Polar Music Prize Announces 2023 Winners

The Stig Anderson Music Award Foundation has announced its 2023 Polar Music Prize Winners, including a Beninese singer, the founder of a UK record label and a remarkable composer.

This years recipients are Angélique Kidjo, five-time Grammy Award winning Beninese artist and songwriter; Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, one of the UK’s greatest independent record labels, and Estonian Arvo Pärt, the world’s most performed living composer.

Since the inaugural ceremony in 1992, the Polar Music Prize has been renowned as music’s most prestigious honour. The Polar Music Prize (often called the Nobel Prize of Music) is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy Of Music.

The prize will be presented in Stockholm on May 23rd in the presence of the Swedish Royal Family.

“We are delighted to honor these three Laureates who have all made such a global impact with their music.”

Marie Ledin, Polar Music Prize Director

Previous recipients of the Polar Music Prize include Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Chuck Berry, Ennio Morricone, Led Zeppelin, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kronos Quartet, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Metallica, Iggy Pop, Ravi Shankar, Renée Fleming, Miriam Makeba, Wayne Shorter, Sofia Gubaidulina and many more. 

Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kidjo is a five-time Grammy Award winner, a creative force with 16 albums to her name, and was named “Africa’s premier diva” by Time Magazine. Furthermore, the BBC included Kidjo in its list of ‘The Continent’s 50 Most Iconic Figures’. She was included in The Guardian’s ‘Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World’, and was the first woman on Forbes’ list of ‘The Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa’.

Angélique travels the world advocating on behalf of children in her capacity as a UNICEF and OXFAM goodwill Ambassador. She has created her own charitable foundation, Batonga, dedicated to supporting the education of young girls in Africa. 

Chris Blackwell

Chris Blackwell founded Island Records – the wildly innovative, legendary music label now regarded among the most admired of all time. Island Records is also known for finding exquisite talent from around the world. Chris introduced the most daring and definitive music of our era, with acts like Cat Stevens, Roxy Music, Steve Winwood, Robert Palmer, Nick Drake, Melissa Etheridge, Tom Waits, Grace Jones and Marianne Faithful. 

Arvo Pärt

Arvo Pärt’s creative output has played a significant role in the soundscapes of contemporary music since the 1960s. With his unique compositional technique, tintinnabuli, which Pärt invented in 1976, he has deeply affected the course of music over several decades. His works have reached a vast number of listeners, not only via concerts and recordings but also through films and theatrical productions. 

You can watch the live broadcast globally via the Polar Music Prize YouTube, from 6pm (CET) on May 23rd.

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