Grammy award-winning Beninese singer and songwriter, Angelique Kidjo has made the African continent proud as she becomes the latest recipient of the Polar Music Prize.
Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, established the Polar Music Prize, also known as the Nobel Prize of Music, in 1989 with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. One contemporary and one classical musician each receive the award each year.
Since its initiation, The Polar Music Prize has been granted to a few striking performers including BB Ruler, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Beam Charles, Weave Dylan, and some more.
Angelique Kidjo became the 3rd African to win the award after South Africa’s Mariam Makeba who won in 2002 and Senegalese Youssou N’dour who won in 2013 as the only African to have won the Polar Music Prize.
She was announced as the 2023 winner alongside Chris Blackwell from the United Kingdom and Arvo Pärt from Estonia
A delightful Angelique Kidjo after the announcement, 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.
SOURCE: OneMuzikGh.Com
