IN CONVERSATION WITH AGNES

interview JANA LETONJA

Swedish pop icon Agnes returns with renewed creative fire following her acclaimed 2021 album ‘Magic Still Exists’, which earned her four Swedish Grammy nominations. Known for her soaring voice and fearless evolution over two decades, Agnes has nearly half a billion streams and global hits like ‘Release Me’ under her belt. Now, she teases a bold new era with recent singles ‘MILK’ and ‘Balenciaga Covered Eyes’, and the upcoming synth-pop banger ‘EGO’. 

Your latest singles ‘MILK’ and ‘Balenciaga Covered Eyes’ mark a bold sonic direction. What emotions or stories were you channeling into these tracks? 

With this album, I wanted it to feel and sound a bit rougher and rawer compared to the last one. If ‘Magic Still Exists’ had a lot of layers in the production, this time I wanted to use less elements and give every element more space to keep a bit of that raw vibe you'll get from an early demo. 

You’ve mentioned that your upcoming music is about “embracing contradictions” and stripping things down. What led you to that philosophy, and how does it manifest in the new songs? 

With my previous album, I spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of music I wanted to create and what universe I wanted to live in, both in terms of genre and the energy of the song. Lyrically, I wrote those songs with pretty broad brushstrokes.

This time, the lyrics were my main focus, and they kind of led the way. The songs are like a “side effect” of my thoughts, and I think I often use music to process what’s going on in my head and as a way to process things. With ‘Magic Still Exists’, I had this need for answers. But with this album, I feel like I just have a lot of questions and I’m throwing them out there, and I’m okay with not having it all figured out.

Can you give us a sneak peek into what ‘EGO’, your upcoming synth-pop single, represents in your upcoming music’s larger narrative?

‘EGO’ was actually the first song I wrote for this album. Around that time, I had been reading Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘A New Earth’, was dealing with fears, and I was processing it by writing ‘EGO ‘. And that song ended up setting the tone for the whole album and also shaped its concept.

This new era is about being “more naked and direct.” How did that affect your songwriting process emotionally?

For me, writing songs is always a big emotional roller coaster in the best way. The process for this album wasn’t that different from my last one. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to say, how I want to say it, and how I want it to feel. Once I’ve got a bag full of ideas, I sit down with a few producers and songwriters I really love and admire, and we continue the work on the songs together.

What does vulnerability sound like to you in music? And how do you balance that with the strength your music often carries?

Vulnerability can come from many things, the way you use your voice, the way you highlight a specific word or repeat it, the way you change the chords to move from power to melancholy. Vulnerability can also be about staying true to yourself, even if no one else understands why or what you're doing, and that’s enough. 

With so many years in the industry, how do you keep your artistic process fresh and evolving?

I actually feel so much more inspired today than I did 10 or 20 years ago. For me, I think it’s all about feeding and surrounding myself with things that inspire me or make my heart flutter in my chest, like being surrounded by creative people, listening to music, reading, watching documentaries or movies, looking at art, or catching live performances from any genre. I love listening to old, eccentric women, especially from the magazine or fashion world, like Diana Vreeland, Patricia Field, and Diane von Fürstenberg. They’re a source of inspiration. 

‘Release Me’ was such a massive global moment. How do you reflect on that part of your journey now, almost two decades later?

With love, I’m so grateful for that song, but even more for how it became such a big song. There was no big record company behind its success, no radio station pushing it. The reason it took off was because people were playing it in clubs. It really spread mouth to ear.

What would you describe as the most impactful moment of your career so far, and why?

The journey I had with my latest album, ‘Magic Still Exists’. Before I started working on it, I had spent four years out of the public eye, really immersing myself in the studio. I wrote a lot and, in a way, educated myself. Not just learning the basics of music production, but also as a creative being and I was digging really deep. When the album was out, I celebrated every little success, big or small, because it meant so much to accomplish something that comes from a true place, and when people connect with that, it’s powerful.

How does your life in Stockholm influence your music today -  sonically, emotionally, or even visually?

What I love about working in Stockholm is that it’s easy to create your own bubble, which I love while I’m being creative. Everything here feels so much more “indie,” in a way, and I’m surrounded by so much talent, and we all, I think, share this same vision, to create something beautiful that hopefully a lot of people can connect to, but on our own terms, without getting swept away by artificial stuff.

With the release of your single ‘EGO’, what else is coming up next for you?

Right now, we’re planning the album release and a tour, and I’m so excited for it. ‘Magic Still Exists’ came out during the pandemic, so I didn’t get to do any live shows. This tour will be for both the new album and the last one, and I really can’t wait to finally perform the songs for people.

CREDITS

photography FREDRIK HVASS