Ilya Salmanzadeh awarded Government’s Music Export Prize for 2024

“It is an honour to present awards to Swedish songwriters, musicians and others involved in the music industry and celebrate their international success. Swedish music exports have a significant economic impact worth billions, and the industry is vital for job creation, innovation and growth. These awards highlight not just the cultural value and power of music, but also its role in strengthening the image of Sweden and positioning our country internationally,” says Mr Dousa. 

The Government’s Music Export Prize

Ilya Salmanzadeh becomes the 28th winner of the Government’s Music Export Prize. The prize is awarded to Swedish music creators who have contributed to export success and to projecting a modern and positive image of Sweden abroad. 

During the ceremony, Mr Dousa also presented Björn Skifs with the Government’s Special Prize for long-standing contributions to Swedish music exports, and the Honourable Mention for achievements of particular importance to the internationalisation of Swedish music to Gehrmans Musikförlag.

The jury’s citation:

“For over a decade, Ilya Salmanzadeh has written music that touches the heart of the world, irrespective of genre or borders. As a producer and a songwriter, his deftness of both melody and soundscape has made him an invisible driver of some of the greatest modern soundtracks of our lives. 2024 marked a new high point in his career – a year when Salmanzadeh’s name shone particularly brightly yet again. 

Having worked with stars such as Sam Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Ellie Goulding, he hit new heights. 2024 was a particularly strong year, creating music for Lisa, The Weeknd and not least Ariana Grande – with whom Ilya Salmanzadeh and colleague Max Martin have worked throughout their careers, topping the Billboard Hot 100 twice. 

From the start of his career at 19 years of age in Stockholm to Los Angeles and the world – Ilya Salmanzadeh builds lasting bridges for Sweden on the world’s biggest stages and his ability to create timeless, personal compositions that are also characterised by universality is a unique skill. His music is more than just hits; it is pop art in which we can see ourselves reflected both in the everyday and in celebration. 

A key contributor to Sweden’s international music exports, Ilya Salmanzadeh is a global music maker whose influence continues to expand and enrich us all, all over the world.”

The Government’s Special Prize 

Björn Skifs was awarded the Government’s Special Prize for long-standing contributions to Swedish music exports with the following citation: 

“For more than 50 years, Björn Skifs has been a vibrant symbol of Swedish music’s impact beyond our borders. He began his journey towards international stardom as lead singer of Slam Creepers in the early 1960s, heralding the start of a career in music exports long before the expression even existed in the Swedish cultural lexicon.

His major international breakthrough came in 1974 with Blue Swede and Billboard number 1 ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ – the first ever Swedish track to reach the top of the US charts. But Björn Skifs was never going to stop there. In the decades that followed, he has continued to represent Swedish music internationally with his characteristic voice, broad musical palette and engaging stage presence both as a solo artist and in the company of other stars. He has twice represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

What makes his ambassadorship unique is perhaps the combination of approachability, a warm and self-deprecating sense of humour, humility, professionalism, artistic range, and of course, that great soulful voice. From performing at the ‘Barnens Dag’ children’s event in Malung in 1964 and on to stages large and small – Björn Skifs’s work is not just musical, but cultural: a Swedish music export phenomenon in its purest form.”

The Honourable Mention

Gehrmans Musikförlag was awarded the Government’s Honourable Mention for achievements of particular importance to the internationalisation of Swedish music with the following citation: 

“Gehrmans Musikförlag has been a bulwark of Swedish musical life since 1893. Today, the publisher is a key player in the Nordic and international classical music scene. Through publishing classics such as Lars-Erik Larsson and Hugo Alfvén and new talents such as Karin Rehnqvist, Benjamin Staern and Thomas Jennefelt, Gehrmans has lifted the profile of Swedish music internationally. 

The company’s leasing of orchestral material enables Swedish works to be promoted on stages all over the world, while its extensive back catalogue carries the Swedish choral canon far beyond Sweden’s borders. Through active support for commissions, premieres and international cooperation – often through joint commissions with European concert houses – Gehrmans has been a vital link between Swedish composers and a global audience.

With more than 130 years’ experience and an unshakeable belief in contemporary music, Gehrmans Musikförlag is not only a historic name – it is also an export driver for Swedish classical music in our time.”