Photo Janne Rugland
Artist, composer, lyricist and producer Susanne Sundfør is the winner of the Anne Grete Preus Award 2025. This is the second time TONO has awarded the award, which was established at the request of Anne Grete Preus herself to highlight female music creators with strong artistic identity.
/ 01/12/2025 / Helene RognøyThe Anne Grete Preus Award was established at the request of Anne Grete Preus, and is intended to highlight female music creators with clear artistic ambitions and a desire to develop popular music in a personal and artistic direction. The award consists of 100,000 kroner and a trophy.
– Throughout her career, Susanne Sundfør has been an uncompromising and innovative artist with a distinct individuality. In many ways, she represents the very ideal behind this award, says Karl Vestli, CEO of TONO.
I am incredibly grateful for the award, and recognize how important it is to highlight female musicians, even though equality has come a long way and the public conversation is starting to tire of gender debate.
It is still difficult for many women to get booked at festivals, and it can be challenging to find your own voice in a male-dominated production and songwriting industry. In addition, we are drowning in superficiality and sky-high expectations of appearance, and a pornification and objectification of women in the media, especially for the younger generation.
Even though this award is for me, I want to dedicate it to all the new, young women who want to write, compose, produce, sing and be creative musicians, and who are afraid that they have to be something they don't feel like they are. Something that feels wrong or borderline. You don't need that. There is room for the quirky, weird, imperfect, beautiful you, you are actually needed. Thank you so much.
The Anne Grete Preus Award 2025 goes to one of the clearest voices in the country, both on and off stage. With a rich and varied career behind her, Susanne Sundfør has distinguished herself as both an artist, musician, composer, lyricist and producer on her own and others' albums.
Her work has a rare combination of strength and tenderness, which encompasses both the powerful and orchestral and the intimate and vulnerable. Sundfør has solid craftsmanship in all her roles and masters strong melodies with innovative chord progressions and soundscapes.
Her conceptual approach follows the development from album to album, with clear messages that challenge and engage the listener. Since her debut in 2007, originality and uncompromisingness have been a common thread in her artistry. She has continuously pushed boundaries and contributed to lasting change in Norwegian music, including through her commitment to equality and artistic freedom.
Sundfør is a guiding star for an entire generation of artists and has shown how pop music can be art.
Thea Hjelmeland (NOPA)
Alexander Austheim (NOPA)
Jan Erik Mikalsen (NKF)
Agnes Hvizdalek (NKF)
Maria Stene Brendstup (Music Publishers)
Andrew Smith (Music Publishers)
Kristoffer Magnus Unstad (Independent)
Johanne Flottorp (Independent)
The jury is the same as for TONO's EDVARD Prize og TONO's Mediator Award.
The Anne Grete Preus Award was established at the request of Anne Grete Preus herself. It was established in 2024 and consists of 100,000 kroner, which is awarded annually to a female songwriter and artist who creates her own music and lyrics within the popular music landscape in the broadest sense.
The recipient should be established and have some releases behind them, but still be willing to develop further. The winner should have clear artistic ambitions to move popular music away from the purely commercial and strengthen personal and artistic popular music. The purpose is to inspire music artists to continuously work on artistic development.
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit cooperative owned and managed by composers, lyricists and music publishers. TONO manages the economic copyrights in their musical works and grants licenses for the use of protected music publicly for a fee. TONO's financial results are transferred to rights holders in music that has been performed publicly in Norway and abroad. TONO has more than 44,000 members and also represents millions of international authors. In 2024, TONO paid out NOK 741,7 million to rights holders at home and abroad.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Willy Martinsen
Communications Director at TONO
Car: 909 65 254
E-mail: willy.martinsen@tono.no