Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel (born 28 October 1980)[1] is a Danish singer, songwriter, and musician based in Berlin.

Her debut album, Philharmonics (2010), was released by PIAS Recordings, and was certified gold in June 2011 by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) after selling 10,000 units.

[8] In 1994, she had a small part in the short film The Boy Who Walked Backwards / Drengen der gik baglæns by Thomas Vinterberg.

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

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

"[14] In Musicomh, Ben Edgell wrote that Obel "sings with a hushed and tender grace that waxes wistful and serene over yearning cello, harp, and piano vignettes.

[25] Frank Eidel from quebecspot.com, commented: "It's a fascinating collection of remarkable pieces, with rich and intense arrangements supported by Obel's dazzling voice.

Tom Burgel wrote: "The few reactions collected have been very positive and, already, full with love: The elegance of Agnes and the rare grace of her writings will cause, without any doubts, some strong palpitations in the hearts of the amateurs.

The song was recorded, produced, and mixed by Obel and features the violin by John Corban as well as cellos by Kristina Koropecki and Charlotte Danhier.

[34] Hugo Cassavetti from Telerama, wrote: "Agnes Obel, while remaining true to her fine style, expands her new musical fields.

Percussions with a loud power rhythm a delicately acrobatic melody that the singer performs with a voice that was strangely moved.

"[35] In addition to violins, cellos, harpsichords, a spinet, and a celesta, Obel used a Trautonium, a rare electronic musical instrument from the 1930s.

The French newspaper La Croix wrote: "With several great songs, the surrealist Stretch your eyes or the luminous Golden Green, Agnes Obel has created a sumptuous, odd and modern album.

Mr. Trautmann, president of Deutsche Grammophon, said: "We are fascinated by Agnes's compositional autonomy and the precision with which she creates and produces her vocal and instrumental soundscapes.

With Agnes we share confidence in the long-term success of artistic excellence and credibility, as well as the intention to inspire many more fans around the world".

On the topic of the haunting cover of Arvid Muller's "Glemmer du", Obel explained: "In Denmark, the song is best known in the version from 1932, sung by the actor and singer Liva Weel.

Journalist Tim Peacock wrote: "Obel has been under self-imposed creative isolation with the removal of all outside influences and distraction in the writing, recording and mixing process for 'Myopia'."

About "Island of Doom", the artist said: "The song is made up of pitched-down piano and cello pizzicato and vocals, all choirs are pitched down and up… In my experience when someone close to you dies it is simply impossible to comprehend that you can't ever talk to them or reach them somehow ever again.

"[49] Ashley Bardhan, in Pitchfork, said also: "These songs are obscured like frosted glass, as meticulously pretty and faintly unnerving as a porcelain doll.

"[54] Obel is described by The Irish Times journalist Lauren Murphy as "the architect of eerie, otherworldy music that straddles neo-classical, jazz and chamber pop".

[55] In another analysis, Clash magazine's Lauren McDermott deems Obel's music "poised and haunting chamber pop" with "wraithlike harmonies, sonic textures and bewitching melancholy" rendered with "gothic violins", "cello pizzicatos", and electronic instruments, lending a sense of intimacy reflective of the aura in Berlin.

[56] Obel is influenced by artists such as Roy Orbison and also by the French composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Erik Satie.

[5] She also likes Edgar Allan Poe, photographers Sibylle Bergemann, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Tina Modotti, and director Alfred Hitchcock.

"[60] In addition to classical music, Obel listens to artists like Mort Garson (The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds), The Smiths ("How Soon Is Now?

[61] In February 2017, and after her covers of John Cale and Jeff Buckley songs, Obel performed "Hallelujah" in a tribute to the late Leonard Cohen at the 'Victoire de la Musique 2017'.

[63][64] Flagstad, a photographer and animation artist,[6][65] filmed and directed the music videos for "Riverside", "Dorian", "The Curse", and "Aventine".

[72] Prior to the release of "Philharmonics", the soft, soothing tunes of "Just So" were used as the soundtrack of a commercial for Deutsche Telekom on German TV in 2008.

"Familiar" was also used in the video game Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition trailer and is the theme song to the Canadian TV series Cardinal.

"Fuel to Fire" appeared in the TV shows Carnival Row, The Shannara Chronicles, The Originals, Elite, Medici, and The Last of Us.

In addition, "The Curse" was featured at the end of the last episode in the television series The Investigation, which originally aired in Denmark and Sweden in 2020.