Agnes Carlsson

At 36 years old, Agnes Carlsson has this physical status:

Agnes Emilia Carlsson (born 6 March 1988 in Vänersborg, Sweden), known mononymously as Agnes, is a Swedish recording artist.

She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series.

She was then signed to Sony Music, through which she released her self-titled debut album, Agnes, and follow-up, Stronger, both of which topped the Swedish Top 60 Albums Chart.

In early 2008, it was announced that Agnes had parted ways with her record label, and was now signed to small independent label Roxy Recordings.

Released on 28 October 2008, her third album, Dance Love Pop, reached number five in Sweden, 70 in Austria, 38 in France, 45 in Switzerland and 13 in the United Kingdom.

With 200,000 albums sold worldwide this is her most successful album, 50,000 albums were sold in France, 40,000 in Sweden.

Its first two singles, "On and On" and "Release Me" became international hits, reaching the top-ten in charts worldwide.

"Release Me" topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs and peaked at three in the United Kingdom, selling over 900,000 copies worldwide. Agnes has cited Stevie Wonder as her inspiration 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. 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. However, it was not until she was 16 that she first had one-on-one singing lessons. Agnes also sang in the Vänersborg choir named "Voice", citing legendary American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder as her inspiration.

Personal life

Agnes is married to Vincent Pontare, whom she has been dating since 2009.

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Career

A 17-year-old Agnes of Gothenburg auditioned for the second season of popular Swedish singing competition Idol, singing "Varje Grü Dig" by Lisa Nilsson. The four judges were all impressed by the contest's strong voice, and she gained entry into the theatre rounds. Her vocals continued to impress the judges and made it to the semi-finals. Agnes did not gain a spot in the final 11 contestants by public vote, to the judges' dismay, and when she failed to qualify for a spot in the special 'wildcard' round, they decided to move her to the judges' choice contestant.

Agnes went on to awe both the judges and the public every week of the finals, with the aim of advancing to the grand finale without ever falling into the bottom two or three contestants. She defeated Sebastian Karlsson and was crowned as the second female to win the competition with 57% of the one million public votes cast during the finale.

Immediately after winning Idol, Agnes, Agnes signed a recording deal with Sony BMG and her debut single, "Right Here Right Now (My Heart Belongs to You), was released. The album debuted at number one on the Swedish singles chart a week after, a position it remained for six weeks. In Sweden, the song was quickly acknowledged as a double platinum for the selling of over 40,000 copies. Agnes' highly awaited debut album was released just one week later on December 19, 2005, which celebrated Agnes' voice and highlighted the flexibility of her voice, although she was still eighteen years old. In its first week of release, the album debuted at number one on the Swedish charts and was certified platinum. Eurovision sold nearly 40,000 copies.

"Stranded" was released in March 2006, when she wasn't touring in support of her debut album. Despite receiving positive critical feedback, the single did not achieve commercial success and remained stalled in the singles charts at number twenty-seven. Despite this, her first album's success continued to grow, with over 90,000 copies in Sweden by the time it dropped from the top 60 Albums charts.

Agnes' third single "Kick Back Relax" premiered on the TV show "Sommarkrysset" on August 22, just eight months after she won the Idol prize. The album, which will debut as the lead single from her second studio album, debuted on September 7th and barely escaped at number two on the Swedish singles chart, despite its debuting at number two. Stronger, her second album, was released on October 11th, less than a year after her debut album was announced. Stronger debuted on the charts as a top-five performer in Sweden and went on to sell over 50,000 copies in Sweden, the first time it was rated platinum. "Love Is All Around," one of the album's top hits, has since been covered by numerous musicians on three continents, the most notable of which was Australian Idol alumni Ricki Lee Coulter, who reached number five in Australia and became one of the country's biggest hits in 2007.

Agnes' second single, "Champion," debuted on November 15, 2006, and peaked at number nineteen. She started her second national debut in early 2007. MQ's clothing store MQ's founder, Mns Zelmerlöw, and her coworker Mdol contestant Mns Zelmerlöw joined together in December for a huge Christmas sale. They debuted on a cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which debuted at number three on the Swedish singles chart and was awarded gold for the selling of 10,000 copies.

Agnes had spelled out with her band name Sony BMG in early 2008, with Agnes citing "creative differences" as the reason for the break. On August 11, "On and On," the first single from her upcoming third studio, was released, she resigned to Roxy Recordings. The album represented a change in Agnes' musical style, with more dance and club style on display, while moving away from her original pop and R&B. Agnes first performed the song live on August 16, 2008, during the Swedish TV show "Sommarkrysset." The single spent four weeks on the Swedish singles chart, hitting the top spot on the team chart and earning a gold medal. Agnes' third studio album, Dance Love Pop, which she had written together with Swedish producer and songwriter Anders Hansson, will be reflected in the same club style. The album was released on October 28th, 2008, and it debuted on the Swedish albums chart at number five with first week sales of 10,000 copies. "Release Me" was the album's second single from the start on September 24th, peaking at number nine on the Swedish chart and being certified gold. Despite the album's success, it was unable to be in tune with the album's first single.

It was rumored that Agnes would compete in Melodifestivalen 2009, the competition that would determine Sweden's entry to the Eurovision music competition. Agnes later confirmed this in a journalist Göteborgsposten, Sweden, and SVT announced it on December 2, 2008. As her official entry song, the song "Love Love" was chosen. Anders Hansson, who had worked with Agnes on her third album, co-written almost half of the album's songs, including "On and On and On and "Release Me" and "Release Me." Agnes had intended to perform "Love Love Love" as a duet with fellow Swedish singer and former A-teens Athlet Marie Serneholt, but later determined that Serneholt would be competing on her own, Agnes performed "Love Love Love" as a solo act. Agnes advanced to the final round of Melodifestivalen 2009 on February 28, 2009, winning 8th place with 40 points. On February 28, she officially launched "Love Love" as the third single from Dance Love Pop, occupying number four on the Swedish charts. The song appeared on her third studio album, which was released on April 1st 2009. Dance Love Pop's popularity soared to the Swedish charts chart after its re-introduction, peaking at number 12.

"Release Me" first gained notice in the international arena during Agnes' attempts to promote Melodifestivalen in the spring of 2009, with Roxy Recordings later announcing that the album will be available in other countries. Agnes' music would not be available outside of Sweden for the first time. The single made its first international appearance in Denmark, where it debuted on top of 25,000 copies, but more importantly, "Release Me" made major headlines in the UK and Agnes, with Agnes, the song's first gay nightclub venue and also a live broadcast of GMTV, one of the UK's biggest breakfast shows, earning the song's first international debut. Release Me reached the top of Radio 1's A-list playlist, debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, and remained ranked high in the top ten for many weeks. With over 300,000 copies sold, it was able to obtain a Silver certification after eight weeks. The song debuted at thirty-eight years in Ireland and later reached a peak of ten. "Release Me" reignited European charts during the summer and fall, having been launched in several European countries, and has been a hit in France, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. Agnes made her first appearance outside of Europe in late July after being signed by Warner Music in Australia with "Release Me" as her first Australian debuting as her first Australian top ten in the first week.

"On and On" Agnes' second international single was released in the Netherlands, where it reached its peak at number fourteen. Due to digital downloads from Dance Love Pop later this year, "On and On" began to burgeon in Europe's francophone regions. It debuted at number seventeen in the Belgian-(Wallon) Singles Chart, and after its debut, it surpassed seventeen people. It reached eight in the Belgian (Flemish) Singles Chart, making it Belgium's second top-ten hits. Although a new version of "On Se Donne" had been released as a single, it reached number fourteen on the French Download Chart and thirty-seven in the Swiss Singles Chart, with the French version at number fourteen. In May 2010, "On and On" was released as Germany's second single, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary, as the UK's third single in June.

"I Need You Now," the second single on Dance Love Pop was rereleased in the United Kingdom. "I Need You Now" was officially launched in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2009, and topped the UK Singles Chart at 40. At 5, however, fared better in the dance chart. In Sweden, "I Need You Now" was released on September 23, 2009, as an iTunes exclusive single. Despite no promotion and little airplay, it was released to other digital markets and eventually climbed to number ten on the Swedish Singles Chart and then peaked at number eight, making it Agnes' seventh top-ten hits in Sweden. The song was also released in a few other countries, including Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Norway, and Australia, but it failed to appear in any charts.

Agnes' third French single, "Sometimes I Forget," would be released in February 2010 as the sequel to the massive success of "Release Me" and "On and On" which together sold over 160,000 copies in France.

On August 18, 2009, Geffen Records, a major American record company, reported that they had signed Agnes and would debut "Release Me" in the United States. She also received a 1 million dollar ($1,000,000) signing bonus. Agnes became the first and to date only Swedish Idol contestant to be launched in America. Three of America's top record firms debate Agnes and her potential before landing on Interscope/Geffen's table. A group of 35 people was selected to make Lady Gaga the next actress in 2009, and the Agnes' launch in the United States in early 2010 started in early 2010.

Agnes performed for the first time in the United States on August 27th, 2009, at a release party for her single "Release Me." "She has it all," Ron Fair, Interscope Records' CEO, said during the interview. She is an amazing performer, has a beautiful appearance, and is fearless and humble." Agnes' debut in the United States and Canada continued in the spring 2010 and "Release Me" was added to mainstream radio in the summer of 2010.

Agnes and Björn Skifs performed at the Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling on June 19th. When You Tell the World You're Mine was the official wedding song, written specifically for this occasion. Jörgen Elofsson, who has worked with Agnes before, wrote the lyrics, and Jörgen Elofsson & John Lundvik wrote the music. Prince Daniel, the Crown Prince of Sweden, was commissioned by Elofsson to compose a song that reflects what people feel when they fall in love. At fourteen, the song reached the top 60 Singles and peak at one a week later. In Finland, it reached its high of 19.

Veritas, Agnes' fourth album, was released in September 2012. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," the show's first official single, premiered on August 5, 2011. Mr. Gay Sweden. The single fell out of place on the official Swedish singles chart, but it peaked at third place on the digital chart thanks to high digital sales. This was due to a lack of followers on Spotify, which is the source of the official single chart since 2010.

Agnes' "One Last Time" was the lead single from Veritas on May 28, 2012. The single was released in Sweden, unlike her previous singles. The single had leaked onto Swedish Spotify earlier in May and was later dispersed. The single soared to the top of the charts on the first day of its debut. Agnes also stated in an interview that she wanted to be involved with all of the songs on her record. Interscope, her American record company, wanted her to move to the United States and record the album there, but Agnes didn't feel "at home" and couldn't find the people she wanted to work with. Therefore, she decided to return to Sweden to record her album there. Agnes' press release commented on the album's name: "I like how the word 'Veritas' sounds, how it looks, and especially what it stands for." The word "fits with the whole concept behind this album."

The song "All I Want Is You" was released in Sweden as Sweden's second single and marketed as the second single in Sweden and promoted with a appearance at Swedish television show Sommarkrysset on August 31. "Agnes Doesn't Want Much... All She Wants Is You," Perez Hilton raps the song together on his website a few days before, on August 29th.

And all WE want it more Agnes!

Seems like a fair trade to us!"

Agnes has referred to "All I Want Is You" as a flurry and ambiguous declaration of passion, but also a tale of obsession. The song did not chart as well as her predecessor's "One Last Time," but it did not reach the Swedish charts, although it did appear on the official download chart at number nine. In June 2013, Veritas' third single, "Got Me Good," was remixed by Bassflow, was released.

During the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö on May 16, Agnes and singer Darin Zanyar performed as the interval act of Swedish Pop Voices. Agnes appeared on the TV4 show Smycket bättre in late 2013. On December 27, 2013, she first hit album, titled Collection.

Agnes revealed on her Instagram page that she will be included on the posthumous Avicii album "Tough Love" seven years after her first appearance on May 8th. Avicii had sent Vincent Pontare and Salem Al Fakir of Vargas & Lagola a note announcing that the song should be a duet by a "true couple" or a couple that have collaborated together enough to be almost considered a "couple" in the case. In a melodic passage influenced by Avicii's study of northwest India's music, which he had played for Pontare and Al Fakir before his death, DJ Mag's "though Love" was described as having Indian influences.

Agnes founded Senga, her own record label, following her return to music. Agnes released the EP Nothing Can Compare on October 25, 2019, which was preceded by the singles "Limelight" and "I Trance." The EP featured the likes of Donna Summer and voices from the 1990 cult documentary film Paris is Burning, and it was described in the media as taking a "rawer and darker" musical direction than her previous work.

Agnes released the single "Goodlife" on February 7, 2020. Agnes unveiled her fifth studio album Magic Still Exists, her first in eight years, on August 21, 2020, and she co-wrote with Vargas & Lagola on "Fingers Crossed." SWIM CLUB's accompanying music video was influenced by Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountains and Swedish abstract artist Hilma af Klint. "Fingers Crossed" was "inspired by the knowledge that nothing is impossible because absolutely nothing is impossible," Agnes said. It's a song that will bring you up to new heights and, like a nonviolent tank, it crushes everything in its path. The song does not excuse itself, and I don't excuse myself. I'm glad you're here now, and it's my party, so... I can do what I want to." Agnes released the single "24 Hours" on May 21, 2021.

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