TONO has awarded the EDVARD Prize in the category Text to the lyricists of the bands Ævestaden and Benedikt for their release Jag är sen igen. – The theme is existential, but beautifully wrapped in everyday realism that makes the whole thing a beautiful and strong linguistic melting pot.
/ 02/10/2023 / Kristian DugstadThe lyricists in the bands Ævestaden and Benedikt, Levina Storåkern, Hans Olav Settem, Emilie Catrin Korsvold, Marit Othilie Thorvik and Eir Vatn Strøm, have been awarded TONO's EDVARD prize in the lyrics category for 2023. They receive 50,000 kroner as well as a trophy and a diploma designed by artist and composer colleague Magne Furuholmen.
The award was presented during Ævestaden's concert at John Dee in Oslo, Friday evening.
The lyricists of these works, which are compiled in Ævestaden and Benedikt's publication Jag är sen igen, touch us in a completely unique way. They are written in different languages, where we are served a mix of Norwegian dialects and Swedish. The themes are existential, but beautifully wrapped in everyday realism that makes the whole thing a beautiful and strong linguistic melting pot. We congratulate Levina Storåkern, Hans Olav Settem, Emilie Catrin Korsvold, Marit Othilie Thorvik and Eir Vatn Strøm on the prize for Text of the Year.
The EDVARD Prize has been awarded annually by TONO since 1998, and is awarded in five categories to composers and lyricists who have created musical works of particularly high quality in the previous year. A highly qualified professional jury selects the winners.
– With the EDVARD Prize, TONO wants to honor outstanding composers, create awareness about newly written Norwegian music, and help increase understanding of how important the work done by composers, lyricists and songwriters is, says TONO's communications director, Willy Martinsen.
The jury in 2023 consisted of Sten Ove Toft (independent, jury leader), Agnes Hvizdalek (Norwegian Composers' Association), Alexander Austheim (NOPA), Andrew Smith (Music Publishers), Martin Rane Bauck (Norwegian Composers' Association), Oda Svendsby (Music Publishers), Ole Børud (independent) and Samsaya Sharma (NOPA).
About TONO
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit cooperative owned and managed by composers, lyricists and music publishers, and which manages the economic copyrights in their musical works. TONO grants permission for the use of protected music on radio, TV, the internet, concerts, cinema, etc. for a fee, and transfers its financial results each year to the rights holders of music that has been performed publicly. TONO has more than 40,000 members, but also works for millions of authors and music publishers from around the world. TONO gives music creators an economic basis to create new music, and collects and simplifies the licensing of protected music to music users. TONO had a turnover of NOK 864,6 million in 2022.
For more information:
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO, willy.martinsen@tono.no; Tel. +47,909 65 254.