Swedish Popstar Agnes Is Back With A New Sound And EP

Swedish pop star Agnes is making a splash with her new EP ‘Nothing Can Compare’. Making her debut in 2005, the singer-songwriter made massive waves with her 2009 hit single ‘Release Me.’ After dominating the music charts with her string of albums – including the critically acclaimed Veritas– and 2015 tour, the hitmaker took a year and a half break from music. During that time, the songstress traveled the world, gaining inspiration from the people and places she encountered. The beginning of 2019 saw her return to music on Avicii’s posthumous single ‘Tough Love’. Wasting no time, she continued to create new material leading up to the release of her EP ‘Nothing Can Compare’. Channeling her inner dance queen, Agnes brings the classic musical elements from previous records and combines it with a newly discovered sound and twist. 

We got to chat with Agnes about everything from her collaboration on Avicii posthumous single, her new EP, and so much more…

This year saw your return to music. What have you been up to during your hiatus?

I’ve been traveling, making music, spending time with family and friends, I started out when I was 16, and suddenly ten years had passed by, and I needed some time off to see new things, meet new people, grow as a person and get inspired.

How did your feature on Avicii posthumous single ‘Tough Love’ come to be? 

While the song was in the making, Tim said he wanted it to be a duet between a real couple. After the tragic and heart-breaking passing, everything was on hold…

After quite some time, the family decided they wanted to release the new music. I did a demo on the song. And when the family and record company heard it, they thought it should stay that way with my voice on. So it’s me and my boyfriend, Vincent, singing on it. Vincent is also one of the writers on the song.

Your EP ‘Nothing Can Compare’ is a dance-filled and carefree record? What were some of your key inspirations while making the record? 

Liberation. I love the combination of the simplicity of standing on the dance floor moving to music and at the same time have those existential questions that actually often happened when you’re at a club late at night (for me, at least.

I don’t know what it is, but something happens in your mind. It expands. 

Musical inspirations were:

Sebastian Tellier, Donna Summer, what Giorgio Moroder did during the early 70s.

The accompanying video is giving us major 70’s Soul Train vibes. Was that your intention when you were creating the visual?

When I create music, I often see how it visually should feel and look like at the same time, and this was what I saw. I’m very into the whole 70s club scene and the 70s psychedelic vibe. This EP was all about liberation, the quick fix, and the night. 

Which track off the EP was the most memorable to make?

I Trance, it’s the first song I have both written and also produced for the first time. Producing it was like being a child and getting access to your mom’s makeup bag. I was very excited to see what worlds and sounds you create when no one else is listening. When you’re all by yourself. When I started to make I Trance, I was lying in bed with the computer on my belly and having a big window in front of me with a view over LA at night. I saw all the million lights and planes coming in and out of the city. 

Since your debut, how have you and your music evolved? 

It has evolved by being more personal, I think. Now I’m freer to play around and try out new things. Both with the production but also with my voice. 

Is there an artist that you’re really enjoying at the moment?

Yes, many. Everything from Kanye West, Donna Summer, Lana Del Rey, and an all-time favourite is Monica Zetterlund. Her voice is one of a kind, magical. At home, I listen a lot to instrumental music such as Khruangbin. 

Do you have plans to release a follow-up album soon?

Yes, right now, I am in the studio finishing the first single that will come out early next year. It will be the first single on the new album. I am very excited. If the EP Nothing Can Compare was the night, this new music is the day and the sun.

Make sure to check out Agnes latest video for her track ‘Nothing Can Compare’.