James Dean Bradfield sings in Welsh for first time on S4C

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A new TV music series is shining a spotlight on Welsh-language songs.

3 Cân launched on S4C on Wednesday, May 13, featuring performances, stories, and reimagined classics from across Wales, with presenter Ifan Davies and contributions from Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield.

Each episode is themed around a different topic, with songs chosen to match the concept.

Bradfield, who has been learning Welsh, appears performing a Welsh version of the Manics' song Ready for Drowning, retitled Barod i Boddi.

Ifan Davies, a Radio Cymru DJ, music producer, and lead singer of Sŵnami, said: "Having James from the Manics on the programme was a real highlight.

"He’s been learning Welsh for a while now, and he translated one of the band’s classics, Ready for Drowning, into Welsh – Barod i Boddi.

"He sings it beautifully and completely effortlessly."

The series blends established artists with emerging talent, including new acts like Lleucu Non and Preseli-based band Dewin.

It also revisits some of Wales’ most beloved songs. In the first episode, Davies interviews Paul Thomas of Gwibdaith Hen Frân about their classic track Coffi Du.

Mr Thomas said: "We used to meet quite often at The Ring in Llanfrothen.

"We just loved sitting in the corner singing our heads off.

"We challenged each other to go away and write three songs each, bring them back, rehearse them and then see what we could make of them.

"Coffi Du was the first song I wrote under those conditions."

Cardiff artist Lucy Borja reinterprets Coffi Du in a relaxed, jazz-inspired style on the show.

3 Cân airs on S4C, with all episodes available to stream on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer, featuring both Welsh and English subtitles.

A special Spotify playlist will feature all the songs from the series from May 15.

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