Former Coleg Menai student wins Cân i Gymru 2022.
A former Coleg Menai student has won Wales’ biggest song competition.
Rhydian Meilir from Cemmaes, near Machynlleth, was a student on the Music Technology course at Coleg Menai from 2003 until 2005.
Cân i Gymru is an annual televised singing competition which is open to public submissions. This year, a total of 99 songs were submitted and a group of industry experts had the difficult task of narrowing down all submissions to eight songs. Those eight songs were performed live on Cân i Gymru, broadcast from the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, and the winner was chosen by a public vote.
Rhydian’s song ‘Mae yna Le’ [‘There is a Place’] is a tribute to the nature and beauty of the world. It was performed by BAFTA Cymru-award winner and singer/songwriter Ryland Teifi, who, following the public vote, was presented with the Cân i Gymru trophy and a prize of £5,000.
This wasn’t Rhydian’s first time on Cân i Gymru: his compositions were shortlisted in both 2012 and 2019 and he composed two out of the eight songs from the 2020 final.
Rhydian said: “It's a very emotional feeling to finally win. I didn't have any expectations at all, but I really wanted another go…you can't get rid of me! I enjoyed all the songs, the evening was like a concert.”
To find out more about the Music course, or any other courses at Coleg Menai, please visit www.gllm.ac.uk
