STOCKHOLM: An Afghan music institute that has empowered girls in the war-torn country and metal pioneers Metallica on Wednesday shared the Polar Music Prize, often called music’s Nobel.
The laureates will each receive one million Swedish kronor (101,000 euros, $125,000) at a televised gala in Stockholm on June 14 in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The Afghan National Institute of Music was honored along with its founder, Ahmad Sarmast, who started the school in 2010 in a rare coeducational initiative in the war-torn country.
The institute, which teaches both Afghan and Western music, helped generate the country’s first all-female orchestra which performed last yar at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Sarmast, who has faced substantial risk in a country where both music and girls’ education was banned under the repressive 1996-2001 Taliban regime, said he was “very excited, honored and privileged” to win the prize.
“We believe that our two recipients, although from very contrasting worlds, exemplify the mission of the Polar Music Prize, and that is to honor musicians and music organizations whose work has made a difference to people’s lives,” Marie Ledin, managing director of the award, said in a statement.
“Metallica is loved and admired by millions of hard rock fans across the globe,” she said.
Sarmast and the music institute, meanwhile, have worked “to restore the joy and power of music to children’s lives,” she said.
Metallica is one of the most influential bands in heavy metal, helping bring the angry and aggressive music to the mainstream and preserving an avid fan base for decades.
Lars Ulrich, the California band’s Danish-born drummer, called the Polar Music Prize “a great validation of everything that Metallica has done over the last 35 years.”
“At the same time, we feel like we’re in our prime with a lot of good years ahead of us,” Ulrich said of the band, which released its 10th album, “Hardwired... to Self-Destruct” in late 2016.
The Polar Music Prize was established in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of Swedish pop superstars ABBA, and selects two laureates each year.
The prize’s stated goal is to “break down musical boundaries by bringing together people from all the different worlds of music.”
Past laureates have included Sting, Bob Dylan, Bjork, Sonny Rollins and Ravi Shankar.
Afghan institute that empowers girls and pioneers of hard rock, Metallica win music’s ‘Nobel Prize’
Afghan institute that empowers girls and pioneers of hard rock, Metallica win music’s ‘Nobel Prize’
Amr Diab and Sherine top Spotify list of 2025 MENA artists
- Egyptian stars and icon Fairuz continue to resonate in region
- Artists shaping rap, mahraganat, hybrid sounds feature
DUBAI: Spotify has released its list of the Top Middle East and North Africa artists and songs globally, shaped by streams from listeners both inside and outside the region, offering a snapshot of how MENA music travelled in 2025.
Topping the global MENA artists list is Amr Diab, a mainstay of Arab pop. He also led Egypt’s Wrapped this year, while his catalogue — spanning both older hits and newer releases — continued to draw sustained global engagement.
The return of “Tamally Maak” to the global Top Tracks list underlines the lasting appeal of his music across generations.
Sherine is one of the year’s most emotionally resonant voices with four tracks in the global Top 10. Her classics “Kalam Eineh,” “El Watar El Hassas” and “3la Bali,” alongside her newer release “Btmanna Ansak,” reached listeners from Egypt to Germany and the UK.
Spotify data shows her catalogue maintaining a strong, personal connection with audiences throughout 2025.
Regional classics also featured prominently. Nancy Ajram’s early-2000s hit “Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa” found renewed popularity in markets including Indonesia and Turkiye, while Khaled’s “C’est la vie” continued to cross borders, resonating with listeners from France to India.
Fairuz remained a fixture in daily listening habits, anchoring morning and coffee playlists across the Arab world and the diaspora.
Beyond pop, artists shaping rap, mahraganat and hybrid sounds maintained strong global visibility.
ElGrandeToto, Morocco’s Top Artist on Spotify from 2020 to 2025, continued to spotlight the evolution of Moroccan hip-hop, which in 2025 blended rai, chaabi and local rhythms with trap influences.
His collaboration with Spanish-Moroccan rapper Morad, “Ojos Sin Ver,” featured on the global MENA Top Tracks list, highlighting the genre’s cross-regional and European appeal.
Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo also remained a prominent global presence, recognized for his introspective approach within the country’s hip-hop scene.
Mahraganat artists Essam Sasa and Eslam Kabonga appeared in the global rankings as well, underscoring the genre’s expanding reach beyond its local roots.
The global MENA Top Tracks list included “KALAMANTINA,” a collaboration between Saint Levant and Marwan Moussa that blends hip-hop and pop within a hybrid electro-shaabi sound.
