The Swell Season facts for kids

The Swell Season is a music group made up of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Glen Hansard is from the Irish band "The Frames." Markéta Irglová is a talented Czech pianist and singer who trained in classical music. They became very famous when they won an Oscar for Best Song in 2008.

How The Swell Season Started

The music duo, who play pop and rock music, released their first album, The Swell Season, in 2006. This happened right after Glen Hansard's band, The Frames, released their sixth album, The Cost.

Their Movie Success

Hansard and Irglová also starred in a popular Irish movie called Once. In the movie, they played working-class immigrants. The film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, which is a big event for movies.

Winning an Oscar

The next year, they won an Oscar, which is a very important award in movies. They won the Academy Award for Best Song for their hit song "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once.

Glen Hansard was the first person born in Ireland to win an Oscar in that song category. Markéta Irglová made history too. She was the first Czech woman to win an Oscar. At just 19 years old, she was also the youngest person ever to win an Oscar in a music category.

Becoming Famous

After their Oscar win, The Swell Season became very well-known. The album with the movie's songs, called Once: Music from the Motion Picture, sold a lot of copies and became "gold" in February 2008. This means it sold over 500,000 copies! They then went on tour and performed for huge crowds in many countries. All their shows were sold out.

Their Journey and Friendship

During their tours, Hansard and Irglová became very close friends. They also recorded a song by Bob Dylan called "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for another movie, I'm Not There, in 2007. By 2009, Hansard shared that they were no longer a couple but remained "good friends."

The Oscar Night Speech

Hansard and Irglová performed "Falling Slowly" live at the Oscar awards show on February 24, 2008. This was at the Los Angeles Kodak Theater. When they went on stage to get their awards, Markéta's thank-you speech was cut short by the orchestra's music. The music was a signal for them to leave the stage.

However, the host of the show, Jon Stewart, kindly asked her to come back after a commercial break to finish her speech. The director of the ceremony, Gil Cates, said that cutting her speech short was an accident.

Markéta's Inspiring Words

When she returned to the stage, Markéta gave a powerful speech. She said: “Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we’re standing here tonight, the fact that we’re able to hold this, it’s just the proof that no matter how far out your dreams are, it’s possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much, who helped us along way. Thank you.”

Her speech inspired many people, especially other artists who are working hard to achieve their dreams.