The singer and author Judith Holofernes (46) is honored for her texts. She receives the Fred Jay Prize for exceptional text poetry from the GEMA Foundation, which is endowed with 15,000 euros. Every year, people are honored who have made a special contribution to the German-speaking music culture. According to a press release, Holofernes, who is best known as the frontwoman of the band Wir sind Helden, will accept the award on May 9 in Munich.
The jury, made up of former award winners, justified its decision by saying that Holofernes not only “shook up the German pop scene 20 years ago”. “She is a role model because she warns and because she shows herself to be as virtuoso and vulnerable as she is.” Thanks to a wide range of topics, she proves “that political commitment, vulnerability, wit and popular German music are not mutually exclusive”. Holofernes received the award “for her services to the German language in music and her special talent for expressing the mixed feelings of an entire generation in her lyrics”.
The singer also has her say in the message. “Ever since I discovered my mother’s record collection at the age of eight, I’ve been obsessed with listening to lyrics,” explains Holofernes. Even before she understood English-language texts, she asked what they were about. “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 46-year-old is quoted as saying.
The band Wir sind Helden has been on indefinite hiatus since 2012. The group’s hits include songs like “Guten Tag”, “Denkmal” and “Just a Word”.
