Punk legend wins Polar Prize
STOCKHOLM
U.S. punk icon Iggy Pop and French contemporary music ensemble Ensemble intercontemporain on Feb. 8 won Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, the organization behind the award said.
The laureates will receive their award, which includes a one million kronor (96,000 euros, $110,000) cash prize, at a ceremony in Stockholm on May 24.
“With his courage, initiative and raw power, Iggy Pop paved the way for punk
and post-punk,” the organization said of 74-year-old
Iggy Pop, born James Newell Osterberg.
“Groups like the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and Nick Cave all followed in his footsteps”. “Iggy Pop is unique, there is no one else quite like him. Ensemble intercontemporain are a ground-breaking collective and their work has helped push the boundaries of modern classical music”, Marie Ledin, managing director of the Polar Music Prize, said in a statement.
The organization described Ensemble intercontemporain, founded in 1976 by former Polar Music Prize laureate
Pierre Boulez, as “the world’s leading contemporary music ensemble.”
