Agnes (singer)
Agnes | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Agnes Emilia Carlsson |
Born | Vänersborg, Sweden | 6 March 1988
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2005–present |
Labels |
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Agnes Emilia Carlsson (born 6 March 1988), known
Agnes has cited Stevie Wonder as her inspiration[2] and has often mentioned Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson as her inspiration in music.
Early life
Agnes Carlsson was born in Vänersborg, Sweden, on 6 March 1988, the youngest of four siblings. Her father was an environmental engineer and her mother a nurse and social worker.[3] Agnes started taking violin lessons and joined a choir at a young age. She sang solo in front of a live audience for the first time whilst still at school.[4] However, it was not until she was 16 that she first had one-on-one singing lessons.[3] Agnes also sang in the Vänersborg choir named "Voice",[4] citing legendary American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder as her inspiration.[2]
Career
2005–2007: "Idol" and commercial success
In the spring of 2005, a 17-year-old Agnes auditioned for the
Despite the lack of public support earlier in the competition, Agnes went on to amaze both the judges and the public during every week of the finals, with a result of making it into the grand finale without ever falling into the bottom two or three contestants.[4] With 57% of the one million public votes cast during the finale, she defeated Sebastian Karlsson and was crowned as the second Swedish Idol, and the first female to win the competition.[5]
Immediately after winning
In March 2006, whilst touring in support of her debut album, she released her second single, "
On 22 August 2006, only eight months after her Idol win, Agnes's third single "
On 15 November 2006, Agnes released "
2008–2010: Dance Love Pop, departure from Sony BMG & international launch
In early 2008, it was announced that Agnes had parted ways with her record label Sony BMG, with Agnes citing "creative differences" behind the split.[4] She then signed to independent label Roxy Recordings and on 11 August, "On and On", the first single from her upcoming third studio, was released.[9] The song marked a change in Agnes' music style, going towards a more dance and club style, while moving away from her original pop and R&B.[4] Agnes first performed the song live on 16 August 2008 during the Swedish TV-show "Sommarkrysset".[10] The single spent four consecutive weeks at its peak of number 8 on the Swedish singles chart and hit the top spot on the club chart, gaining a gold certification.[4] The same club style would be reflected in Agnes's third studio album, Dance Love Pop, which she had written together with Swedish producer and songwriter Anders Hansson. The album was released on 28 October 2008 and debuted on the Swedish albums chart at number five with first week sales of 10,000 copies.[4] On 24 November, "Release Me" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at number nine on the Swedish chart and being certified gold.[4] Despite the song's success, it failed to match that of the album's first single.[4]
In October 2008, it was rumored that Agnes would compete in
During Agnes' attempts to promote Melodifestivalen in the spring of 2009, "Release Me" began to receive attention from abroad, with Roxy Recordings later stating that the song would receive an international release. The move marked the first time that Agnes' music would be distributed outside Sweden. The single made its first international appearance in Denmark,
Agnes' second international single was "On and On" which was first released in the Netherlands where it peaked at number fourteen.
In the UK, the second single was "
In February 2010, it was confirmed that Agnes's third French single would be "
In July 2009, the major American record company
Agnes made her first appearance in the U.S. on 27 August 2009 at a release party for her single "Release Me". Among the guests was the CEO of Interscope Records, Ron Fair, and he made a comment about their new signing "She has it all. She is an amazing singer, looks good, is fearless and humble."[31] The launch of Agnes in the U.S. and Canada continued during the spring of 2010 and in the summer of 2010 "Release Me" was added to mainstream radio.
On 19 June 2010, Agnes and Björn Skifs performed at the Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling.[33] The song When You Tell the World You're Mine was the official wedding song, written especially for this occasion. The lyrics were written by Jörgen Elofsson, who has worked with Agnes before, and the music was written by Jörgen Elofsson & John Lundvik. As a tribute to Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland engaged Elofsson to compose a song that expresses what people feel when they fall in love.[34] The song entered the Sweden Top 60 Singles at fourteen and peaked at one the week after. It also peaked at 19 in Finland.[35][36]
2011–2013: Veritas and Collection
Agnes's fourth album Veritas, was released in September 2012.[37][38][39] The first official single was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," which premiered on 5 August 2011 on the show Mr. Gay Sweden.[40] The single failed to chart on the official Swedish singles chart, though through high digital sales, it peaked at three on the digital chart.[41] This was due to low streams on Spotify, which of the official single chart consists of since 2010.[42]
On 28 May 2012 Agnes released the lead single, "
On 31 August 2012, the song "All I Want Is You" was released as the second single in Sweden and promoted with a performance at Swedish television show Sommarkrysset. A few days before, on 29 August, American blogger Perez Hilton premiered the song together with a lyric video exclusively on his website, remarking that "Agnes Doesn't Want Much… All She Wants Is You! And all WE want it more Agnes! Seems like a fair trade to us!"[46] Agnes has described "All I Want Is You" as feverish and ambiguous, perhaps a declaration of love, but equally a story of obsession.[47] The song did not chart as well as her previous single "One Last Time" however, failing to reach the Swedish charts, although it did manage to peak at number nine on the official download chart.[48] In June 2013, the third single from Veritas, "Got Me Good", remixed by Bassflow, was released.[49]
Agnes and singer
2019–present: Return to music, Magic Still Exists
Seven years after her last release, on 8 May 2019, Agnes revealed on her Instagram page that she would be featured on the posthumous
Following her return to music, Agnes also founded her own record label, Senga.
On 7 February 2020, Agnes released the single "Goodlife".[56] On 21 August 2020, Agnes announced her upcoming fifth studio album Magic Still Exists, her first in eight years, and released lead single "Fingers Crossed", which she co-wrote with Vargas & Lagola. An accompanying music video was directed by SWIM CLUB, inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain and Swedish abstract artist Hilma af Klint.[57] Agnes stated that "Fingers Crossed" was "inspired by the sense that nothing is impossible, because nothing is impossible! It's a song that can lift you up to new dimensions and like a peaceful tank it crushes everything in its way. The song does not excuse itself and I don't excuse myself. I welcome you now to my party, and it's my party so… I can do what I want to."[57] On 21 May 2021, Agnes released the single "24 Hours".[58]
Musical style and influences
Agnes started out in Swedish Idol, and when it came to choosing the songs for the competition she had a particular taste of genres. The first song she ever sang on Swedish television was "Varje gång jag ser dig" (Each time I see you), a soul ballad with a strong love lyrics. Throughout the competition, she continued to impress with her vocals in songs like Flashdance... What a Feeling, I'm So Excited, Young Hearts Run Free, and Can't Take My Eyes Off You. Already in this early stage of her career, she cited soul-singer Stevie Wonder as her inspiration.[2] Both her self-titled debut album and her second album consisted strongly of R&B, soul, and pop songs, continuing the path she began during her time in "Idol".
But after leaving Sony Music and signing on to Roxy, she geared towards the dance and club genre, she was introduced to the songwriter and producer Anders Hansson. Agnes recalls when his name first came up for the album "They said maybe you should just meet first and see if you like each other, as opposed to just working together". They got on – so well that Hansson ended up producing an album that helped Agnes realise her vision, Dance Love and Pop together in one album[3] "A lot of things changed for me when I started to work with this album. I really liked it, because I knew that I wanted to do something totally different to the two others. I wanted to do uptempo, disco-orientated songs and I really wanted to work with Anders because he felt the same way".[3] When released the first single "On and On" from her third album, it immediately showed a clear change of artistic direction for her music. This was clearly observed by the critics who all homaged her new musical style. Other remarks are "The album fits the dance floor at any club. A mood trigger with bubbling enjoyment".[59] and "Agnes Carlsson once and for all gets rid of the "Idol"-dust".[60]
Agnes has often cited strong female soul singers like Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson as her inspiration in music. In an interview, she said that whenever she was home alone she would play Whitney Houston and Beyoncé's songs "at the highest volume" and sing along. "Whitney's voice is so emotional, and if there's one thing I learnt from listening to her, it's that it's important to put emotion in".[3]
Personal life
Agnes is married to Vincent Pontare, whom she has been dating since 2009. The couple had their first child in October 2022.[61]
Discography
- Agnes (2005)
- Stronger (2006)
- Dance Love Pop (2008)
- Veritas (2012)
- Magic Still Exists (2021)
See also
- List of awards and nominations received by Agnes Carlsson
- Swedish pop music
References
- ^ a b "Swedish Charts > Agnes". swedishcharts.com (in Swedish). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ a b c "Agnes biography". agnes-carlsson.nu (in Swedish). Agnes Carlsson and Roxy Recordings. Archived from the original on 14 July 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Agnes English biography". agnescarlsson.se. Agnes Carlsson and Roxy Recordings. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Agnes's Biography". Starz TV. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ Söderström, Martin (2 December 2005). "Nu är Agnes Idol – på riktigt". Aftonbladet (in Swedish).
- ^ a b c d e f "Sverigetopplistan". sverigetopplistan.se (in Swedish). Agnes Calrsson and Roxy Recordings. Archived from the original on 30 March 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ ""Stronger" in swedish charts". swedishcharts.com (in Swedish). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ ""Love is all around" in Australian charts (Ricki Lee Coulter)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ "Agnes - Official Website". agnescarlsson.se. Agnes Carlsson and Roxy Recordings. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ Karin Skogh (16 August 2008). "Agnes gjorde comeback i sommarkrysset". Express Entertainment (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
- ^ Viniker, Barry (26 November 2008). "Second wildcard revealed tonight". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ Andersson, Carl (2 December 2008). "De är med i Melodifestivalen - igen". Express Entertainment (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
- ^ Susanne Nylén, Niklas Strömberg (2 December 2008). "Lili och Susie till Melodifestivalen". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 May 2009.
- ^ "Votingresults Melodifestivalen" (PDF) (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
- ^ "Copenhagen Records - Agnes" (in Danish). Copenhagen Records. 2009. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ Martin Ekelund (29 May 2009). "Agnes etta i England". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ ""Release Me" in Australian ARIA charts". ariacharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Agnes - On and On". swisscharts.com (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ ""On and On" in Beligium-Wallonian charts". ultratop.be (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
- ^ "Agnes: "On Se Donne (On And On)"". musique radio (in French). 10 September 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^ "On and On in French charts". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ ""On and On" in Swiss charts". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- Amazon UK. Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the originalon 17 July 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- Amazon UK. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Agnes - I Need You Now". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "I Need You Now - Single by Agnes". iTunes. Apple Inc. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009.
- ^ ""I Need You Now" in Swedish charts". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
- ^ "Agnes : Ecoutez son nouveau tube, 'Sometimes I Forget'". Musique Evous (in French). Evous. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ^ "Interscope Records - Agnes". interscope.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ^ ""Release Me" release-details". Interscope Records. Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ^ a b Magnus Sundholm (29 August 2009). "Agnes värvades av världens största bolag" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
- ^ Joacim Persson (20 December 2009). "Agnes fick Hollywood att gråta" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Archived from the original on 22 December 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ "KYSSEN | Bröllopet | Aftonbladet" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.se. 19 June 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ "Den officiella bröllopslåten "When you tell the world you're mine" släpps!". roxyrecordings.se (in Swedish). Roxy Recordings. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "Agnes & Björn – When You Tell the World You're Mine". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- Suomen virallinen lista. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ Anders Nunstedt (1 January 2011). "Anders Nunstedt: Musikåret 2011 kan bli superbra". Express Entertainment (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ Hammar, Jennie (February 2012). "Grattis Världen!". Café: 58–63.
- ^ "Agnes - Veritas". Discogs. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Smyglyssning av Agnes nya låt" (in Swedish). QX. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Digilistan 2011-10-02". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ "Frågan som gjorde Agnes mållös | RIX MorronZoo | RIXFM". Rixfm.se. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - One Last Time - Single by Agnes". Apple. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ "Megapol Stockholm - Agnes" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ "Agnes – Äntligen tillbaka med nya albumet "Veritas" 5:e september!". Universal Music Publishing AB (in Swedish). Mynewsdesk.com. 16 August 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ Hilton, Perez. "Agnes Doesn't Want Much… All She Wants Is You! LISTEN TO NEW SONG HERE!". perezhilton.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ "About Agnes" (in Swedish). Roxy Recordings King Island Roxystars AB. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ^ "DigiListan 2012-09-09". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Agnes: 'Got Me Good' (Bassflow Remix – new single)". Scandipop.co.uk. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Bokholm, Mirja (8 May 2013). "Darin och Agnes medverkar i Eurovision-mellanakt" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ "Agnes tvingades bryta inspelningen - TV - Nöjesbladet - Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet. December 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ Arvid Jurjaks (23 February 2014). "Agnes Carlsson laddar om inför nytt album". Metro. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ "Avicii's posthumous single 'Tough Love' will be released tomorrow". DJ Mag. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ Cameron, John (8 May 2019). "Avicii's Team Announces His Second Posthumous Single, 'Tough Love'". EDM.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ Jutto, Tommy (4 July 2020). "Restart - interview with Agnes". Gaffa.se. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b Anders, Dahlbom (26 February 2020). "Agnes Carlsson left the spotlight - now she's back". Scandinavian Traveler. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Agnes shares new single 'Fingers Crossed'". Universal Music. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "SONG: Agnes - '24 Hours'". Scandipop. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Sandra Wall (29 October 2008). "Dance Love Pop". Norrköpings Tidningar. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
- ^ Appelqvist, Lisa (29 October 2008). "Agnes: Dance Love Pop". Kristianstadsbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
- ^ "Agnes Carlsson och Vincent Pontare har fått barn – namnvalet till dottern" (in Swedish). Hänt Extra. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Official U.S. Website
- Official German Website Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine