Agnes Obel
Agnes Obel
Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel is a Danish singer/songwriter. Her first album, Philharmonics, was released by PIAS Recordings on 4 October 2010 in Europe. Philharmonics was certified gold in June 2011 by the Belgian Entertainment Associationfor sales of 10,000 units. At the Danish Music Awards in November 2011, Agnes Obel won five prizes: Best Album, Best Pop Release, Best Debut Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Songwriter...
NationalityDanish
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth28 October 1980
CityCopenhagen, Denmark
CountryDenmark
With 'Philharmonics,' I had to do a lot of interviews, and it was like I was corrupting something. In many ways, I've said everything in the song. And either I can't go back to what it was because it's changing when I play it, or I still haven't figured out what the song is about.
The orchestral or symphonic music never interested me.
On the last album, I didn't want to disturb the melody with too many stories. This time, I wanted to know if I was able to create images with words, with the sound of words.(...) I think that’s a good thing when the one who is listening, is feeling it in a different way that the one who creates. We are all listening with different perspectives.(...) I don’t want to impose my subjectivity to the listener.
The piano and the singing are two equal things to me - maybe not inseparable but very connected. You can say they are like two equal voices.
Sometimes I feel like a melody doesn't have anything to do with me, but it's just something that comes, is accumulated from me playing on the piano, and then this little creature just appears.
The best thing about Berlin was that I got to be surrounded by people who pursue their ideas for themselves.
Even though music is something I travel around doing, it is also a very private thing. A sort of escapism.
I learned that music should be fun and should be a way to express yourself - that there arent really any rules.
I love the conversation between film and music.
I don't have the feeling of being motivated by anger, revenge or frustration.
What I discovered in Berlin was this immense freedom because it felt like you could start any kind of project and nobody would care... and that's what I sort of adopted to my own.
I used to get very nervous before a concert. It's okay when you are in a band. You can kind of disappear. But when it's just you... yes, that was difficult. I would not say it is easy now. But when you do it for a long time, you do learn to cope.
I have a difficult relationship with jazz. My parents really love it, and I went to a school where jazz was considered the best thing ever, so I had to leave it be for a long time. But now I'm rediscovering it. I'm approaching jazz in a different way.
Everything that has a spare piano is 'like Satie' and everything with strings is 'filmic,' Sometimes I get annoyed when they say my stuff sounds 'like Satie'. No, it doesn't. At least, I don't think so.