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Described by Dom Ansell of The Roundhouse as 'A unique talent in multiple art forms', Celyn of Gwent is a musical artist at the intersection between popular music and the sonic avant-garde. A singer, songwriter, producer and composer, Celyn’s music integrates influences from electronica, underground club culture and the traditional music of the British Isles. 

We spoke with Celyn on the eve of their album launch tour about their musical origins and influences and what we should expect from the upcoming record Dying and Rising.

FFOCWS: Celyn of Gwent

Who is Celyn of Gwent? 

Celyn of Gwent is the vessel for my musical and artistic expression, a persona that amplifies my own qualities as a performer and musician.  I am a queer, Welsh songwriter, composer, vocalist, producer, sound artist and poet. 

 

As Celyn I am able to perform and present my work to the world alongside an idiosyncratic visual language and world building that has been developed by myself and my collaborators. Celyn is a creation out of time, one foot in the past and another in the future.  Real, mythic and imagined Welsh pasts, combined with visions of alternate futures underpin the landscape of Celyn of Gwent. This friction between the old and the new is something I seek to embed in the visual storytelling in my music videos and audiovisual compositions, as well as in my music itself. 

 

Sonically I am a magpie, stealing elements judiciously from the worlds of electronica and synth and sample driven popular music, alongside traditional ballad songs of the British Isles. I also utilise field recordings in my composition, which I often process and combine with spoken renditions of my poetry. 

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A deep-rooted connection to Welsh heritage through
their powerful and evocative music.

 

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What inspires your music? 

My own journey as a music maker has been eclectic, encompassing training as a classical singer before exploring electronic music making, music production and the strand of compositional practice running from musique concrète to contemporary sampling practice. Perhaps because of this, I am very inspired by bringing together different musical styles and traditions in dialogue with each other. I am inspired by the sonic minutiae both ‘natural’ and ‘urban’ that are made accessible through the extra-sensory process of field recording practice with headphones and a portable audio recorder. But I am equally inspired by the vast and dense sound worlds running through electronic music, popular music and the pulsating soundscapes of underground dance culture. 

 

As a musician and artist I am driven to create work that grapples with the present moment, that seeks to turn the spotlight onto the defining issues of our time, perhaps most pressingly the climate crisis and its connection the various crises rippling through human culture. 

 

What can we expect from the album? 

Dying and Rising presents my musical clarion call to the world.  We are at a crossroads, perhaps at our last chance to grapple with the reality of our extractive ways of living, or not.  Musically there are songs that are in the realm of electronica, synth-pop, new wave.  You will also hear some psychedelic and drone heavy soundworlds and a couple of my renditions of traditional folk ballads.  There are four tracks of spoken poetry combined with field recording compositions made in various urban locations that seek to represent universal sites for most people living and working in Western cities today - The Park, The Home, The Commute, The High Street.

In the live show I hope to present this musical work as a dynamic live performance, layered with a projected visual score that I have made with video material that I filmed across Wales and London and processed as collage material.

Some of the musicians that were deeply inspiring to me when making this album are:

  • Gazelle Twin, particularly Black Dog (2023) and Pastoral (2018)

  • ANOHNI, particularly Hopelessness (2016)

  • Lankum and their offshoot project, ØXN

  • Singers of the Second British folk revival such as Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy, Anne Briggs

  • Jenny Hval, particularly Blood Bitch (2016)

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Celyn is driven to create work that grapples with the present moment, that seeks to turn the spotlight onto the defining issues of our time.

When does the album come out?

14 September on Bandcamp (CDs and digital download) and streaming platforms.

Dying and Rising is Celyn of Gwent’s debut album release, and a live solo audiovisual performance combining electronic music, ethereal live voice, sound-reactive visuals and poetic monologues.

 

Merging electronica, avant-pop and sound art with traditional folk ballads of the British Isles, the piece is an urgent artistic response to living through the climate crisis in 21st century Britain.

 

‘We will have no puff of smoke and bloodless resurrection.

We must tend a different garden from the poisoned soil.’

 

Each day the earth sinks deeper into turmoil.

Extractivist powers wage war and violence across the globe.

We bear witness to a constant stream of corruption and brutality.

More and more people feel increasingly alone.

 

Dying and Rising explores the intersection of ecology and identity in contemporary Britain through the perspective of queer Welsh sonic artist and storyteller, Celyn of Gwent.

 

Designed for audiences interested in boundary-pushing audiovisual performance, LGBTQ+ perspectives in contemporary art, traditional music reinterpretation and climate-conscious storytelling, Dying and Rising offers a powerful, evolving live experience where sound and image are tightly interwoven in real time.  The live performance features bespoke projection of a Cymraeg translation of Celyn’s poetry and lyrics by the artist and academic Dr. Kath Ashill.

 

The album has been mixed by Producer and Composer Helen Noir through support from Help Musicians’ Next Level programme.  The live audiovisual performance has been developed with R&D funding from Tŷ Cerdd’s Create fund in partnership with SHIFT Cardiff. Dying and Rising is touring Wales and the UK with the support of Arts Council of Wales, to coincide with its Autumn 2026 studio album release.

 

Dying and Rising was selected as one of CULTVR ‘Catalyst 360º’ Live XR Showcase works, supported by ACW.  As part of their tour Celyn will present a specially adapted performance in CULTVR’s 360º immersive dome and spatial sound system on 25th September.

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Celyn's new album Dying and Rising comes out 14 September.

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