Music & Arts

Polar Prize Awarded To Diane Warren, Anna Netrebko 

The Polar Music Prize, awarded each year to a contemporary musician and a classical musician, this year will be given to American songwriter Diane Warren and Russian opera star Anna Netrebko.

Warren, according to Billboard, has penned nine No. 1 hits, including Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart,” Chicago’s “Look Away,” Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from the movie “Mannequin.” Warren has worked with practically everyone, ranging from Cher and Whitney Houston to Elton John and Beyoncé, is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Netrebko, a soprano, was the first classical musician to be included in Time Magazine’s “The Top 100 Most Influential People” and has performed to sellout crowds all over the world.

The Polar Music Prize was founded by Stig “Stikhan” Anderson, the manager and publisher of ABBA, in 1989. The awards were first presented in 1992 and have included winners like Elton John, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Springsteen and Quincy Jones.

Warren and Netrebko each will receive a cash prize of $103,652.