Renowned music figures Nile Rodgers and Esa-Pekka Salonen have been named the recipients of the prestigious 2024 Polar Music Prize. Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of music” in Sweden, the award recognizes outstanding achievements in both contemporary and classical music.
Nile Rodgers, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and a multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger and guitarist, is the co-founder of the iconic disco band Chic.
Chic’s tracks Le Freak and Good Times topped the Billboard Hot 100, and Good Times is credited with helping create hip-hop, as it was sampled on the Sugarhill Gang‘s Rapper’s Delight.
Rodgers is lauded for his pioneering work; the prize committee cited his sophisticated arrangements and ability to elevate disco and funk into an art form.
“His chop chord style of guitar playing, which he calls chucking, creates a hypnotic swing that has kept millions grooving on the dance floor,” the Polar Music Prize website stated.
Rodgers’ work with the CHIC Organization produced classics like We Are Family for Sister Sledge and Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out, while his collaborations with superstars like David Bowie (Let’s Dance), Madonna (Like A Virgin), and Duran Duran (The Reflex) have collectively sold more than 500 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide. He has also collaborated with Daft Punk for Get Lucky, Daddy Yankee for Agua, LE SSERAFIM for Unforgiven and Beyoncé for Cuff It.
“In Nile Rodgers, we honor a ground-breaking pioneer whose legacy spans his work as co-founder of CHIC and as record producer and creator behind so much of the world’s greatest music.”
Marie Ledin, Polar Music Prize
Beyond producing music, Rodgers co-founded Hipgnosis Songs Fund with Merck Mercuriadis in 2018.
“In Nile Rodgers, we honor a ground-breaking pioneer whose legacy spans his work as co-founder of CHIC and as record producer and creator behind so much of the world’s greatest music. Nile’s impact in pop culture is incomparable and his timeless songs will continue to delight, uplift and inspire for many years to come,” Marie Ledin, managing director of the Polar Music Prize, said.
Commenting on the award, Rodgers said: “This is a tremendous honor for me, I’ve had a love affair with the people of Sweden for as long as I can remember and your early acknowledgement of the art of people of color from Eric Dolphy to Jimi Hendrix is very important to me.”
“This is a tremendous honor for me, I’ve had a love affair with the people of Sweden for as long as I can remember and your early acknowledgement of the art of people of colour from Eric Dolphy to Jimi Hendrix is very important to me.”
Nile Rodgers
“It’s particularly meaningful as so many of my favorite songwriters from Bjorn and Benny, Max Martin and my dear friend the late Tim ‘Avicii’ Bergling have changed music all over the world. I’m so looking forward to coming to Stockholm to receive this amazing award.”
Esa-Pekka Salonen, an esteemed Finnish conductor and composer, is celebrated for his artistic curiosity and forward-thinking approach. A conductor for prestigious orchestras like the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Salonen’s breakthrough came with his masterful handling of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 in 1983.
As a composer, his work ranges from large-scale orchestral pieces — such as his recent Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra, Cello Concerto (composed for Yo-Yo Ma), the Dadaist Karawane for orchestra — to chamber music and film scores. He has worked with opera directors, choreographers, and other non-musical artists.
Salonen readily embraces technology to enhance the classical music experience for audiences. His most recent performance was Scriabin’s Prometheus with scents by Cartier’s head perfumer, Mathilde Laurent, and Grammy-nominated spatial audio recordings of works by Ligeti and Stravinsky.
“Esa-Pekka Salonen is an innovator. His artistic curiosity, creativity and forward-thinking approach to composing and conducting paves the way in classical music.”
Marie Ledin, Polar Music Prize
Beyond conducting, Salonen is a member of the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles, directing the pre-professional Negaunee Conducting Program. He also co-founded the annual Baltic Sea Festival, one of Europe’s leading classical music events taking place in Sweden.
“Esa-Pekka Salonen is an innovator. His artistic curiosity, creativity and forward-thinking approach to composing and conducting paves the way in classical music. He is a master of tone, perfectly balancing sound and emotion to produce and lead music that deeply moves the listener,” Ledin said.
Salonen said: “I’m honored and excited to be one of the recipients of this year’s Polar Music Prize. Sweden has long been a musical home to me. Many of my fondest experiences — my years with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Baltic Sea Festival, and the Stockholm International Composer Festival — have taken place here.”
“But it’s the people and culture of Sweden who deserve so much of my gratitude. Without the pervasive support of some of the leading cultural institutions of this country, especially the Swedish National Radio, my musical biography would be missing several key details. I’m very much looking forward to joining Nile Rodgers in Stockholm this spring to receive this illustrious prize.”
“Without the pervasive support of some of the leading cultural institutions of this country, especially the Swedish National Radio, my musical biography would be missing several key details. I’m very much looking forward to joining Nile Rodgers in Stockholm this spring to receive this illustrious prize.”
Esa-Pekka Salonen
The 2024 Polar Music Prize awarding ceremony will be held in Stockholm on May 21 in the presence of the Swedish Royal Family. Each laureate will receive a prize of 1 million Swedish kronor (about USD $97,700). This year’s festivities also mark the return of the Polar Talks, a series of discussions featuring industry leaders exploring music’s potential to address social and creative challenges. Nile Rodgers himself will be interviewed by Merck Mercuriadis, Chairman and Founder of Hipgnosis Song Management.
The award adds Rodgers and Salonen to a prestigious list of past honorees, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Chuck Berry, Ennio Morricone, Led Zeppelin, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kronos Quartet, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Metallica, Iggy Pop, Ravi Shankar, Renée Fleming, Miriam Makeba, Wayne Shorter, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Angélique Kidjo.
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