CNN
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Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo has been announced as one of three 2023 Polar Music Prize winners, placing the Benin-born singer-songwriter in a rare group.
Founded by ABBA manager Stig “Stikkan” Anderson in 1989, the Sweden-based Polar Music Prize has been awarded since 1992 and is considered one of the music industry's most prestigious honors. Past winners include Paul McCartney (1992), Elton John (1995), Stevie Wonder (1999), Björk (2010) and Sting (2017).
“It’s important to have a beautiful voice,” Kidjo told CNN’s African Voices in a 2018 interview. “You always have to think about what you want to do with that voice.”
She joins two previous winners from the African continent: South Africa's Miriam Makeba in 2002 and Senegal's Youssou N'Dour in 2013. Honored alongside Kidjo this year were Chris Blackwell, founder of UK's Island Records, and Arvo Pärt in 2013. Estonia, the world's most prolific living composer, according to a Polar Music Prize press release.
“Receiving the Polar Music Award is humbling,” Kidjo said in a press release. “I can’t tell you how important this is to me. As an artist, I feel a sense of responsibility to continue producing good work. “As a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, on behalf of children, and as a music ambassador, I will do my best to receive this proud award through activities that contribute to creating a world where we can all live in peace,” he said.
The awards ceremony will be held in Stockholm on May 23.