Rusangano Family has been announced as the winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2016 for the album Let The Dead Bury The Dead (self-released). The judging panel, made up of Irish music media professionals, deliberated at length tonight before choosing the winning album. Instead of using sales or airplay as criteria, the judges focus, simply and solely, on the music.
Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn presented Rusangano Family with the award.
The winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year was also announced and Picture This won the prize for the song “Take My Hand”. Decided by the public via the RTÉ and Choice Music Prize websites, there was a great response as fans got behind their favourite song.
Rusangano Family received a cheque for €10,000, a prize which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) – as well as a specially-commissioned award.
The sold-out event in Vicar Street was hosted by RTÉ 2FM’s Eoghan McDermott and was broadcast live on the station on a specially extended Louise McSharry show.
RTÉ2 will broadcast a one-hour TV highlights programme of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize featuring performances from the acts and interviews by Bláthnaid Treacy on Saturday March 18th at 11pm.
The full shortlist of nominated albums for the 12th annual prize was as follows:
All Tvvins – IIVV (Warner Music)
Bantum – Move (Self Released)
Wallis Bird – Home (Mount Silver / Caroline International)
The Divine Comedy – Foreverland (Divine Comedy Records)
Lisa Hannigan – At Swim (Play It Again Sam)
Katie Kim – Salt (Art For Blind Records)
James Vincent McMorrow – We Move (Faction Records)
Overhead, The Albatross – Learning to Growl (Self Released)
Rusangano Family – Let The Dead Bury The Dead (Self Released)
We Cut Corners – The Cadences Of Others (Delphi)
The RTÉ Choice Music Prize is in Association with IMRO & IRMA.
RAAP, Culture Ireland, The BAI & Golden Discs are also official project partners.
