The song Troseddwr yr Awr (The Criminal of the Hour) by the band Dros Dro won Cân i Gymru 2025…
Troseddwr yr Awr by Carmarthenshire band Dros Dro was chosen as the winner in a live public vote by viewers of Cân i Gymru on S4C in a broadcast on Friday (28 February) live from Dragon Studios, Bridgend. Diwedd y Byd by Marc Skone took second place and wins a cash prize of £3,000 and Lluniau ar fy Stryd by Meilyr Wyn finished third with a prize of £2,000.
Dros Dro is a band made up of six friends from the Carmarthen area – Efa, Gruff, Bryn, Iestyn, Celt, and Cian. Five of the members are university students in Aberystwyth, Cardiff and Manchester.
Their song looks back on a broken relationship, where the “criminal” is the unfaithful partner. The band describes it as “a dramatic, moody ballad with a sound reminiscent of James Bond movie soundtracks.” The band was originally formed in 2022 as part of a Menter Gorllewin Sir Gâr’s project to promote music in the region, and they have continued ever since.
They have released an album and performed at over thirty gigs in the past year. Their goal is to release their second album by the end of the summer. Efa, a member of the band, said: “I can’t believe it at all. Thank you to everyone who voted.” Gruff added that the £5,000 prize would “pay rent for some of us and driving lessons for Iestyn as well!”
Trystan Ellis-Morris said: “It’s wonderful to see such a young group taking part in the competition because they were telling me backstage that they regretted not competing last year. So we’re really pleased that they took part in 2025.”
After launching this year’s competition in November 2024, 109 songs reached the judges- Peredur ap Gwynedd, Caryl Parry Jones, Sage Todz, Catty and Chaired by Osian Huw Williams. On Friday, the public had the last word by voting for their favourite song during the live show. Troseddwr yr Arwr wins the Cân i Gymru trophy and the cash prize of £5,000.
“You can re-live all the excitement of Cân i Gymru 2025 on demand on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.” – S4C
