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Angélique Kidjo Becomes Third Artist from Africa to be Awarded Polar Music Prize.
Multi-award-winning Beninese music legend Angelique Kidjo has won the prestigious Polar Music prize becoming the only third African to bag the award.
The Polar Music Prize, sometimes known as the Nobel Prize in Music, is a Swedish worldwide prize founded in 1989 with a grant to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music by Stig Anderson, widely known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA. The prize is presented to one modern musician and one classical musician each year.
The Polar Music Prize has been presented to a number of renowned performers throughout the years, including BB King, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and many more.
Angelina Kidjo, a music icon from Benin Republic, has been named the newest laureate of the Polar Music Award. She was named the champion of the 2023 competition alongside Chris Blackwell of the United Kingdom and Arvo Pärt of Estonia.
Speaking on the prize, Angelique Kidjo said:
“To be awarded the Polar Music Prize is humbling. I have no words to say how important this is for me. It comes with a sense of responsibility that is bestowed upon me as an artist to continue to do great work. I will do my best to be a proud recipient of the Prize through my work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, on behalf of the children, and as an ambassador of music, to help create a world in which we can all live in peace.”
The only other African to get the Polar Music Award is Kidjo, who joins South African Mariam Makeba and Senegalese Youssou N’dour as winners from 2002 and 2013, respectively.