Flwyddyn ‘ma dyn ni’n dathlu Dydd Miwsig Cymraeg am y pedwerydd tro. Mae wedi bod yn wych gweld pawb yn mynd yn fwyfwy brwdfrydig dros ddathlu’r ŵyl bob flwyddyn. Be’ fyddwch chi’n ‘neud i ddathlu’r flwyddyn ‘ma, a hefyd, pa berfformiadau neu ddigwyddiadau (eich rhai chi, neu rai gan artistiaid eraill) fyddwch chi’n edrych ‘mlaen atyn nhw? This year marks the fourth celebration of Welsh Language Music Day, and it’s been really spectacular seeing how much the enthusiasm surrounding the holiday increases every year. What are your plans for this year’s celebration and what performances or events (your own or others) are you most looking forward to?

Ma gyda ni benwythnos llawn dop ar y ffordd! Ar ddydd Gwener yr 8fed fyddwn ni’n chwarae sesiwn fach o siop John Lewis yng Nghanol Caerdydd a gig yn y prynhawn yn un o fy hoff dafarndai sef y City Arms. Fyddwn ni’n chwarae efo’r band o Aberystwyth, Mellt, sy’n grêt! Wedyn fyddwn ni’n gwibio lan i Wrecsam i chwarae gig ar y 9fed yn Tŷ Pawb efo hen ffrindiau – y band Seazoo sy’n lleol i’r ardal. Ma nhw wastad yn hwyl i’w gwylio. Fydd rhaid i ni hefyd greu amser i wylio gêm rygbi Cymru yn erbyn yr Eidal yn ystod y dydd. Fydd ‘na ddim eiliad o saib! We have a jam-packed weekend on the way! On Friday the 8th we will be playing a little session from the John Lewis shop in Central Cardiff and then a gig in the afternoon in one of my favourite pubs, the City Arms. We will be playing with the Aberystwyth band, Mellt, which is great. Then we will be dashing down to Wrexham to play a gig on the 9th in Tŷ Pawb with some old friends – the band Seazoo, who are local to the area. They are always fun to watch. We will also have to make time during the day to watch Wales play Italy at rugby. We won’t have a spare moment!

Mae HMS Morris wedi rhyddhau’u hail albwm ardderchog, Inspirational Talks, fis Medi’r llynedd. Yn debyg i lawer o artistiaid eraill, dych chi wedi cynnwys rhai caneuon Cymraeg, yn ogystal â sawl cân Saesneg ar yr albwm. Dych chi’n meddwl fod e’n bwysig cadw’r ddysgl yn wastad fel hyn, mewn cenedl sy wedi’i rhannu cynddrwg o ran iaith eto, i ddathlu diwylliant Cymraeg a Saesneg fel ei gilydd? HMS Morris released its second album, the excellent Inspirational Talks, this past September, and, similar to a lot of your fellow artists, you’ve included a mixture of English and Welsh-language songs on the album. Do you think it’s important to have that balance in a nation that’s still so divided in many ways when it comes to language as a way of celebrating both English-language and Welsh-language Welsh culture?

I fod yn onest y gân sy’n dewis ei iaith, nid fi sy’n penderfynu os yw’r gân am fod yn un Gymraeg neu yn un Saesneg o flaen llaw. Mae personoliaeth y chords a’r melodi fel arfer yn pwyso’r geiriau un ffordd neu’r llall. Mae’n digwydd yn naturiol oherwydd mod i’n ddwyieithog. Er hyn, ydw, dwi yn meddwl bod hi’n bwysig cadw’r ddysgyl yn wastad, hoffwn i weld mwy o gigs yng Nghymru yn cyfuno bandiau iaith Gymraeg ac iaith Saesneg yn ei line-ups. Mae’n chwedl nad yw pobl ddi-gymraeg yn gallu mwynhau cerddoriaeth iaith Gymraeg a’r ffordd arall rownd. Mae hi’n braf cael sîn gerddoriaeth Cymraeg, mae’n teimlo fel un teulu bach, ond mae’n bwysig hefyd cymysgu a lledaenu – ma’r Super Furries a Gwenno ac Alffa yn ddiweddar efo’u llwyddiant ar Spotify wedi gwneud hyn yn llwyddiannus. To be honest, it's the song that chooses its language, not me deciding in advance whether the song is going to be a Welsh or an English one. Usually the character of the chords and the melody put pressure on the words to go one way or the other. It happens quite naturally because I am bilingual. That said, I do think it is important to keep the balance – I would like to see more gigs in Wales combining English-language bands and Welsh-language bands in their line-ups. It's not true that non-Welsh-speaking people can't enjoy Welsh-language music, and vice versa. It is great to have a Welsh music scene, it feels like a little family, but it is also important to mix and expand – the Super Furries and Gwenno and Alffa recently with their success on Spotify have done that successfully.

Be’ mae’n olygu i chi fod yn rhan o’r sin miwsig Gymraeg ‘ma? What does it mean to you to be a part of this Welsh-language music scene?

Fel o’n i'n dweud mae wir yn teimlo fel un teulu mawr. Ma pawb yn cefnogi eu gilydd. Fi’n teimlo fel mod i ‘di bod yn rhan ohoni am oes erbyn hyn ac yn teimlo fel Mamgu i’r bandiau ifanc newydd cyffroes sy’n dachre ymddangos! As I said, it really feels like one big family. Everyone supports one another. I feel as if I have been part of it for ages now and feel like a grandmother to the exciting new young bands that are beginning to appear.

Dysgwr Cymraeg dw i, ac un o’r pethau ddarbwyllodd fi i ddysgu o’r diwedd oedd bod cymaint o fiwsig ardderchog i’w gael pan ddechreues i wrando ar Radio Cymru. Roedd Gormod o Ddyn (o Interior Design, 2016) yn un o’r caneuon Cymraeg cynta’ o’n i’n dwlu arni, heb os. Dych chi’n credu bod yr ymdrech i gryfhau’r sin miwsig, ar ffurf grantiau a chefnogaeth arall, gan y llywodraeth yn enwedig, wedi effeithio’n bositif ar y Gymraeg, ar ddysgwyr Cymraeg, ac ar y sin miwsig yn gyffredinol? I’m a Welsh learner and one of the things that finally convinced me to learn was the amount of great music I found when I started listening to Radio Cymru. Gormod o Ddyn (from 2016’s Interior Design) was actually one of the first Welsh language songs that I really fell in love with. Do you think that the efforts put in to strengthen the music scene in the form of support and grants from the government in particular have had a positive effect for the language, learners, and the music scene in general?

Wel diolch! Dwi mor chuffed eich bod chi’n hoffi Gormod o Ddyn – mae’n teimlo fel oes yn ôl i ni ei rhyddhau hi. Mae’r grantiau a’r gefnogaeth sydd ar gael i fandiau Cymraeg ar hyn o bryd yn syfrdanol. Heb Gyngor Y Celfyddydau a phrosiect Gorwelion y BBC fydde hi wedi bod yn anodd iawn i ni recordio a hyrwyddo ein cerddoriaeth. Mae’n fusnes drud i fod yn rhan ohoni ac mae ennill elw allan ohoni yn amhosib ar y lefel yma, mae pob ceiniog i ni’n eu gwneud yn mynd yn ôl i mewn i’r pot i dalu am costiau teithio, saethu fideos, yswiriant y fan a phopeth arall. Ry’ ni’n parhau i greu cerddoriaeth achos bo ni’n caru gwneud a bod cerddoriaeth yn rhywbeth sy’n effeithio pobol ac yn goroesi unrhyw rwystrau, gan gynnwys rhwystrau iaith, yn yr un ffordd a dawns neu ffilm dda o dramor. Mae cerddoriaeth yn ffordd dda i ddangos i’r byd bod ein hiaith ni yn un byw sy’n cael ei ddefnyddio gan bobl o bob oed. Mae 'na buzz o amgylch y sîn sy’n mynd i annog pobl i ddysgu’r iaith ac eisiau bod yn rhan ohoni. Well, thank you! I am so chuffed that you like Gormod of Ddyn – it feels like an age ago that we released it. The grants and support that are available to Welsh bands at the present time are amazing. Without the Arts Council and the BBC Horizons project it would have been very difficult for us to record and promote our music. It is an expensive business to be part of and it's impossible to make a profit out of it at this level, every penny we make goes back into the pot to cover travelling expenses, making videos, insuring the place and all the rest. We carry on creating music because we love doing it and because music is something that moves people and breaks down all barriers, including language barriers, in the same way as dance or a good foreign film. Music is a good way of showing the world that our language is a living one that is used by people of all ages. It's the buzz around the scene that is going to encourage people to learn the language and want to be part of it.

Dw i wastad yn trio rhannu miwsig dw i’n fwynhau gyda ffrindiau, ond achos taw fi yw’r unig un ohonyn nhw sy’n siarad Cymraeg, fel arfer fyddan nhw ddim yn frwd iawn unwaith bydda i wedi dweud wrthyn nhw taw miwsig Cymraeg ydy. Be’ fyddech chi’n lico ddweud wrth bobl ddi-Gymraeg sy ddim yn siŵr am wrando ar fiwsig Cymraeg? I constantly try to share music I enjoy with friends, but, being the only Welsh speaker among them, they’re not usually too keen once I tell them that something is in Welsh. What would you want to say to non-Welsh speakers who might be hesitant to listen to Welsh language music?

Peidiwch bod yn stiwpid! Dwi’n gwybod bod môr o gerddoriaeth newydd mas na a mae na demtasiwn is-ymwybodol dwi’n siŵr i ddi-ystyru sdwff am unrhyw reswm bach i wneud i’r peth deimlo yn fwy manageable, ond mae na lot o ffactorau dylech chi ystyried cyn iaith yn yr achos yma – di-ystyrwch unrhywbeth gan bobol horrible, neu mewn arddull chi ddim yn hoffi, neu gan Justin Bieber yn lle! Don’t be stupid! I know that there is an ocean of new music out there and I'm sure there is a subconscious temptation to ignore stuff for any small reason so as to make things feel more manageable, but there are a lot of factors you should consider before making language the reason – ignore anything by horrible people, or in a style you don’t like, or by Justin Bieber!

Dw i’n eithriadol o ffodus (a finnau’n ferch yn byw draw fan’ma yng Ngogledd America) achos ‘mod i wedi cael y cyfle i weld HMS Morris yn perfformio yn Indie Week yn Toronto yn 2017, a ‘naethoch chi berfformio hefyd ym Pop Montreal y llynedd. Sut brofiad oedd chwarae’r ochr arall i’r Môr Iwerydd, a dych chi’n gobeithio byddwch chi’n ‘neud mwy o ddigwyddiadau o’r fath yn y dyfodol? I’m extremely fortunate (for a girl stuck over in North America) to have had the chance to see HMS Morris perform at Indie Week in Toronto in 2017, and you also played at Pop Montreal last year. What was the experience like playing across the Atlantic, and are you hoping to do more events like this in the future?

Odd e’n grêt! Dwi’n hoffi chware i bobl fi ddim yn nabod, neu yn hytrach cynulleidfa o ddiwylliant gwahanol. Mae’n teimlo fel gall unrhywbeth ddigwydd! Dwi hefyd yn hoffi gweld dinasoedd newydd, a gawson ni amser ffab yng Nghanada, fydden i’n dwlu perfformio yna mwy a mwy. Bydde chware draw yn Vancouver yn hwyl! Hefyd ry ni wir eisiau mynd i Japan, mae cwpan y byd Rygbi yno ym mis Medi chi’n gweld... It was great. I like playing to people I don’t know, or rather an audience from a different culture. It feels as if anything might happen! I also like seeing new cities, and we had a fab time in Canada, I would love to perform there much more. Playing over in Vancouver would be fun! We also want to go to Japan, you see there is the rugby World Cup there in September…

Ac yn sôn am gigiau, be’ yw’ch hoff gig chi, neu’r gig mwya’ cofiadwy mae HMS Morris wedi’i ‘neud hyd yn hyn? Speaking of gigs, what has been your favorite or most memorable gig that HMS Morris have done so far?

Dwi’n hoffi’r rhai bach poeth chwyslyd, a’n hoffi bod yn agos i’r gynulleidfa. Roedd chwarae yn Glastonbury a Gŵyl Y Dyn Gwyrdd yn brofiadau anhygoel wrth gwrs ond does 'na ddim byd gwell na llawr sticky Clwb Ifor Bach neu stafell fach fach Y Social yn Llundain. I like the small hot sweaty ones, I like feeling close to the audience. Playing at Glastonbury and the Green Man Festival were incredible experiences, of course, but there is nothing better than the sticky floor at Clwb Ifor Bach or the very small room at The Social in London.

Pwy yw’ch hoff artist neu artistiaid ar y sin miwsig Gymraeg ar hyn o bryd (ar wahân i HMS Morris, wrth gwrs!)? Who is your favorite artist or artists in Welsh language scene at the moment (other than HMS Morris, of course!)?

Fi’n ffan o Marged, ma hi’n ysgrifennu yn bersonol iawn sy’n beth dewr iawn i’w wneud. Mae hi’n gyfoes iawn a’n cynnig rhywbeth ffres dyw’r sîn heb ei weld. I am a fan of Marged, she writes in a very personal way which is a brave thing to do. She is very contemporary and offers something fresh that the scene has not seen before.

Be’ oedd yr albwm cynta’ gan artist Cymraeg dych chi’n cofio meddu arno, a/neu ddwlu arno? What was the first album by a Welsh language artist that you can remember owning and/or loving?

Fi’n cofio EP gan Gabrielle 25 yn fy nghasgliad a fi’n cofio gwrando arni ar lŵp am oes, ond nes i golli hi, a nawr does braidd dim tystiolaeth ohoni ar y we! Os oes rhywun yn ei chofio hi wnewch chi ffeindio copi i fi os gwelwch yn dda! I remember an EP by Gabrielle 25 in my collection and I remember listening to it on a loop for ages, but I lost it, and now there is scarcely a trace of it on the Web! If anyone remembers it do please find a copy of it for me!

Ac i gloi, gewch chi roi cip i ni ar y pethau cyffrous fydd HMS Morris yn ‘neud yn 2019, allwn ni edrych ‘mlaen atyn nhw? Lastly, what exciting things can we expect from you and HMS Morris in 2019?