026 and 2027, also signals an important step forward in reimagining what Caird Hall can offer - bringing new audiences, inspiring artists and creating fresh opportunities for collaboration.
"A huge thank you to The SAY Award team, artists, attendees and everyone who made this event such a success."
With Kai Reesu winning the top prize of £20,000 and a bespoke handcrafted award, the rest of 2025's Shortlist collected £1,000 and their own uniquely crafted sculptures, created via The SAY Award Design Commission by local Dundee artists No Comply. The duo designed and made nine Shortlist awards, as well as three bespoke winner prizes for The SAY Award, Modern Scottish Classic and Sound of Young Scotland winners. No Comply transformed 45 donated skateboards and walnut locally sourced from a 300-year-old Dundee tree into the unique prizes, to create sustainable hardwood designs which pay tribute to the city's skate culture as well as its thriving music scene.
The SAY Award Shortlist for 2025 in alphabetical order was:
Brooke Combe Dancing At The Edge Of The World
Cloth Pink Silence
Hamish Hawk A Firmer Hand
Jacob Alon In Limerence
Kai Reesu KOMPROMAT vol. I
Kathryn Joseph WE WERE MADE PREY.
Matt Carmichael Dancing with Embers
TAAHLIAH Gramarye
The Joy Hotel Ceremony
Zoe Graham TENT
The SAY Award winner was chosen by a panel of judges from across the creative industries, chaired by music and culture journalist Arusa Qureshi, and including: Glaswegian artist Trackie McLeod, Jenny Niven (Director and CEO, Edinburgh International Book Festival), Ben Wynter (Director of Business Development and Partnerships, Association of Independent Music), Joel Mills (Music Director, British Council) and more. * full panel in Notes to Editor.
The Modern Scottish Classic Award, presented by the SMIA, is annually selected by the 20 artists on The SAY Award Longlist. All 20 artists submitted their top 5 Scottish albums which pre-date the inception of The SAY Award (2011), and continue to inspire to this day, with KT Tunstall's 2005 debut record 'Eye to the Telescope' chosen as this year's winner. The Edinburgh-born, multi-platinum singer-songwriter is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of the record with a re-release featuring new tracks. The album becomes the fifth ever recipient of the award, as a body of work that catapulted KT Tunstall into the global spotlight and continues to resonate with fans around the world today.
The Sound of Young Scotland Award (supported by Help Musicians, the Scottish Government's Youth Music Initiative through Creative Scotland and Youth Music) was announced live on the night with Alice Faye chosen by a panel of former SAY Award nominees from this year's finalists: Aleena, GAÏA, Rahul.mp3 and Tarran.
From 100 initial eligible applications, Alice Faye's winning package includes; cash grants totalling £6,000 to cover studio and production costs, a performance slot at 2026's SAY Award Ceremony, up to 250 vinyl pressings of their debut album from Seabass Vinyl, a bespoke art prize from The SAY Award Design Commission, and more.
Laurie Oliva, Director of Services and Research at Help Musicians said, "We're extremely proud to be supporting the next generation of Scottish talent through the Sound of Young Scotland Award. Building a career in music is challenging, and moments like this give emerging artists recognition and momentum as they navigate the industry. Congratulations to all of this year's nominees for the creativity, passion, and energy they bring to Scottish music."
The SAY Award is a Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) production. The SAY Award 2025 is delivered in partnership with Creative Scotland, Leisure & Culture Dundee, V&A Dundee, Dundee City Council, UNESCO Dundee City of Design, Seabass Vinyl, PPL, HMV, FOPP, Help Musicians, the Scottish Government's Youth Music Initiative, Youth Music, 71 Brewing, Bon Accord, Apex Hotels, Malmaison and Music Declares Emergency. The project is part-funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Previous winners of The SAY Award include; redolent 'dinny greet' (2024), Young Fathers 'Heavy Heavy' (2023), Fergus McCreadie 'Forest Floor' (2022), Mogwai 'As The Love Continues' (2021), Nova 'Re-Up' (2020), 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).
Now in its fifth year, previous winners of the Modern Scottish Classic Award are: Paolo Nutini 'These Streets' (2023), Cocteau Twins 'Heaven or Las Vegas' (2022) and Frightened Rabbit 'The Midnight Organ Fight' (2021).
Follow The SAY Award on social media across Instagram @sayaward, Facebook @SAYaward , TikTok @thesayaward and X @SAYaward
Follow No Comply on Instagram @nocomply.design and Facebook No Comply
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