At this year’s Polar Music Prize ceremony, held on Tuesday, May 27, at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm and broadcast live on Sweden’s TV4, Ghost performed a rendition of Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They were joined by Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir.
The ceremony honored Queen, American jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan. Other performers included Adam Lambert, who has toured with Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor as Queen + Adam Lambert for 13 years, as well as Miriam Bryant, former Skid Row singer Erik Grönwall, and jazz artists Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, and Leo Genovese. Professionally filmed videos of the Ghost, Lambert, and Grönwall performances are available.
The Polar Music Prize has recognized groundbreaking musical achievements for three decades. The 2025 recipients will join a distinguished list of innovators in contemporary and classical music, each receiving one million Swedish Krona (approximately £74,082 GBP and $93,897 USD) at a ceremony in Stockholm attended by the Swedish Royal Family.
In response to their selection, Queen stated: “We are highly and deeply honored to be given the Polar Music Prize this year. It’s incredible, thank you so much.”
Marie Ledin, managing director of the Polar Music Prize, also commented: “It is our immense privilege to honor and award these three Laureates at the 2025 Polar Music Prize. Queen, a band synonymous with the very fabric of pop culture, have made an impact on music that spans decades, generations and genres. They are a most deserving recipient, beloved the world over.”
Queen continues to be one of the world’s most beloved bands, appealing to fans across generations. Their enduring popularity was further boosted by the immense global success of their 2018 Academy Award-winning biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, which chronicled the band’s remarkable journey and quickly became the highest-grossing music biographical film ever.
