Europe Wins Prestigious Government Prize for Boosting Swedish Music

Swedish rock band Europe has been honored with the Swedish government’s Special Prize for their significant role in promoting Swedish music globally. The band, known for hits like The Final Countdown, started with teenage dreams in the late 1970s and has since enjoyed a career marked by international success and world tours.

The official statement highlighted Europe’s influence: “Europe, with their mix of hard and melodic rock, were pioneers in putting Sweden on the world map”.

The band first gained attention in Japan with Seven Doors Hotel in 1983 and continued to release iconic songs that remain staples of Swedish music.

Comeback
As well as The Final Countdown, with its famous guitar solo played by John Norum, the band had hits with songs such as Carrie, Superstitious and Rock the Night. The band Europe has continued to do well after making a comeback in the early 2000s.

They continue to excite fans with concerts, songs, and albums. Even though the music world has changed, they have managed to stay loyal to the type of rock music from the 1970s that they grew up with. At the same time, they have also tried out new kinds of music.

Honored
The band said thank you, sharing: “We were very honored to receive today the Swedish Governments special award for long standing contributions to Swedish Music Exports. Thank you to all who were there and for all the support.”