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.
Kick Back Relax
Agnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running through your brain
Passing through
Like a run-away train
Sleepless nights
Powering the fears
Brought you pain
And unnecessary tears
Let me show you
A sweeter way to exist
Let me show you
I've been looking out for your love
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love, yeah
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na, oooh
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na, oh yeah
You look outside
There's nothing there to see
I'm inside of you
Where I will always be
No need to be, the man behind the mask
Let's remove it
All you need to do is ask
Let me show you
A sweeter way to live
Let me show you
I've been looking out for your love
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love, yeah
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na, oh yeah
You've been running like the wind
Too long, too long
Been fighting after goals
Too strong, too strong
It's time to put to bed
The voices at your head
It's time to listen to the heart
I'll be looking out for your love
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love, yeah
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na, oh yeah
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love (Don't you know)
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na
Kick Back Relax
Don't you know I've been looking
Out for your love, yeah
Kick Back Relax
Na na na na na na
In "Kick Back Relax," Agnes uses imagery of stars and a runaway train to describe the chaos in one's mind, specifically with regards to their fears and anxieties. She urges the listener to let go of these negative thoughts and "kick back" in a more relaxed state. Agnes suggests that she knows a "sweeter way to exist," and that she has been "looking out for your love." By removing the "mask," the listener can discover a new way of living and allow Agnes to "be inside" of them, always ready to help them through difficult moments.
The chorus of "Kick Back Relax" repeats the title phrase, emphasizing the need to take a break and let go of stress. Agnes describes the listener as having been "running like the wind" and "fighting after goals," but it is now time to listen to their heart and put an end to the negative voices in their head. She assures the listener that she will continue to look out for their love, offering a comforting presence in their life.
Some possible interpretations of "Kick Back Relax" include the idea that it can be difficult to find peace in a world filled with chaos and stress. Agnes suggests that negative thoughts and fears can hold people back from truly living, and she offers a way to let go of these feelings and find a more relaxed state of being. She emphasizes the importance of self-care, and encourages listeners to prioritize their own emotional well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
All those stars
All of the thoughts and worries in your mind
Running through your brain
Constantly occupying your thoughts
Passing through
Moving through quickly without any resolution
Like a run-away train
Uncontrollable and overwhelming
Sleepless nights
Times of insomnia and restlessness
Powering the fears
Fueling your anxieties
Brought you pain
Causing you emotional distress
And unnecessary tears
Resulting in tears that were not needed
Let me show you
Allow me to guide you
A sweeter way to exist
A more positive and fulfilling way of living
I've been looking out for your love
I care about you and want the best for you
Kick Back Relax
Take it easy and unwind
Don't you know I've been looking
I have been watching and wanting to help
Out for your love, yeah
I am concerned about your wellbeing
Na na na na, oooh
Non-lyrical expression of encouragement
You look outside
You focus on external factors
There's nothing there to see
You are not finding fulfillment in the outside world
I'm inside of you
Happiness comes from within
Where I will always be
I will always be there to support you internally
No need to be, the man behind the mask
There is no need to hide your true self
Let's remove it
Let's be honest with ourselves and others
All you need to do is ask
Simply communicate your needs and desires
A sweeter way to live
A better and more enjoyable way of life
You've been running like the wind
You've been very busy and active
Too long, too long
For too much time
Been fighting after goals
Working hard to achieve your dreams
Too strong, too strong
Too aggressively and fiercely
It's time to put to bed
It's time to release and let go of
The voices at your head
The negative thoughts in your mind
It's time to listen to the heart
It's time to follow your intuition and emotions
I'll be looking out for your love
I will continue to care and watch over you
Na na na na na na
Non-lyrical expression of encouragement
Contributed by Sophia W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ant AgnesFan
Wonderful song and video❤️❤️
Fantastic, stunning and unforgettable Agnes❤️❤️❤️
Ant AgnesFan
Fantastic, catchy and unforgettable song❤️❤️.
Super stunning Agnes❤️❤️❤️.
You're the best❤️❤️.
Tapas
I don't understand why she is so underrated
Axel serre
What do you do when you realise that Agnes will comeback ? I'm listening all the past songs ^^ Great Agnes, great song with Avicii ! Good comeback and pls come in France we love you the first time, we will live you now ! :)
Ant AgnesFan
Wonderful song and video❤️❤️
Fantastic, stunning and unforgettable Agnes❤️❤️❤️
June1999WoozWorld
She should make more music video. I love her so much she a GREAT Singer and she my Favorite Female singer :)
wildhopeXx
omg i loveee this song its so happy and relaxing! :)
695 Recordings
A great song like this and a great singer deserves a much better video.
kadry1976
No question about how beautiful she is..No Question about it..but the voice..that hoarseness..that style of singing the funkiness the blues..No wonder she loves Stevie Wonder and her language quite good can't tell she's Swedish!!!.Great Artist all around..
Absolutely Champagne
Listening in 2022. Still a bop to this day 🎶