2008–2010: Philharmonics Obel debuted as a solo singer with her first album
Philharmonics (2010). She wrote, played, sang, recorded, and produced all the material herself. "The orchestral or symphonic music never interested me. I always was attracted by simple melodies, almost childish.(…) I put a long time before writing texts because the music seems to tell already a story, to project images." She has said that, "The music is the most obvious means to express what I am, where I am." All of the songs on
Philharmonics are original works except "Close Watch" ("I Keep A Close Watch" by
John Cale) & "
Katie Cruel" (a folk traditional; as the iTunes bonus track of the album). In
Live à Paris, released on 11 April 2011 on
iTunes, she sings a cover of
Elliott Smith's "Between The Bars". Furthermore, Obel did a duet with
Editors singer
Tom Smith, performing "The Christmas Song" by
Mel Tormé on the Smith & Burrows album
Funny Looking Angels (released in November 2011).
Philharmonics 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". 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." 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. She's a fey siren, with a dusky, near-whispered vocal that speaks to
Ane Brun or
Eva Cassidy." French journalists have called her "A revelation to follow". Obel's first album was a commercial success. In March 2011, she appeared for the first time in the United States. At the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, she performed all the songs on the album.
PIAS Recordings released a Deluxe Version of
Philharmonics on 7 February 2011. The Deluxe Version contains five more tracks. Two instrumentals ("Riverside" and "Just So") and three live songs: "Over the Hill", "Just So", and the new track "Smoke & Mirrors". On the
Riverside EP, Obel sings "Sons & Daughters". This track is only available on the EP. In June 2011,
Philharmonics was certified gold by the
Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) after selling 10,000 units. and the song
Riverside (from the
Submarino's soundtrack) won the
Robert Award for the Best Song of the year 2011. In October 2011, Obel won 2012
European Border Breakers Award. The prize celebrates the top new talents in European pop music who "have all succeeded in reaching out to audiences beyond their home country through their talent and energy." In November 2011, she won five prizes at the
Danish Music Awards for her first album
Philharmonics. She won Best Album of the Year, Best Pop Release of the Year, Best Debut Artist of the Year, Best Female Artist of the Year, and Best Songwriter of the Year. On 20 June 2013, she revealed that the new album,
Aventine, would be released on 30 September 2013. On
Aventine, Obel commented: "I recorded everything quite closely, miking everything closely in a small room, with voices here, the piano here – everything is close to you. So it's sparse, but by varying the dynamic range of the songs I could create almost soundscapes. I was able to make something feel big with just these few instruments." She played at the iTunes UK Festival at the Roundhouse in London on 17 September 2013. 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." On 24 September 2014,
Aventine became available on
iTunes. 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 website Mushroompromotions said: "'Aventine' is a beautiful record, intriguingly unhurried. If the first record was a wander through the forest, this one takes the time to see the beauty and feel the texture in a single leaf. It is at once microcosmic and universal. (...) Agnes creates her own world, or as she calls it, a bubble or bell jar, to make her music. Once inside (or should that be outside?), she's no longer conscious of what's going on. This is the mystery of her modus operandi, something she cannot explain. Which simply adds to the ethereal quality of her music." In October 2014, a deluxe edition of
Aventine was released. This album featured three new songs. The deluxe edition contains a remix of 'Fuel to Fire' by
David Lynch, who commented: "I loved doing this remix. I was turned onto Agnes' music through my record label... I think she has a most beautiful voice and can do things with her voice that are unique and extraordinary." In October 2014, Obel played for the first time in
L'Olympia in Paris.
2015–2017: Citizen of Glass During her 2014 tour, Obel began work on her third album: "I'm planning to work less with piano, and more with other kinds of old keyboards (...) I'm trying to find new instruments to work with, so it's sort of on the research phase and starting to write things." She also said: "I have some clear ideas but I'm not sure it is a good idea to go into specifics on such an early stage. I mainly plan to work with old keyboards like
spinet and
harpsichord and then see where they take me." In June 2015, Obel began recording the new album. She recorded strings with new musicians Frédérique Labbow, Kristina Koropecki, and John Corban. In June 2016, she released the single 'Familiar', from the upcoming album. 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. The music video was directed by Obel's husband Alex Brüel Flagstad. 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. Yes, Obel, as split by technology, duets with her disturbing echoes with a male stamp." In addition to violins, cellos,
harpsichords, a
spinet, and a
celesta, Obel used a
Trautonium, a rare electronic musical instrument from the 1930s. In September 2016, Obel released a new single, "Golden Green". In Dansende Beren, Niels Bruwier wrote: "The sound of glass is never far away. The song is about the way we always find other better lives than ours(…)she brings out her dreamy voice, it's actually just the perfect classic pop song without embellishment. Enchanting, elysisch and paradise-like." In October 2016, a new song from
Citizen of Glass was released: "Stretch Your Eyes". This song is a new version of an older one ("Spinet Song") which was played during her tour in 2014. In October 2016,
Citizen of Glass came out. 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.
Citizen of Glass confirms, with greatness, Agnes Obel as an important pop artist."
Citizen of Glass received an average score of 82 on Metacritic, meaning universal acclaim, based on 11 reviews.
Citizen of Glass received the
IMPALA (The Independent Music Companies Association) Album of the Year Award 2016, which rewards on a yearly basis the best album released on an independent European label.
2018-2020: Late Night Tales and Myopia In February 2018, Obel was signed to
Deutsche Grammophon. The contract involved Deutsche Grammophon joining forces with Blue Note for North American releases. 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 every song and instrumental piece, she opens up small universes, thus reaching a broad audience with sophisticated works. 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". In May 2018, Obel contributed to
Late Night Tales with a series of tracks selected by the artist herself, released as
Late Night Tales: Agnes Obel. For this compilation, Obel presented various titles by very different artists. Music by
Michelle Gurevich,
Nina Simone,
Henry Mancini, and
Alfred Schnittke is included on this album. Obel combined new works with the original song "Bee Dance", a haunting reading of the Danish song "Glemmer Du", and a new version (the third one) of "Stretch Your Eyes" called "Ambient Acapella". The first single,
Inger Christensen's "Poem About Death", is set to original music by Obel. 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. It's one of my favourite melodies. The song is about the impermanence of time and love, with memories being the only thing you get at the end. (...)I recorded it using analog tape and then running the tapes again, so it sounded old and re-recorded, playing with this feeling of remembrance and of lost time." On 29 October 2019, Obel announced the title of her upcoming album,
Myopia, on social media, and released the new single "Island of Doom". The album was released on 21 February 2020. 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." "Island of Doom" features Obel on piano, vocals, and keys, and Kristina Koropecki on cello, creating a sober tone, with sweet instrumentals, and a strong vocal performance from Obel. The visual show opens up with a shot of Obel and is completely dominated with blue colors and hues, showing a unique landscape that appears out of this world. Concerning the meaning of
Myopia, Obel explained: "For me
Myopia is an album about trust and doubt. Can you trust yourself or not? Can you trust your own judgments? Can you trust that you will do the right thing? Can you trust your instincts and what you are feeling? Or are your feelings skewed?" On 7 January 2020, Obel released the single "Broken Sleep." Journalist Drew Feinerman said: "The video (created by Obel's longterm collaborator and partner Alex Brüel Flagstad) pairs perfectly with the style of the composition; Obel sings with such beauty and ease, as the vocals complement the effortless, flowing pace of the visuals." About
Myopia, journalist Tina Benitez-Eves stated: "Myopia is an abstract anatomization of the human psyche, transcending through ambient instrumentals, and an intoxicating blend of vocals, hovering on Jarboe-bred voice manipulation on atmospheric "Broken Sleep" and "Island of Doom." Ashley Bardhan, in
Pitchfork, said also: "These songs are obscured like frosted glass, as meticulously pretty and faintly unnerving as a porcelain doll. Though the album ends almost as quietly as it began, Obel's whispery ambient fog lingers far longer." In June 2020, for the first time, Obel showed in a video her Berlin studio where she improvised some music with her band. The artist writes mostly at night and is always alone in her private studio in Berlin. Normally, Obel does not let anyone visit her there.
2021-2022: Further career and musical treatment In December 2021, it was announced that Obel would perform at the 2022 Rock Altitude Festival, a music festival held in
Le Locle, Switzerland. She performed on August 13, the last day of the four-day festival. Obel is working on depression treatment pieces for a clinic in Denmark. She said in an interview: "There's also the element that we don't really understand our minds, but we also don't understand music and why music has such a strong effect on us, which is all part of the puzzle and riddle we have understanding our consciousness and our brains and our minds." ==Artistry==