Biography
Born:1 July 1986 (age 38)
Born In:Jakarta, Jawa, Indonesia
Agnes Monica (born Agnes Monica Muljoto; 1 July 1986) is an Indonesian recording artist and actress. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, she started her career in the entertainment industry in 1992 at the age of six as a child singer. She has recorded three children’s albums. She also became a presenter of several children’s television programs. As a teenager, Agnes expanded her career to include acting. Her role in the soap opera Pernikahan Dini rocketed her name into the industry. Later, she became the highest-paid teenage artist in Indonesia.
In 2003, she released her fourth studio album ..and the story goes…, which marked her transition from a child singer to a female artist. On her fifth studio album, Whaddup A..?! (2005), she collaborated with American R&B singer Keith Martin. She also appeared in two Taiwanese drama series, The Hospital and Romance In the White House. She participated in the 2008 and 2009 Asia Song Festival in Seoul, South Korea, and received “Best Asian Artist Award” at each event. Agnes took creative control of her sixth studio album, Sacredly Agnezious (2009), for which she served as the producer and songwriter.
In late 2010, Agnes experienced a breakthrough into the international market when she was chosen as an international red carpet host for the annual American Music Awards on 21 November 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Several months later, she announced that she had signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and was working on her debut English studio album in London and Los Angeles. In early 2011, she also recorded a duet version of “Said I Loved You But I Lied” with the American singer Michael Bolton for his compilation album, Gems: The Duets Album. The duet was released in the album’s international version in Asia. Consequently, her slogan “Dream, Believe, and Make it Happen” was used in a 2011 cultural conference to inspire young people organized by the US Embassy in Jakarta.
Agnes released a greatest hits album agnes is my name on 2 February 2011. The album compiled her top hit singles and two new songs, Karena Ku Sanggup and Paralyzed. The album sold one million copies in three months, earning her the “Million Awards” award from Indonesian KFC, a fast food restaurant chain that marketed the album. Her new song in the album, Karena Ku Sanggup, won her the “Best Pop Female Singer” award at the 2011 AMI Awards. She also won the “Most Inbox Video Clip” award at the 2011 Inbox Awards for the Paralyzed video clip, which was made in Indonesia and the United States. Another single, Muda (Le O Le O), was released on 9 November 2012. This song is free to download for simPATI subscribers.
Agnes was often selected to participate in important events. In 2010 she was appointed as an ambassador of the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) organization, which combats human trafficking, for which she performed at benefit concerts in Surabaya and Jakarta. She was chosen to perform for the 26th SEA Games 2011 Opening Ceremony, with KC Concepcion from the Philippines and the Malaysian singer Jaclyn Victor. Their performance of “Together We Will Shine” was the highlight of the event. In December 2012, she gave the opening and closing speeches at UN Global Youth Forum and performed in the concert held for the event. Her duet song with Timbaland would be one of the digital contents of mobile application launched in 2013 by UN Global Youth.
Agnes was nominated for various international awards. In 2011 she was nominated in the Worldwide Acts Asia Pacific Nominees category for the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. In March 2012 she was nominated for the American Nickleodeon Kids Choice Awards 2012 for a new category, Favorite Asian Act. Still in the same year, she won an Mnet Asian Music Awards for Best Asian Artis Indonesia. She was also nominated for 2013 World Music Awards for Best Female Artist.
