Iona Fyfe named in ’40 under 40′ list

June 28, 2023

Iona Fyfe

Scots singer Iona Fyfe has been named by the Saltire Society as one of ’40 under 40′ outstanding Scottish creatives.

Rising stars have been recognised in the inaugural year of the Saltire Society’s new initiative in a bid to raise awareness of creative Scots in the ‘early-mid stages’ of their careers.

The society’s membership put forward nominations across five separate categories for the list with an expert panel deciding the final list.

Actors on the list include Rueben Joseph, who plays the lead role in the West End production of Hamilton.

On the literature and publishing list, Harry Josephine Giles was joined by Stef Smith, one of Scotland’s most gifted playwrights and Shehzar Doja, the Bangladeshi born poet and editor from Glasgow.

Scots singer Iona Fyfe, writer and Scots language campaigner Emma Grae, Gaelic singer, writer and presenter Lana Pheutan, Scots language poet Len Pennie, and writer and broadcaster Alistair Heather were recognised for their work in the languages sector.

Sarah Mason, executive director of The Saltire Society, said: ‘We had an extraordinary number of talented young people nominated from every corner of Scotland, including Shetland, Orkney and Tiree, through Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and into the borders and Dumfries & Galloway across all five categories.

Iona Fyfe has become one of Scotland’s finest singers, rooted deeply in the singing traditions of the North East of Scotland. In 2021, she became the first singer to win the coveted title of Musician of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. Iona is a fierce advocate for the official recognition of the Scots Language, leading a successful campaign to pressure Spotify into recognising Scots and add it to its list of languages.