Angélique Kidjo received the Polar Music Prize at a ceremony in Stockholm on Tuesday. The award was founded by the late ABBA manager Stig Anderson, in partnership with the Royal Swedish Academy, and is given out annually.
This year, though, there were three recipients: Kidjo, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, and Chris Blackwell, the Island Records founder who helped discover Kidjo and whose label put out a number of her albums.
“I had sent my music to every record company in Paris. No one was interested, no one cared,” Kidjo said in her speech, per Music News, as reported by Stereogum. “Then the African activist Mamadou Konté sent it to someone in Jamaica who showed true passion for my work, signed me right away and started me down the path to success. This person was Chris Blackwell. He has allowed me to build these bridges between all the beautiful music and peoples of the world, so that we can celebrate our common humanity.”
“I started my career at the age of six when my dear mother shoved me on stage in front of a live audience,” Kidjo added. “I was so scared that I could feel my whole skeleton shaking. But the audience started to laugh and clap. It made me feel good, it made me feel at home. Since that day I haven’t left the stage!
In September of 2022, Kidjo helped celebrate a remarkable event when she stopped by NPR to help celebrate the 1,000th Tiny Desk performance. The intimate video concert series started in 2008 as an opportunity for producer Bob Boilen to feature acoustic versions of his favorite artists and performers. The concerts have achieved global fame with artists from all over the world wanting to play at the workplace whose shelves are filled with years of awards and music collectibles.
Listen to the best of Angélique Kidjo on Apple Music and Spotify.