Paolo Nutini refuses £3,000

Pop star Paolo Nutini has turned down an award of £3,000 of taxpayers' cash to help fund his appearance at a US gig, after controversy over the grant.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter's application to help pay his travel expenses for a festival in Texas was approved this week by the Scottish Arts Council.

But his management said it would not accept the funding amid criticism that the Paisley-born star could afford to pay his own way.

Other top Scots acts like The Fratellis and The View have not applied for public cash for their appearances at the South By Southwest event in Austin next month.

Arts chiefs also awarded the Last Request singer's management £3,000 last year, but that was before the release of his hit album These Streets, which has sold more than 600,000 copies in the UK.

A Scottish Arts Council spokeswoman said: "While Paolo Nutini was eligible for support, we welcome his management's decision to withdraw their funding request.

"This means the money can now be invested in emerging Scottish bands. Paolo's career is blossoming in the UK but the US market is notoriously difficult to break."

The publicly-funded arts body, which has an annual budget of £60 million, will support around 10 Scottish bands at the Texas festival. It hands out grants of between £3,000 and £5,000 to help pay for musicians' air fares and other transport costs.

Nutini's manager, Brendan Moon, told the Scottish Sun: "We won't take the money now. It's not worth the grief."

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