The musician Judith Holofernes receives the Fred Jay Prize for exceptional text poetry, which is endowed with 15,000 euros. As the frontwoman of the band “Wir sind Helden” Holofernes shaped the attitude towards life of an entire generation with her lyrics and songs like “Guten Tag”, “Just a word” or “Denkmal” were burned into the memory of her audience, the jury judged according to a statement on Tuesday . “Even as a solo artist, she has proven in recent years that she is one of the most important voices in the German music scene.”
Holofernes, the “leading figure of self-determined being a musician”, will accept the award on May 9th in Munich. “With its wide range of topics, it proves that political commitment, vulnerability, wit and popular German music are not mutually exclusive,” emphasized the jury.
The 46-year-old Holofernes, who is now also a successful author and podcaster, commented: “Ever since I discovered my mother’s record collection at the age of eight, I can’t ignore the lyrics. (…) I’m happy for myself and for this eight-year-old girl who was lying in front of the record player with a pen and paper.”
The Fred Jay Prize was created in memory of the Austrian lyricist Fred Jay (1914-1988) and has been awarded annually since 1989 under the patronage of the Gema Foundation to personalities who have made a special contribution to German-speaking music culture. The jury consists of former award winners.
