Words: Fabio Magnocavallo

When Agnes first broke through, she did so on a global scale. Her europop, disco-leaning hit “Release Me” became an international phenomenon, racking up hundreds of millions of streams, earning an MTV EMA, reaching the top 10 across Europe and topping the US dance charts. It was an early, undeniable statement of pop stardom.

After stepping away from the spotlight, the Swedish artist returned reinvigorated in 2019, culminating in the quietly brilliant Magic Still Exists in 2021. The album marked a turning point, earning four Swedish Grammy nominations and a win for Best Songwriter. Like fellow pop innovators Robyn and Charli xcx, Agnes has embraced artistic evolution later in her career, re-emerging with renewed confidence and creative freedom. Her new album, BEAUTIFUL MADNESS, out today, captures that momentum perfectly – bold, experimental and irresistibly catchy, and encapsulates why it’s an exciting time to be a pop music fan right now.

In an exclusive interview with FAULT, we discuss the new record, individual tracks, and her characteristic flaw. 

You are releasing your first album in over four years, following a year of releasing singles from it. How are you feeling about having it out?

I feel very excited about finally being able to present the whole experience!

BEAUTIFUL MADNESS is the title of the album and is the first proper song we hear on the record. What inspired the title? Did you already have the song beforehand?

I had worked on the album for about a year, and I still tried to figure out what it was all about. I knew it was about the contrast and the acceptance of how complex we are and how much we can feel and be at the same time. Then “Beautiful Madness” popped up in my head, and I knew that kind of explained it all, and things fell into place. The lyrics and where we wanted to go production-wise with the songs all made sense. 

You break up the album with several interludes. Why did you feel this was fitting?

I just love interludes; I think it’s a nice way to embroider thoughts and ideas and tell a story.

You’re keeping us in the clubs with this record. What is your history/relationship like with that world?

Since I was a teenager, I’ve always liked the combination of club and pop. Telling stories and talking about emotions, while at the same time having the beat underneath it all, just makes things go deeper for me and makes it more interesting.

I want to highlight a few tracks, and you can tell me about what inspired them/the creative process, or anything. Let’s start with “Trigger.”

“Trigger” is a reaction to where we were at that time when I wrote the song, to the media and especially social media. I think something has switched now, but it still feels relevant.

“Wake Up,” the latest single.

I was reading about radical acceptance and thought to myself, ‘What is that in a song?’ We had so much fun making this song.

What about “Sign It?”

It started with the lyrics of the verse: “Don’t ever look down on who you are.” I had it for years. And then one day in the studio, the producer started to work on this beat, and I was like, ‘Wait, I think I got something that could work with this.’

“Uterus & Universe.” This song felt like an intentional way to end the album. Talk to me about this.

It’s hard to talk about this song because, for me, the meaning of it is so grand I can’t really put it into words… but it’s about motherhood and the beauty and the madness of it all.

Someone I know compared your career to that of another Swedish artist, Robyn. How do you feel about your career path so far? It feels as if you’re having a huge rebirth, as she did many years ago.

A new chapter started with the last album, Magic Still Exists, and I feel in many ways that it is my first. I spent four years out of the public eye just to go deeper into songwriting, and the work around making that album was such a healing process. I started out when I was pretty young (16), and it took me some time to find myself, my voice, and get rid of ideas that got between me and the music I wanted to make.

How often do you reflect on your early material?

Not much, actually. To be totally honest, I think more about the future. 

If you could manifest any song on this album to match or succeed the success of “Release Me,” what would it be and why?

Hmm, a good question. I think my answer would be that the whole album should be the “thing.” Since Magic Still Exists, it has been important for me to build a world and not focus too much on a song… everything becomes so much more fragile then. 

What do you want people to take away from this album once it’s out?

I hope with this album, people will listen to it and feel like, ‘I can be it all.’ That can be loving, caring and selfish at the same time, beautiful, ugly, vulnerable, powerful, and that it’s OK. We are complex, and that’s OK.

You’re heading out on the road this month and will be performing at Mighty Hoopla in the summer! How are you feeling about bringing this material to the stage? It’s a long time coming!

I feel very excited about it. It’s been over 10 years since my last tour, and I can’t wait to bring people into the beauty and the madness.  

What is your FAULT? 

I’m such a time optimist, and it’s something I’m not very proud of, so it’s something I want to get better at.