Agnes (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Agnes
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Agnes in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Agnes Emilia Carlsson |
| Born | 6 March 1988 Vänersborg, Sweden |
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| Years active | 2005–present |
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Agnes Emilia Carlsson (born on March 6, 1988), known simply as Agnes, is a Swedish singer. She became famous after winning Idol 2005, which was the second season of the Swedish Idol TV show.
After winning, she signed with Sony Music. She released her first album, Agnes, and her second, Stronger. Both albums reached the top of the Swedish music charts. In 2008, Agnes joined a smaller music label called Roxy Recordings. Her third album, Dance Love Pop, came out in October 2008. It became very popular around the world.
Two songs from Dance Love Pop, "On and On" and "Release Me", became international hits. "Release Me" was especially successful, selling over 900,000 copies worldwide. Agnes has said that famous singers like Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson have inspired her music.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Agnes Carlsson was born in Vänersborg, Sweden, on March 6, 1988. She is the youngest of four children. Her father was an environmental engineer, and her mother was a nurse.
Agnes started playing the violin and joined a choir when she was young. She sang solo in front of an audience for the first time while still in school. When she was 16, she began taking private singing lessons. She also sang in a choir called "Voice" in Vänersborg.
Music Career
Becoming an Idol Star (2005–2007)
In 2005, when Agnes was 17, she tried out for the second season of Idol in Gothenburg. She sang "Varje Gång Jag Ser Dig" by Lisa Nilsson. The judges were very impressed by her powerful voice. She moved on to the next rounds of the competition.
Even though she didn't get enough public votes at first, the judges chose her to be one of the final contestants. Agnes continued to impress everyone during the finals. She never ended up in the bottom two or three. In the grand finale, she won with 57% of the votes, becoming the second Swedish Idol winner and the first female winner.
Right after winning Idol, Agnes signed a contract with Sony BMG. Her first song, "Right Here Right Now (My Heart Belongs to You)", was released. It quickly became number one on the Swedish singles chart and stayed there for six weeks. The song sold over 40,000 copies in Sweden.
Her first album, Agnes, came out in December 2005. Critics liked it, praising her strong voice. The album also reached number one in Sweden and sold nearly 40,000 copies in its first week.
In March 2006, Agnes released her second song, "Stranded". It didn't do as well on the charts, but her first album continued to sell well. It sold over 90,000 copies in Sweden.
In August 2006, Agnes's third song, "Kick Back Relax", was released. It was the first song from her second album. It reached number two on the Swedish singles chart. Her second album, Stronger, came out in October 2006. Like her first album, Stronger debuted at number one and sold over 50,000 copies in Sweden. A song from this album, "Love Is All Around", has been covered by many other singers.
In November 2006, Agnes released "Champion", another song from Stronger. In early 2007, she went on her second national tour. She also teamed up with fellow Idol contestant Måns Zelmerlöw for a Christmas campaign. They sang a cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became a top-three hit in Sweden.
New Music Style and International Success (2008–2010)
In 2008, Agnes left Sony BMG because she wanted to try new things with her music. She then signed with an independent label, Roxy Recordings. In August, she released "On and On". This song showed a new direction for her music, moving towards a more dance and club style. The song reached number eight on the Swedish singles chart and was certified gold.
Her third album, Dance Love Pop, was released in October 2008. Agnes wrote it with Swedish producer Anders Hansson. The album debuted at number five in Sweden. In November, "Release Me" was released as the second song from the album. It became a hit in Sweden.
In 2008, it was rumored that Agnes would compete in Melodifestivalen 2009. This competition chooses Sweden's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Agnes confirmed this, and her song was "Love Love Love". She performed it as a solo act. In February 2009, Agnes made it to the final round of Melodifestivalen 2009 and finished in 8th place. "Love Love Love" was released as the third song from Dance Love Pop and reached number four in Sweden.
"Release Me" started getting attention from other countries in 2009. It was released internationally, first in Denmark, where it did well. But it became a huge hit in the UK, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart. It stayed in the top ten for many weeks and sold over 300,000 copies. "Release Me" also became successful in other European countries like France, Belgium, and Italy. Agnes also released it in Australia, where it entered the chart at number eleven.
Agnes's second international song was "On and On". It was released in the Netherlands and Belgium. A new version called "On Se Donne" was recorded for France. "On and On" was also released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary.
In the UK, her second song was "I Need You Now". It was a re-recorded version from Dance Love Pop. It was released in November 2009 and reached number 40 in the UK Singles Chart. In Sweden, it became Agnes's seventh top-ten hit.
In July 2009, the American record company Geffen Records signed Agnes. They released "Release Me" in the U.S. in August 2009. This made Agnes the first and only Swedish Idol contestant to be launched in America. She even received a signing bonus of $1 million.
Agnes made her first appearance in the U.S. in August 2009. The CEO of Interscope Records, Ron Fair, praised her, saying she was "an amazing singer, looks good, is fearless and humble." "Release Me" was added to mainstream radio in the U.S. in the summer of 2010.
In June 2010, Agnes and Björn Skifs performed at the Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling. They sang "When You Tell the World You're Mine", which was the official wedding song. It became number one on the Swedish singles chart.
New Albums: Veritas and Collection (2011–2013)
Agnes's fourth album, Veritas, was released in September 2012. The first song from it was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". It didn't chart on the main Swedish singles chart but did well on the digital sales chart.
In May 2012, Agnes released "One Last Time" as the main song from Veritas. Agnes wanted to be involved in writing all the songs on this album. Her American record company wanted her to move to the U.S. to record, but Agnes felt more at home recording in Sweden. She said the name "Veritas" (which means truth) fit the idea behind the album.
In August 2012, "All I Want Is You" was released as the second song in Sweden. American blogger Perez Hilton shared the song on his website. Agnes described the song as "feverish and ambiguous." In June 2013, the third song from Veritas, "Got Me Good", was released.
Agnes and singer Darin Zanyar performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in May. In late 2013, Agnes was featured on the TV show Så mycket bättre. Her first greatest hits album, Collection, was released in December 2013.
Return to Music and New Albums (2019–Present)
After seven years, Agnes returned to music. In May 2019, she announced she would be on the song "Tough Love" by the late DJ Avicii. Avicii had wanted the song to be a duet by a "real couple."
After her return, Agnes started her own record label called Senga. In October 2019, she released an EP (a short album) called Nothing Can Compare. This EP included songs like "Limelight" and "I Trance." It had a "rawer and darker" sound than her earlier work.
In February 2020, Agnes released the song "Goodlife". In August 2020, she announced her fifth studio album, Magic Still Exists, her first in eight years. She released the first song from it, "Fingers Crossed", which she co-wrote. The music video for "Fingers Crossed" was inspired by the film The Holy Mountain and artist Hilma af Klint. Agnes said the song was about the idea that "nothing is impossible." In May 2021, she released the second song, "24 Hours".
Magic Still Exists was released in October 2021 and received great reviews. The Guardian newspaper called it a "pop miracle." It was listed as one of The Guardian's top 50 albums of 2021. The album reached number 7 in Sweden and sold the most vinyl records in its first week.
Agnes calls her new style "Spiritual Disco." It mixes motivational spoken parts with disco beats and orchestral sounds. The third song from the album, Love And Appreciation, was sent to Swedish radios in summer 2022.
Agnes has continued this new style with later songs. These include "Twisted Mind" (2023), "Balenciaga Covered Eyes" (2024), and "Milk" (2025). A trailer for her upcoming sixth album, Beautiful Madness, was released in May 2025.
Agnes has mentioned visual artist Mark Rothko as an inspiration for her sixth album. She said, "To me art is an adventure into an unknown world... Use less elements and give these every element more space. This is what I'm looking for the sounds of my upcoming project."
Musical Style and Inspirations
When Agnes first started on Swedish Idol, she showed a love for certain music styles. The first song she sang on TV was a soul ballad. During the competition, she impressed with her vocals on songs like "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Even then, she said soul singer Stevie Wonder was her inspiration. Her first two albums were mostly R&B, soul, and pop songs, continuing the style she showed on Idol.
After leaving Sony Music and joining Roxy, she moved towards dance and club music. She started working with songwriter and producer Anders Hansson. Agnes said they connected well, and Hansson helped her create the album Dance Love Pop. She wanted to make something "totally different" with uptempo, disco-style songs. When "On and On" was released, it clearly showed her new musical direction. Critics praised her new style, saying the album was perfect for dancing in clubs.
Agnes often mentions strong female soul singers like Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson as her musical inspirations. She once said that she would play Whitney Houston and Beyoncé's songs "at the highest volume" and sing along. She learned from Whitney Houston that it's important to put emotion into singing.
Personal Life
Agnes is married to Vincent Pontare. They have been together since 2009. Their first child was born in October 2022.
Albums
- Agnes (2005)
- Stronger (2006)
- Dance Love Pop (2008)
- Veritas (2012)
- Magic Still Exists (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Agnes Carlsson para niños
- List of awards and nominations received by Agnes Carlsson
- Swedish pop music
