Vagrant Real Estate wins the 2026 SAY Award

Dundee’s Caird Hall was once again the venue for the Scottish Album of the Year Award (or SAY Award for short), the biggest prize in Scottish music. Earlier tonight, that award, and its £20,000 prize fund, went to Vagrant Real Estate for his record Neither Collar Nor Crown. Nick Cronin, the Aberdonian DJ and hip-hop producer behind the Vagrant Real Estate moniker, takes home the coveted title ahead of a stacked shortlist that included albums by Barry Can't Swim, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Heir of the Cursed, Hen Hoose Collective, Michael McGovern, Sonedo, Swim School and VLURE.

The Skinny spoke to Cronin last year on the eve of Neither Collar Nor Crown's release, and he told us that one of the aims of the record was to examine and subvert ideas around Scottish identity. “A lot of the outside perceptions I get about Scotland are like, 'Oh, Scotland's rubbish, nothing happens up there, and it's cold' – especially being from Aberdeen!” he said. “But I think that's not necessarily the case. If you take the time to explore some of the creative fields across the country, there's a lot to be proud of. Neither Collar Nor Crown is a hip-hop album, but I wanted to push that boundary and encapsulate all of this poetry and folk music that we have a rich history of.”

He incorporated that rich history by featuring a whopping 25 guest artists on the record. These include fellow Aberdonian MC/producer Jackill, as well as rappers Madhat McGore and Bemz. Also in the mix are artists like folk singer Iona Fyfe, innovative ballad singer Fiona Soe Paing and Afro-soul artist AiiTee. The result is a fascinating blend of hip-hop and traditional Scottish singing, in both English and Gaelic, that clearly struck a chord with The SAY Award judges. 

“Bringing together 25 Scottish artists, it’s an unapologetically Scottish record that pushes the boundaries of Scottish hip-hop while drawing deeply from our shared cultural and musical heritage," Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association, said of Neither Collar Nor Crown. "It’s visceral, powerful and a masterpiece in both collaboration and storytelling – a truly well-deserved SAY Award winner."

Neither Collar Nor Crown is the 15th album to win the SAY Award, joining previous winners KOMPROMAT Vol.i by Kai Reesu, dinny greet by redolent, Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers, Forest Floor by Fergus McCreadie, As The Love Continues by Mogwai, Re-Up by Nova, Radio Highlife by Auntie Flo, Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers, Strike A Match by Sacred Paws, Varmints by Anna Meredith, Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled by Kathryn Joseph, Tape Two by Young Fathers, Thirteen Lost & Found by RM Hubbert and the inaugural winner Everything’s Getting Older from Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat.

Boards of Canada wins Modern Scottish Classic Award and Nikhita wins The Sound of Young Scotland

Boards of Canada were up for the SAY Award for their incredible new album Inferno and lost out, but the duo can take solace that they won a prize for their 1998 debut, Music Has The Right to Children, which was given the Modern Scottish Classic Award by the Scottish Music Industry Association. Music Has The Right to Children joins other previous winners of the Modern Scottish Classic Award, including KT Tunstall’s Eye to the Telescope, Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight and Heaven or Las Vegas from the Cocteau Twins.

The third award handed out at the ceremony was The Sound of Young Scotland, which is designed to support emerging Scottish artists with a prize that takes the form of a funding package worth up to £10,000 to support the creation of the winner's debut album. This year's winner was Nikhita, the Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter whose music blends languid neo-soul, cosmic R'n'B, and folk-tinged soundscapes. She took the prize over fellow nominees heavyskint, Jasmin Jet, LOLA!, and Niamh Corkey. 

Nikhita's prize includes a run of up to 250 vinyl pressings of the artist’s record provided by Seabass Vinyl, cash grants totalling £8,000 to help cover studio hire costs, equipment rentals and more, plus a performance slot at 2027’s SAY Award Ceremony. 

As well as awards and speeches, the night also featured music to mark 15 years of The SAY Award. Joe Rattray led a five-piece house band that covered songs from recent SAY Award-winning albums. The SAY Award house band performed tracks from 2022 winner Forest Floor by Fergus McCreadie. The Ninth Wave joined to perform music from Mogwai's 2021 winner As The Love Continues. Billy Got Waves and Leon Power helped perform songs from Heavy Heavy, 2023's top album from Young Fathers. And tracks from dinny greet, rEDOLENT 2024 SAY Award-winner, were performed with guest support from Carla J Easton.