Iconic Swedish pop artist Agnes has released her anticipated new single, “MILK,” marking an energetic return to the music scene. The track, which dropped on July 4th, follows the success of her acclaimed album Magic Still Exists and the recent single “BALENCIAGA COVERED EYES,” serving as a potent, pop-punk-tinged preview of her upcoming album.
On “MILK,” Agnes delivers a playful and confident chant about creating your own destiny. The lyric, “I turn milk into butter and butter into money, and with the money honey I create the life that I like,” encapsulates a message of empowerment and self-sufficiency. According to the artist herself, the song “is about a person who hungrily takes on life—someone who is guided by their inner compass, by creativity and pride.”
This single reflects Agnes’s new artistic direction for her upcoming album. Inspired by artists like Róisín Murphy, she is pursuing a more “naked and direct” sound, moving away from heavily layered productions to create something rawer and less polished. To achieve this, she has collaborated with a select group of elite Swedish producers known for their work with global figures like Madonna, Avicii, and The Weeknd.
To shape her upcoming album, Agnes gathered some of Sweden’s most inspiring songwriters and producers: Kerstin Ljungström, Vincent Pontare, Salem Al Fakir, Magnus Lidehäll, and Hanna Wilson – and began collaborations with house producer Frans Bryngel. The team has previously worked with artists such as Avicii, Madonna, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Swedish House Mafia, Salvatore Ganacci and Sia among others.
The upcoming album is about embracing contradictions, showing both strength and vulnerability, and letting go of the pursuit of perfection. Already in the first single BALENCIAGA COVERED EYES, we encounter the tension between external glamour and inner fragility – all accompanied by a sneaking beat and house piano.
– It all started with an image I saw in my mind: a person in the midst of chaos of luxury, parties, mess, and gazes. Someone who appears confident and glittery on the surface, but where something else is happening inside – behind those ‘Balenciaga covered eyes.’ But the song was also born from a feeling that I wanted to write something I myself want to hear when I go out on a weekend.
With nearly half a billion global streams and multiple Swedish Grammy nominations for her last album, Agnes’s return with “MILK” not only confirms her status as a pop icon but also raises expectations for her upcoming album.
Photographer: Fredrik Hvass (@hvass)
Styling: Hanna Kisch (@hannakisch)
Stylist Ass: Helena Perminger (@helenaperminger)
MUA: Johanna Nordlander (@johanna_nordlander)
Hair Stylist: Hillewi Gottfridsson Kassab (@hillewihair)
Hair Ass: Carolina Bagge
In a creative shift, she allowed lyrics to guide the music, resulting in a rawer, more authentic sound. For this, she collaborated with a select group of Swedish producers. The project, considered her most personal work to date, reflects her evolution after a two-decade career. Songs like “BALENCIAGA COVERED EYES” and the pop-punk “MILK” encapsulate themes of duality and self-creation. This album celebrates human complexity and the joy of the continuous creative process.
Following her Swedish Grammy-nominated album, Magic Still Exists, Agnes is releasing her new work, a more intimate and minimalist piece. This album moves away from its predecessor’s grandeur to explore life’s contradictions, accepting that strength and fragility can coexist. Agnes abandons the pursuit of perfection, finding beauty in the imperfect and the “unfinished.”
Based in Stockholm, Agnes began her lucrative career at the early age of 16, when she was catapulted into fame as a result of her incredible talent. The following years involved world tours, highly successful albums and a major global dancefloor hit “Release Me”, that soared into the top 10 across Europe and becoming #1 on both US Billboard Hot Dance & UK Official Dance Chart.