More than 10 years ago, in 2009, Agnes‘ smash hit, „Release Me” was reigning over the charts in Hungary, as well, and there’s a high possibility that people would still recognize the song even by its first few seconds. The singer stayed in the limelight for another few years, then basically disappeared for a decade. During this time, she focused on herself and did whatever she wanted to do. This is why it’s so exciting that last October, she made her comeback with her latest album called „Magic Still Exists„.
Over the years, her song mentioned in the into became an anthem for the LGBTQI+ community, which came as no surprise because her message is love and positivity towards others – and this motto shined through our interview, as well. At the beginning of the year, we spoke to Agnes about her big comeback, what it feels like to be in the limelight again, her hits, and of course her future plans, as well – an exclusive interview with Agnes.
How are you feeling today?
I’m good, you know it’s a bit chilly in Stockholm it was actually snowing in the morning and at lunch, but yeah I’m good. I’m happy to talk to you.
How is the new year starting out for you? Did you have any resolutions, or did you set out any goals for the year?
You know, this new year started out like… I had a couple of sessions that were canceled because of COVID. So this year started a bit slow, but also at the same time, it is nice, because then you have some time to think about what I want to do and how I want to spend this year. Actually, I did a moon ceremony. That’s when you can… when there’s a full moon, a new moon, you do ceremonies around it, so I did the full moon ceremony. What you do then is you can write down things on a piece of paper you want to let go of and then you can burn up that paper. So hopefully what you wanna let go of is happening. And then new moon, you are supposed to write down on a piece of paper what you wish for.
You released your new album, Magic Still Exists last October. Besides the Nothing Can Compare EP, your latest album before that, Veritas came out in 2012. What were you doing during all those years that you spent away from music?
So you mean after the Veritas album?
Yes!
So I released my last album… when? When was that? Earlier than Magic Still Exists, I believe it was 2000… What did you say?
2012!
2012, yeah! Okay, so I was touring until 2015 and my last tour was in 2015, that summer. I have decided before the tour, that I’m gonna have a long break. And for me, it was because I was at a crossroads in my life. And I was 26 at that time and I started out when I was 16. So, I felt like I really, I felt like I needed to do something else, outside music, and being an artist and performing. For me it was more about traveling, trying to figure out myself, and doing different kinds of things that I was curious about. Like, doing singing-bowls? I don’t know if you have heard about singing-bowls? You can use them in meditation, so I did a course about that and learned about intention. The break before Magic Still Exists, was about trying to figure out me and what I wanted to do, and spend a lot of time in the studio. I never had the time for myself and to write and to understand who I was as a creative being, so that is what I was doing actually.
What made you decide to come back to music?
You know, at first, I didn’t know if I was gonna come back, but after a while, like after one and a half years, I felt like I am supposed to be a songwriter and to be an artist I just have to find my way and to create a world for myself where I feel comfortable and safe. I think it was many things that made me come back, but one of them was I started to learn the basics of music production. That made me able to just go into the studio all by myself. Before, if I had an idea I had to call somebody, like „can we go into the studio?” and now I wasn’t dependent on somebody else. That made me start to experiment in the studio and after a while, I felt, now I feel ready to release new music. It happened very organically.
The concept of Magic Still Exists is strongly based on love and spirituality. Can you talk us through the creative process behind it?
Before I released Magic Still Exists, I released an EP and when I had released the EP I knew I wanted to make a whole album, it was important for me because you have so many ideas and for me I wanted to create a world and it is so hard to do that, like in one or two or three singles you try to put in everything into those songs, I knew I wanted to make an album. I knew I wanted this album to be about this journey I have been going through, the break I had was a journey for me too, connecting to myself. It was very much about, I had a feeling before the break of me that I had put myself in a box and I was so tired of this box and just wanted to break out of it so it was a lot, my thoughts were a lot about, I was trying to free my mind and free my body. That was like the whole core of the album.
What’s the most important thing that you learned during the creation process of the record?
You know, I have learned, that how we live now, everything we do, we want to have a clear vision in one second and we want to know what we are doing and where we are heading, but sometimes things have to take time. I believe that people don’t want things to take time now, like our whole environment, like everything is supposed to go so fast and what I have learned is that some things have to take time, with that, it is not easy. It’s a lot of anxiety in not knowing, where you are heading. But looking back at it, that gave me such a foundation to stand on, I feel so sure of what I’m doing, and if I compare it with that from earlier in my life when everything happened so fast. Now I feel so much more grounded, and that was a big lesson during this process.
Which song was the hardest to create on the album?
The thing was, none of the songs on the album was that hard actually, they happened… maybe, not fast, but very easily. But, there were a lot of songs that didn’t… are not on the album, that wasn’t easy. Actually, we had one song, we had the last day of finishing and recording up the album and there was one song „we were like, it’s not gonna happen, we gonna take it out”.
How would you define magic and what does it mean to you?
You know magic for me… it’s those things that you cannot really see and maybe touch. It’s like, you are surrounded by magic. And magic for me is also like dreams and visions, also I don’t know, but type into the feelings you had as a child. When I remember situations or going into Christmas and I had this kind of magical feeling around it. I really tried to stay connected to that as a grown-up, because that’s what I feel very inspired by. You know being in the studio, making music is like playing, in a way. But playing and being very serious with what you are doing. As children, if you look at children when they are playing they are not just laughing, it can be deadly serious. Magic is like, really dreaming I think, and stay connected.
If you could change just one thing about the world, what would it be?
Oooh, that’s a tricky question… I think if I go back, like the whole thing of this album and what it’s all about and being free, and for me that’s… that is very close to my heart. I believe, we are so many spirits out there, that have so much creativity inside of us, but our fears hold us back. There are so many people out there that are able to do so much, but the fears are stopping us. My wish is that all people out there that are holding back, because of fear, can we just give ourselves a little bit of relief and go off the fears. Everyone just able to sparkle and bloom out.
What are you the most grateful for in your life?
In the end, I’m just grateful for family and my friends, and that I am able to do what I do, being an artist and making music, and also to decide what I wanna do with my life and my days, my time.
What’s your favorite part of being a musician (songwriting, recording, concerts etc.)?
I love to be in the studio and make music, I love that. And I love also now that I’m planning on going out touring, I’d love to have a vision of how I want to look like. I think I love all the parts, but it’s scary, now I haven’t been out on stage for such a long time, so it’s a bit scary as well.
What is your proudest achievement of your career so far?
Right now, I actually I feel like making this album. It was such a big milestone for me to do it and put all the thoughts I had into it. Right now, I think it’s that.
Which song of yours would you show to a person that doesn’t know you yet?
Hmm, that’s a tricky one. I would say, „just listen to the whole album”, please.
Do you have any hidden talents that we don’t know about?
You know, I’m pretty good at party tricks, so I have a thing like I can make a sound with my tongue, that sounds very loud. When I was a child, my biggest hero was Jim Carey, do you know him? I loved him, I had a picture of him in my room and I could stand in front of the mirror for hours and like trying to make the faces he did. So, I learned a lot of party tricks from him.
Who were your biggest inspirations when you were starting out and who are they now?
When I was a child and a teenager, I listened a lot pop-soul-rnb, like I love Destiny’s Childs, Robyn, Whitney Huston, Stevie Wonder. It was like a mixture of soul, rnb and pop. And now I have been so inspired by Solange‘s album When I Get Home, I just think that album is a masterpiece and everything she did around it, like the videos and the whole idea around that the album… is crazy good. She’s a very big inspiration to me, and also Róisín Murphy, I love her music and her voice, so yeah, those two.
There are some artists who don’t really like their older, signature hits because they’re bored of them or for whatever other reasons. How do you feel about Release Me in that sense?
You know, when I listen to the production I feel like it’s very not updated, it feels old to me. In a way, but I think it’s because when you are making the music yourself you listen to them in another way. Would’ve I chosen that drum now? Would’ve I chosen that synth now? But as a song I love the song, it’s still like… I really feel so connected with the song still. I believe Release Me and this new album, it has some other connection with each other, I believe. So, I’m not bored of the song, when I do it live I try to change the production a little bit for me to make it more fun. But I still think it’s a great song.
Yeah, it really is! It is so weird for me that you said it’s kind of outdated, because I loved Release Me when I was like 14, and I still love it now. And I was just listening to it the other day and I was like „you know, you could release it today and it would still sound fresh”. It’s weird for me you said that!
Yeah, but I believe if you had recorded it yourself, maybe you’d felt different things. As I think you listen to your own songs in another way.
In a more critical way, maybe!
Yeah, I think so!!
If you had a time machine and you could go back in time to when you were starting out as a singer and give your younger self just one piece of advice, what would it be?
I think I would give myself the advice that I understood now like, some things take time. And you don’t have to hurry and if things feel wrong, don’t do it. I think, always I was surrounded by good people, but even though you are surrounded by good people, you are the one choosing what you want to do and what you don’t want to do. Sometimes you make choices and you think this is the best and it’s like, I don’t feel it. You’re connected with what you are doing and you understand the purpose, then everything is perfect. But if you don’t feel connected then you should say no, I believe.
What are your plans for the next 10 years?
Ooh-la-la, you know I just want to keep on making music and writing more songs. I want to become better at making productions and I would love to go out and tour and see the people that are listening to the songs. Yeah, just keep on with what I’m doing.
Is there a message that you would like to share with your Hungarian fans?
Hmm, what would that be? I believe, like all of us have a purpose and our thing in life is to make our lives and our environments so warm and loving so I think, give yourself that! Because, when you give yourself that, then you’re gonna shine brighter. And when you shine brighter, you bring in the good in your life, so I believe our goal in life is just to make ourselves enjoy more. And when you enjoy, you do better things. So, yeah, enjoy life!
That’s a beautiful day to end our conversation! But before we let you go, we would like to teach you something, so you can take away something from this interview, as well. So I’m wondering, do you know any Hungarian words?
Uhm, any… what?
Hungarian words.
Hungarian words… no!
Then is it okay for you, if we teach you how to say „I love you” in Hungarian?
I would love to learn that! I love you.
Alright, so it goes like this, „szeretlek.
Szeretlek.
Yes, for the first time, wow! Agnes, thank you for your time to chat with us.
It was lovely talking to you!
We really love you, just have a good day!
You too, bye-bye!
