Grammy winning singer, Angelique Kidjo has won the prestigious Polar Music prize, becoming the third African to win such prize.
The Polar Music Prize which is also tagged 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.
Kidjo was announced as the 2023 winner alongside Chris Blackwell from the United Kingdom and Arvo Pärt from Estonia
Kidjo joins 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.
Since its inception, The Polar Music Prize has been awarded to several notable musicians including BB King, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and many more.
