In the spring of 2005, a 17-year-old Carlsson auditioned for the second series of phenomenally popular Swedish singing competition Idol in Göteborg, singing "Varje Gång Jag Ser Dig" by Lisa Nilsson. The four judges were all hugely impressed by the strong power of her voice and she successfully passed through to the theatre rounds of the contest. Her vocals continued to impress, and she made it to the semi-finals. To the dismay of the judges, Carlsson did not get a place in the final eleven contestants, and when she again failed to grab a place through the special 'wildcard' round, they decided to pass her through to the finals as the judges' choice contestant. Despite this setback, Carlsson wowed both the judges and the public during every week of the finals, and after making it to the grand finale nine weeks later, she defeated runner-up Sebastian Karlsson and was crowned as the second Swedish Idol. Throughout the finals, Carlsson had never landed in the bottom 2 or 3, and she is currently one of only 4 wildcard contestants to win an Idol competition anywhere in the world. She was preceded in 2004 by Canada's Ryan Malcolm and Kazakhstan's Almas Kishkenbayev, and followed in 2007 by Australia's Natalie Gauci.
Immediately after winning Idol, Carlsson signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and her debut single, "Right Here Right Now" was released. A week later, the song debuted at number one on the Swedish singles chart, a position it held for six weeks. It was quickly certified double platinum for the sale of 40,000 copies in Sweden. Just one week later, on December 19, 2005, her debut album Agnes was released to positive reviews and massive opening week sales. It shot into the albums chart a week later at number one, a position it held for two consecutive weeks.
In March 2006, whilst touring in support of her debut album, Carlsson released her second single, "Stranded". Although it received positive critical reviews, the single did not gain commercial success and stalled in the singles chart at number twenty-seven. Despite this however, Carlsson's debut album continued to enjoy huge sales success, selling over 90,000 copies in Sweden alone. It was certified double platinum and to date holds the record for being the highest-selling album by any Idol contestant.
On August 22, 2006, only eight months after her Idol win, Carlsson's third single "Kick Back Relax" premiered on the TV-show "Sommarkrysset". The song, which would serve as the lead single from her much anticipated sophomore album, was released on September 7 and narrowly missed the top spot on the Swedish singles chart, peaking at number two. Her second album, Stronger was released on October 11, less than a year after the release of her debut. Like its predecessor, Stronger debuted at number one on the albums chart, and went on to sell 50,000 copies, certifying it platinum. One of the album's tracks, "Love Is All Around" has since been covered by numerous singers in three continents, the most notable being by Australian Idol alumni Ricki Lee Coulter, which peaked at number two in Australia and became one of the country's biggest hits in 2007.
On November 15, Carlsson released "Champion", the second single from her sophomore album. The song peaked at number nineteen, seemingly setting a pattern of high-low chart positions for Carlsson, which had also occurred with the two singles from her first album. In early 2007, Carlsson embarked upon her second national tour in just over one year. In December, Carlsson and her former Idol fellow contestant Måns Zelmerlöw joined forces for a huge Christmas campaign for clothing store MQ. In order to promote the company, they released a cover of the Mariah Carey song "All I Want For Christmas Is You", which peaked at number three on the Swedish singles chart.
In early 2008, it was announced that Carlsson had parted ways with her record label Sony BMG, citing creative differences as the reason behind the split. She quickly signed to record company Roxy Records, who stated that after taking a short break from the music industry, Carlsson would return with her third studio album, the first with her new label. On August 11, Carlsson's fifth single "On And On" was passed to radio stations and released as a digital download. Geared towards the dance and club genre, the single was a clear change of artistic direction for Carlsson's music, which had previously consisted of pop and RnB. The first public performance of the single was on August 16 during the Swedeish TV-show "Sommarkrysset". The single debuted at number twenty-seven, but following its physical release it surged up the chart and spent three weeks at its peak of number 8, as well as charting at the top spot of the dance and club charts.
On September 13, Kaj Kindvall, the host of the radioshow "Tracks" announced that Carlsson's highly anticipated third studio album would be called "Dance Love Pop" and then went on to explain the reason behind the record's name: "Dance Love Pop covers the three things that the music is all about on this album; dance-music that has a twist of pop and is about love". Roxy Records confirmed the album's title four days later, and also stated that the release date of the album would be October 29, 2008.
In an interview with Swedish radio channel P3 the song "Love Me Senseless" was played, and although it was confirmed as a track on Carlsson's third album, it was not confirmed whether it would be released as the second single. The album Dance! Love! Pop! was released on October 28 and debuted on the Swedish albums chart at number 5 with sales of 10,000 copies. On November 24, "Release Me" was released as the second single from the album. It debuted on the Swedish singles chart at number 60 based on digital downloads alone, whilst the album was certified gold for the sale of 20,000 copies since its release.
How Do You Know
Agnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cover it up but it's much too hard to hide, it is
Hanging around, I can't believe I didn't see it coming
I wanna run away but I just can't seem to leave it, oh no
I'm going round round, nothing down, I don't understand
I say: "No no, let it go, don't be a fool. Take no chance"
How do you know? How do you know?
If it's real, then where do you go?
How do you know? How do you know?
If it is, please show me the roads
If it's love, then how do you know?
If it's love, then how do you know?
I believe you're an angel down to guide me, you are
To one that's always be right here beside me, oh please
Tell me that my mind won't go and change it, I'm scared
Promise me you'll be here when we get here, oh yeah
I'm going round round, nothing down, I don't understand
I say: "No no, let it go, don't be a fool. Take no chance"
Chorus:
How do you know? How do you know?
If it's real, then where do you go?
How do you know? How do you know?
If it is, please show me the roads
If it's love, then how do you know?
If it's love, then how do you know?
Understand that love takes more than reason
But I'm finding out you'll never understand at all
Chorus:
How do you know? How do you know?
If it's real, then where do you go?
How do you know? How do you know?
If it is, please show me the roads
How do you know? How do you know?
If it's real, then where do you go?
How do you know? How do you know?
If it is, please show me the roads
If it's love, then how do you know?
If it's love, then how do you know?
(repeat)
The lyrics of Agnes's song "How Do You Know" describe the confusion and uncertainty that come with falling in love. The singer acknowledges that they've been avoiding their feelings, trying to "cover it up," but eventually they can't ignore them any longer. They express the fear of taking a chance on love and not knowing if it's real or if it will last. The singer wants reassurance and guidance from their partner, but also acknowledges that love is complicated and can't always be understood with logic or reason.
The repetition of "How do you know?" in the chorus highlights the singer's confusion and insecurity. They are looking for guidance and answers, but ultimately realize that maybe there are no clear answers when it comes to matters of the heart. The song ends on a note of uncertainty, with the singer still seeking clarity and understanding.
Overall, the lyrics of "How Do You Know" capture the universal experience of grappling with the complexities of love and relationships. The song is relatable and raw, capturing the emotions that come with falling in love and the uncertainty that can follow.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a long time and it's really getting hard to fight it, I know
The temptation to give in is becoming overwhelming and I don't know how much longer I can resist
Cover it up but it's much too hard to hide, it is
I'm trying to hide how I feel but it's getting more difficult to do so
Hanging around, I can't believe I didn't see it coming
I've been in denial about my feelings and now they're becoming more obvious to me
I wanna run away but I just can't seem to leave it, oh no
Part of me wants to avoid these feelings but another part of me can't let go
I'm going round round, nothing down, I don't understand
I'm feeling confused and lost, with no clear idea of what to do
I say: "No no, let it go, don't be a fool. Take no chance"
I'm trying to convince myself to let go of my feelings and not take any risks
I believe you're an angel down to guide me, you are
I see you as someone who can help me navigate my feelings and make the right choices
To one that's always be right here beside me, oh please
I hope that you'll always be there for me and support me, no matter what happens
Tell me that my mind won't go and change it, I'm scared
I'm afraid that my feelings will change and I don't want to be hurt or let anyone down
Promise me you'll be here when we get here, oh yeah
I need reassurance that you'll be there for me throughout this journey, whatever the outcome may be
Understand that love takes more than reason
Love is not always rational and it's important to accept and embrace that fact
But I'm finding out you'll never understand at all
I'm realizing that you may not be able to fully understand what I'm going through
Chorus: How do you know? How do you know? If it's real, then where do you go?
I'm questioning how to know if my feelings are real and where they will lead me
If it is, please show me the roads
I'm looking for guidance and direction in my feelings and where they might lead me
If it's love, then how do you know?
I'm struggling to identify if what I'm feeling is love and how to navigate it
(repeat)
The feeling of confusion and uncertainty is ongoing and continues to weigh on my mind
Contributed by Avery P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.