The 2025 Polar Music Prize has been awarded to legendary British rock band Queen, US jazz icon Herbie Hancock, and Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan for their exceptional contributions to music. The award recognizes their enduring legacies and groundbreaking influence across genres, from rock and jazz to contemporary classical music.
Legendary British rock band Queen, US jazz musician Herbie Hancock and Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan won Sweden's 2025 Polar Music Prize on Tuesday, the jury said. Queen - formed in 1970 and famous for hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and Somebody to Love - was honored for its “distinctive and instantly recognisable sound, that no-one else can emulate,” the Polar Music Prize foundation said.
“Half a century after they made their recordings, Queen's songs are still heard everywhere and appeal to new generations of listeners,” it said. Marie Ledin, the managing director of the Polar Music Prize, said the band was “synonymous with the very fabric of pop culture”. She praised Hancock as “a musical legend and tour de force”, whose music has “pushed boundaries in jazz, funk, soul and R&B”. “We are thrilled to honour his enduring legacy,” she said.
The foundation said Hancock's Cantaloupe Island, Watermelon Man, and Maiden Voyage had greatly influenced the development of jazz. The prize committee hailed Hannigan as “trailblazing”. She has conducted some of the world's top orchestras - including the London Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - and interpreted many of the world's contemporary composers.
“Always prepared to push the boundaries, she has a unique talent for broadening the listener's horizons with the music she chooses to programme, perform and record,” the jury said. The laureates will receive their award at a ceremony in Stockholm on May 27. It includes a cash prize of one million kronor (almost $100,000) each.
The Polar Music Prize was established in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop superstars ABBA, and selects two or three laureates each year. Last year it honored US disco legend Nile Rodgers, whose hits include Le Freak and Good Times, as well as Finnish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Past winners have included Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, Grandmaster Flash, Metallica, Sting, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, Dizzy Gillespie and the Afghan National Institute of Music.
With AFP
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