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Agnes Obel

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Agnes Obel
A. Obel in Belgium (2010)
A. Obel in Belgium (2010)
Background information
OriginCopenhagen, Denmark
GenresFolk, classical
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active2009-present
LabelsPIAS Recordings (2010)
Websitewww.agnesobel.com
twitter.com/agnesobel
www.myspace.com/obelmusic

Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel (born October 28, 1980)[1] is a Danish singer/songwriter. Her first album, Philharmonics, was released by PIAS Recordings on 4 October 2010 in Denmark, Norway, Germany and other European countries.[2] Since February 2011, Philharmonics is certified double platinum.[3]

Early life

Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel was born on October 28, 1980 in Gentofte (north of Copenhagen). Coming from a musician family, Agnes Obel learned piano at a very young age. Her mother used to play Bartók and Chopin at the piano.[4] During her childhood, Agnes Obel found inspiration in Jan Johansson's work. Johansson's songs, European folk tunes done in a jazzy style, have influenced the young musician a lot.[5]

She attended high school at Det frie Gymnasium.[6]

At the age of seven, Agnes Thaarup worked in a little band where she used to sing and play bass guitar. The group appeared in a festival and even recorded some titles.[7]

Later, and with the help of Danish musician and producer Elton Theander, Obel founded the Copenhagen based band Sohio. After few years of collaboration, Obel debuted as a solo singer with her first album Philharmonics (2010).

Agnes Obel writes, plays, sings, records and produces all her material herself.

For the singer, her piano is really much more than an instrument : "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."[8]

She is influenced by artists such as Roy Orbison, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey and also by the French composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Eric Satie.[4]

Obel likes too : Edgar Allan Poe (her favorite writer), photographer Tina Modotti and Alfred Hitchcock.[9] About Hitchcock : "I adore his enigmatic style, his sophisticated esthetic but always with an extreme simplicity."[4] The cover of her first album is a direct 'hommage' to The Birds (film).

Obel lives in Berlin.[2]

Philharmonics

Philharmonics has garnered generally positive review with for example James Skinner from BBC saying that "the compositions... are slow, sombre, sepulchral even, but not without a sense of occasionally singular beauty".[10]

In the French cultural magazine Les Inrockuptibles, Johanna Seban speaks about a "disarming purity" and states: "There is, in these deeply melancholic ballads, the clearness and reassuring nobility of bedside discs."[11]

In Musicomh, Ben Edgell writes: "Obel sings with a hushed and tender grace that waxes wistful and serene over yearning cello, harp, and piano vignettes. She's a fey siren, with a dusky, near-whispered vocal that speaks to Ane Brun or Eva Cassidy."[12]

Philharmonics contains three titles that are purely instrumental: Falling and Catching, Louretta, and Wallflower.

In March 2011, Obel has appeared for the first time in United States. At the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Agnes Obel has performed all the titles of Philharmonics.[13]

Philharmonics has become a critical and commercial success. French journalists have called Obel : "A revelation to follow".[14]

About her inspiration, Agnes Obel tells: “The texts come from the melody, its atmosphere, the piano (…) They also speak about the uncertainty of the future and undoubtedly of the feeling of loneliness, but without the anger which, for me, is not a musical engine”.[1]

Philharmonics - Deluxe Version

PIAS Recordings has released, on 7 February 2011, a 'Deluxe Version' of Philharmonics. This 'new' album contains five more tracks. Two instrumentals (Riverside and Just So) and three live versions : Over the Hill, Just So and (a new song) Smoke & Mirrors.

Awards

Since February 2011, her first album is certified double platinum in Denmark by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).[3]

In February 2011, Obel's first album has been nominated for Impala European Independent Album of the Year [15] and the title Riverside (from the Submarino's soundtrack) won the Robert Award for the Best Song of the year 2011.[16]

Others works

In 1994, Agnes Obel had a little part in the short film : The Boy Who Walked Backwards / Drengen der gik baglæns by Thomas Vinterberg. Her brother, Holger Thaarup, played the main character in the movie.[17]

Her song "Just So" was featured in a Deutsche Telekom commercial in Germany[2] and three songs were on the soundtrack to the movie Submarino by Thomas Vinterberg (2009).[18]

Obel's Riverside has been featured in Grey's Anatomy - 7x16 - Not Responsible in February 2011. Riverside also featured in episode 12, season 2 of the Australian TV series Offspring.

Agnes Obel is currently working on a new album. In an interview, She explains : There will be new melodies that do not take origin on my life in Berlin or when i was a teenager. I will begin recording this summer when I could take a break from my tour.[19]

Covers of songs by other songwriters

  • All of the songs in Philharmonics are original work except : "Close Watch" (I keep a Close Watch by John Cale) & "Katie Cruel" (a folk traditional; as the iTunes bonus track of the album).

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
DEN
[20] 		BEL
[21] 		FRA
[22] 		NLD
[23] 		SWI
[24]
Philharmonics 1 1 8 9 58
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Extended plays

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
DEN
[20] 		BEL
[21] 		FRA
[22] 		NLD
[23] 		SWI
[24]
iTunes Live à Paris — — 131 — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions showing year released and album name
Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
DEN
[20] 		BEL
[21] 		FRA
[22] 		NLD
[23] 		SWI
[24]
"Riverside" 2010 2 3 71 — 58 Philharmonics
"Just So" — 12 — 87 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Other charted songs

List of singles, with selected chart positions showing year released and album name
Single Year Peak chart positions Album
DEN
[20] 		BEL
[21] 		FRA
[22] 		NLD
[23] 		SWI
[24]
"On Powdered Ground" 2011 — 26 — — — Philharmonics
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ a b Cornet, Philippe (5 May 2011). "Il faut laisser la mélodie décider du texte". FocusVif. Cite error: The named reference "FocusVif.Be" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Schlosser, Rune (4 October 2010). "Agnes Obel – Ny melodisk klaverpop". Gaffa. Retrieved 14 October 2010. Template:Da icon
  3. ^ a b "Guld og platin 2010" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Cassavetti, Hugo (3 February 2011). "Rencontre avec Agnes Obel". Telerama. Cite error: The named reference "Telerama" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Moreau, Florence (30 January 2011). "Agnes Obel". La Voix du Nord. Retrieved 25 february 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ Borg, Carina (29 december). "Portræt af Agnes Obel". DR. Retrieved 4 January 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Davet, Stephane (10 february 2011). "La grace mélancolique secrète d'Agnes Obel". Le Monde. Retrieved 28 February 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "New Faces Agnes Obel". 6 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Agnes Obel : Découvrez ses artistes fétiches".
  10. ^ Skinner, James (6 October 2010). "Agnes Obel Philharmonics Review". BBC. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  11. ^ Seban, Johanna (9 December 2010). "Agnes Obel La Pureté désarmante". Les Inrockuptibles.
  12. ^ Edgell, Ben (4 October 2010). "Agnes Obel Philharmonics". Musicomh.
  13. ^ "Agnes Obel schedule". 2011.
  14. ^ "Agnes Obel" (in French). 8 February 2011.
  15. ^ "Impala European Independent Album of the Year". 30 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Nominerede personer 2011". 1 March 2011.
  17. ^ "Drengen der gik baglæns on IMDB".
  18. ^ Kønigsfeldt, Amalie (7 October 2010). "Agnes Obel – en symfoni af vellyd". Soundvenue. Retrieved 14 October 2010. Template:Da icon
  19. ^ Bounoua, Mélissa (22 March 2011). "Agnes Obel sur 20minutes.fr". 20minutes. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  20. ^ a b c d danishcharts.com - Discography Agnes Obel. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  21. ^ a b c d ultratop.be - Discographie Agnes Obel. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  22. ^ a b c d lescharts.com - Discographie Agnes Obel. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  23. ^ a b c d dutchcharts.nl - Discografie Agnes Obel. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  24. ^ a b c d Discographie Agnes Obel - hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  25. ^ Treo, Thomas (25 March 2011). "L.O.C. styrer for vildt!" (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 3 April 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ a b "LES DISQUES D'OR/DE PLATINE - SINGLES - 2011". Ultratop (in French). ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  27. ^ "Agnes Obel Platinum in France". PIAS Recordings. 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
  28. ^ "Album Top-40". Hitlisten. Nielsen Music Control. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-04-30.

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