Dafydd Iwan’s iconic ‘Yma o Hyd’ with the voices of The Red Wall released as Wales’ official World Cup 2022 anthem
Dafydd Iwan’s iconic ‘Yma o Hyd’ has been remastered from its original tapes, elements re-recorded and dramatically mixed with the voices of The Red Wall as the official anthem for Cymru’s appearance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Hidden microphones inside Cardiff City Stadium during the two FIFA World Cup Play-Off matches recorded over 70,000 voices of The Red Wall singing ‘Yma o Hyd’ along with Dafydd Iwan as Cymru created history by qualifying for their first World Cup since 1958.
The song also features the voices of the Cymru squad singing the emotionally charged song in their post-match celebrations with Dafydd Iwan on the pitch following their 1-0 victory over Ukraine that was secured by Gareth Bale’s free kick.
‘Yma o Hyd’ was originally recorded by Dafydd Iwan and Ar Log in 1983 as a passionate song of defiance about the survival of the Welsh language against all the odds. The song’s title translates to ‘We’re Still Here’ and celebrates Welsh as one of the oldest living languages in the world.
The song has become synonymous with the recent success of the Cymru National Teams and Dafydd Iwan has spent time with both the men’s and women’s squads to explain the cultural importance of the song.
“Yma o Hyd has become a national slogan and now the song which gave meaning to it is the official anthem of the Cymru National Team for the World Cup,” commented Dafydd Iwan about the remastered version of his anthem.
“It’s an impossible dream come true and the incredible sound of The Red Wall on this track is exciting and inspiring to hear. This version of Yma o Hyd forever documents a marvellous moment in Welsh history, with all those wonderful voices helping Cymru reach the World Cup with their passion.
“No other nation will have anything like this to inspire their team on the grandest stage of them all. So c’mon Cymru, let us tell the world that we are here.”
The official music video for Yma o Hyd will be released on the Football Association of Wales and Cymru digital channels on Monday, 7th November. At the same time, the track will be released by Sain Records and will be available to stream and download across all major platforms.
A week after the digital release a limited-edition CD will also be available to order (retail price £2.99) through www.sainwales.com, which will also feature the Red Wall rendering of Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, all profits being invested directly into grassroots facilities across Wales.
