Agnes announces new album Beautiful Madness and shares how single ‘EGO’ helped her let go of ‘control and fear’

Some 17 years after ‘Release Me’ stormed Europe and reached number three on the UK singles charts, Swedish singing sensation Agnes is back with a new album, Beautiful Madness, out January 2026. To shape it, the star assembled some of Sweden’s most inspiring songwriters and producers: Vincent Pontare & Salem al Fakir (Madonna, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Katy Perry), Magnus Lidehäll (Britney Spears, Sky Ferreira, Kylie Minogue), Kerstin Ljungström and Alex Aris. Here, the star – known for songs like ‘On and On’ and ‘Love Love Love’ – speaks to Attitude about the “healing process” of songwriting and being inspired by artists like Mark Rothko.

Hi Agnes! ‘EGO’ explores letting go of control, a theme that feels deeply personal but something we can all relate to. Was there a specific experience or moment that sparked this idea for you?

My songs often come as a side effect of whatever I’m going through at the moment or where my thoughts happen to be. When I wrote this one, I was reading A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and it really hit me deeply. It made me reflect on control, letting go, ego, and fear – things I was struggling with at the time. Writing the song became a pretty healing process and not taking it too seriously and just playing with it. 

What made you shift your creative process, letting the lyrics lead rather than the melody, when making this album? What surprised you the most about working this way, and how did it affect the sound or emotional tone of the songs?

Melodies come pretty easily to me, but sometimes it feels like an impossible puzzle to find the right words to fit them, and that can get pretty frustrating, especially when you have an idea of what you wanna say and “talk” about. At that time, though, the lyrics came to me in a new way, and I just went with the flow and had fun with it and made me use my voice in different ways, and it really opened up the whole process and sound I believe. 

You’ve mentioned being inspired by Eckhart Tolle and artists like Mark Rothko. What do these influences have in common for you, and how did they help shape the raw, stripped-back feel of this new record?

Eckhart Tolle inspired me when it came to lyrics and we went to Paris and saw an art exhibition by Rothko – the whole museum was dedicated to his work, and wow, he truly is the master of minimalism and getting to the essence of things. I was overwhelmed, and it made me want even more to strip things down to their core and use fewer elements.

You’ve worked with some amazing producers and songwriters creating this album. What made this particular team special for you – and how did you challenge each other creatively?

We all know each other very well, and I started working with almost all of them on my latest album Magic Still Exists. I knew I wanted to keep it to a small group, because when you know each other well, you’re able to push each other further. You’re not afraid to show all the weirdness that I believe is so important in creating something honest.

Looking back at your career, from ‘Release Me’ to ‘Magic Still Exists’ to now, what has remained constant for you as an artist, and what has radically changed?

A good question. While growing up in the music business it’s been a process of finding my own way of doing things and learned to respect my process and widen my source of inspiration. I have more to give to my art now than I had as a younger self but it’s the same heart in there.

Beautiful Madness is out 23 January 2026