Chris Blackwell, Angélique Kidjo and Arvo Pärt were named 2023 Polar Music Prize laureates.
The prestigious Polar Music Prize was created by Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, famed Swedish writer/producer/label owner/publisher and manager of ABBA, and first presented in 1992. This year’s laureates, who will all be in attendance, will each receive a cash prize of 600,00 Swedish kronor .
Blackwell has a long history with Sweden, first traveling there in the late 1950s. In 1960, he met with Dag Haeggquist, a beloved figure in the Swedish music industry, who was running the independent Sonet label. “I really liked him,” Blackwell tells. “So when I was back in Jamaica, I did a record there and thought it sounded okay. I sent it to Dag to see if he might be interested in releasing it, and that’s what happened. It didn’t do well but I worked with Dag for many years after that.
Kidjo also has many memories of Sweden, though one that stands out is laced with tragedy. “I was on tour and was supposed to play in Stockholm,” Kidjo recalls to. “The night before, I heard that a discotheque had burned down with all the kids in it.” . “I thought, ‘How are we going to do this concert?’ Everybody wanted to cancel, and I said, ‘No. Please, let’s do something. Let’s celebrate the spirit of those kids that are gone. Let’s help heal the wound.
The citation that will be read at the ceremony for Blackwell says, in part, “As a record producer and genuine music lover, Chris Blackwell has been one of the key figures in the development of popular music for half a century. When Island Records was founded in Jamaica in 1959, he began his mission to introduce the world to ska and reggae. In folk, rock and disco, he has invested in uncompromising artists and helped them become the best version of themselves.
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