Stockholm, Nov5(ChinaEurope) — The Government’s prize for extraordinary services to Swedish music exports in 2019 has been awarded to the rock band Ghost. The Government’s 2019 Special Prize for long-standing contributions to Swedish music exports has gone to Marie Dimberg.

The winner of the Government’s Music Export Prize was presented during a ceremony in the Blue Drawing Room at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The prize is awarded each year to Swedish music creators who have contributed to export success and to spreading a modern and positive image of Sweden abroad.

“This year’s winner of the Music Export Prize, the rock band Ghost, is an excellent example of the Swedish music industry’s international successes. The industry has laid the foundation for unparalleled Swedish export successes, which in turn have helped spread a positive image of Sweden abroad. Ghost started off locally in Linköping and is today a global band, with fans all over the world,” says Ms Hallberg.

The rock band group Ghost has been declared the 23rd winner of the Music Export Prize, and the jury issued the following statement:

“Ghost has challenged audiences and created headlines ever since the band was formed in Linköping in 2006. Today it has fans all over the world. With its mythical and occult lyrics, cloaked in melodic metal, Ghost has gone from primarily being for the initiated audience – starting with debut album Opus Eponymous from 2011 – to today being one of the rock and metal bands with the broadest audience, regardless of category. In 2019, Ghost highlighted its position as world leader when it continued its world tour, ‘A Pale Tour Named Death’. When the tour concluded in Mexico City in March this year, it had reached a total of 137 stages all over the world.”

Other nominees for the Government’s Music Export Prize were: Robyn, Håkan Hardenberger, Smith & Thell and Snoh Aalegra.

The Special Prize for long-standing contributions to Swedish music exports has gone to Marie Dimberg, and the jury issued the following statement:

“Marie Dimberg likes to describe her role as that of an enabler, and to a great extent she has contributed to enabling some of Sweden’s most remarkable pop and stage exports. She began her career at EMI Records. At first she worked with public relations and later held the position of Vice President International at EMI’s London office, after which she became marketing manager at EMI in Sweden. In 1997 she started her own company, with the trio Per Gessle, Marie Fredriksson and Peter Jöback as regular clients. Early on, she expanded her activities by working with director Jonas Åkerlund and others. In 2013, she topped industry magazine Musikindustrin’s first published list of the most influential women in the Swedish music industry.”