For only the second time in its history, three acts have been awarded the Polar Music Prize. Queen, Herbie Hancock and Barbara Hannigan have received the prestigious award, known as the “Nobel Prize of Music”.
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British rock band Queen, American jazz legend Herbie Hancock, and Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan are the 2025 recipients of the Polar Music Prize.
The three acts will be presented with the prize by the Swedish royal family at a ceremony on 27 May in Stockholm.
Founded in 1989 by ABBA manager Stig Anderson, the Polar Music Prize is an annual award, usually given to one contemporary and one classical musician. Each laureate receives 1 million Swedish Krona (€91,000) and previous winners have included Paul McCartney, Chuck Berry and Ravi Shankar.
This is only the third time in the prize’s history that it hasn’t been awarded to two musicians. In 2001, three recipients were named: American musician Burt Bacharach; German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen; alongside the inventor Robert Moog, known for his MiniMoog synthesizers. Two years later, in 2003, the prize only named one recipient: American jazz composer Keith Jarrett.
The 2025 prize makes it the first time that the committee has awarded three musician recipients, one in contemporary, jazz and classical genres each.
Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon from Queen said that they were “highly and deeply honoured to be given the Polar Music Prize this year. It’s incredible, thank you so much”.
Hancock said that it “is a prestigious honour, and I am both thrilled and humbled to be a recipient. The Laureates who have come before me have left an indelible mark on humanity through their profound examples of inspiration and dedication.”
Finally, Hannigan said: “I am deeply moved and humbled to receive this year’s Polar Music Prize. Thank you so much for including me among this incredible and inspiring group of Laureates.”
Queen’s reputation as one of the most influential British rock bands of all time is hard to overstate. Since their formation in 1970 with the magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury, the group has sold over 300 million albums worldwide. From their famous Live Aid performance to Oscar-winning biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and Broadway musical ‘We Will Rock You’, Queen are one of the most enduring acts of the 20th century.
Similarly, Herbie Hancock, 84, has left an indelible mark on the history of music. The child prodigy pianist had a remarkable solo career performing to sold-out stadiums. Also noteworthy is his work alongside jazz legend Miles Davis, and the fact he is the first Black composer to win an Oscar for Best Original Score for Round Midnight.
Canadian classical musician Barbara Hannigan, 53, has spent her 30-year-long career as a soprano singer performing the world premieres of nearly 100 new works. Having debuted as a conductor aged 40 at the Châtelet in Paris, Hannigan has a reputation for her innovative orchestral programmes. She won a Grammy for her 2018 album ‘Crazy Girl Crazy’.
