Agnes

Agnes Carlsson, known professionally as Agnes, is a Swedish singer from Vänersborg Municipality, Sweden. Born in 1988, she performs pop, R&B and dance music, and is also associated with dance-pop, electronic, electropop, europop and house.

Career

Agnes comes to national attention after winning the second series of the Swedish singing competition Idol in 2005. She is selected for the finals as a judges’ choice contestant after failing to secure a place through the main and wildcard rounds, then wins the series without ever appearing in the bottom two or three. She is one of only a small number of wildcard contestants to win an Idol competition internationally.

After her win, she signs to Sony BMG and releases her debut single, Right Here Right Now, which reaches number one on the Swedish singles chart and is certified double platinum in Sweden. Her debut album, Agnes, follows shortly afterwards and also reaches number one on the Swedish albums chart. It becomes her highest-selling album from this period and is certified double platinum.

Her second album, Stronger, arrives less than a year later and also tops the Swedish albums chart. It is certified platinum. The album includes Love Is All Around, a track that is later covered by several singers in three continents, including Australian Idol alumnus Ricki Lee Coulter, whose version becomes a major hit in Australia. Another single from the album, Champion, reaches number nineteen.

Singles, label changes and stylistic shift

In 2007, Agnes records a Christmas cover of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You with fellow Idol contestant Måns Zelmerlöw for a campaign for the clothing store MQ. The recording reaches number three on the Swedish singles chart.

She later leaves Sony BMG and signs to Roxy Records, citing creative differences. Under the new label, her music moves further towards dance and club styles. On and On is released as a digital single and later reaches number eight on the Swedish chart, while also reaching number one on the dance and club charts. Her third studio album, Dance Love Pop, is released through Roxy Records and enters the Swedish albums chart at number five. The album includes Love Me Senseless, and Release Me is issued as a single and enters the Swedish singles chart at number 60 on downloads alone. Dance Love Pop is later certified gold in Sweden.

Commercial standing

Agnes becomes one of Sweden’s most popular and best-selling female singers, with sales of more than 160,000 albums in Sweden. Her early releases are especially successful, and her debut album holds the record as the highest-selling album by any Idol contestant.