Sophie Hunger wins the Grand Prix
The 2016 Swiss Grand Prix for Music was awarded to Sophie Hunger at a ceremony in Lausanne on September 15, attended by Federal Councillor Alain Berset.
The Swiss Grand Prix for Music, awarded by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) for the third time, honors the musical creation of individual musicians or groups. The fifteen nominees represent a snapshot of Swiss musical creation of excellence.
In 2015, the FOC commissioned a team of ten experts made up of music critics, music programmers and specialists in the field. The team selected candidates from all the country's linguistic regions and from all fields of music, and submitted the results to the Federal Music Jury. Last February, the seven-member jury selected 15 finalists from among the 60 or so musicians submitted, and the winner, Sophie Hunger, from among these 15 finalists. She receives the Swiss Grand Prix for Music 2016, worth 100,000 Swiss francs.
Born in 1983, Sophie Hunger first came to prominence in 2007 with her album Sketches of sea, already demonstrating her strong artistic personality. She was invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008, and in the same year released her album Monday's Ghost, which went gold in Switzerland and marked the start of her international career. Crossing national and international barriers, Sophie Hunger has built up a loyal following of fans the world over.
