Rapper Sage Todz told he cannot perform at Welsh festival due to English lyrics
A Welsh festival has defended its decision not to allow a rapper to perform as he uses both Welsh and English lyrics in his music.
The National Eisteddfod has traditionally had a Welsh language-only policy for the annual cultural event and Sage Todz performs bilingually.
Writing on Twitter, the musician said he would not be performing at the event “due to the Welsh language policy” in place.
“Essentially there’s too much English in my songs,” he wrote.
Defending the decision, Ashok Ahir, chair of the Eisteddfod’s ruling board, said the festival’s main purpose was “to perform, compete and discuss in Welsh – and only in Welsh”.
He added that it was the rapper’s own decision that he “wished to perform in English and bilingually only”.
The festival has also criticised racist remarks aimed at Sage Todz after he announced he would not be performing at the event, with Mr Ahir saying he was “deeply saddened” by the comments on social media.
Born in Essex, Sage Todz lives in North Wales and started releasing music officially in 2020.
He joined forces with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) last year ahead of Wales’ World Cup campaign to remake a famous Welsh protest song, Yma o Hyd.
There have been a number of calls on social media for the Eisteddfod’s policy to be reviewed, while others have defended the decision as the event is a celebration of the Welsh language.
Held in August every year, the festival attracts around 150,000 visitors, 6,000 competitors and 250 stalls.
According to its organisers, the origins of the Eisteddfod date back to 1176, with the modern-day version dating back to 1861.
The week-long event takes place in a different part of Wales each year and this year will be travelling to Llŷn ac Eifionydd in Gwynedd.
The National Eisteddfod was held in Tregaron, Ceredigion in 2022
Mr Ahir said: “The Eisteddfod is a Welsh-language festival, and we take great pride in celebrating the language across every genre of the arts.
“We create lots of opportunities for artists to perform in Welsh for the first time.”
He said the Eisteddfod was working with its partners to make the Welsh language “accessible for a wider range of individuals and groups”.
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Mr Ahir added: “To perform, compete and discuss in Welsh – and only in Welsh – is the main purpose of the National Eisteddfod for the one week of the year when the festival is held.
“We respect Sage Todz’s passion and dedication to the languages he chooses to use in his music.
“It was his decision that he wished to perform in English and bilingually only. We were keen for him to perform in the festival but we respect his decision not to perform only in Welsh.”
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
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