Agnes Monica Muljoto (born 1 July 1986), known professionally as Agnez Mo (stylized in all caps), is an Indonesian singer and actress. Born and raised in Jakarta, she is known as a bilingual singer who records in both Indonesian and English.
Prior to recording three children's albums and presenting several children's television programs, Mo began as a worship singer at a church in Jakarta. She released her first teen album And the Story Goes in 2003, which catapulted her name in the Indonesian music industry. Her success in Indonesia encouraged her to target the international music scene. She has since collaborated with numerous American musicians, such as Timbaland, Michael Bolton, Keith Martin, T.I., Chris Brown, French Montana, Johnny Sins, Steve Aoki, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins.
Mo is an anti-drug ambassador in Asia and the ambassador of MTV EXIT in combating human trafficking. Mo has also claimed the title of entrepreneur, showcasing her own fashion line ANYE, APP, Digital Marketplace, and partnering with cell phone manufacturer Vivo to create her own limited-edition line of devices. In 2022, Mo was immortalized through a wax statue at Madame Tussauds Singapore museum, and thus became the first Indonesian celebrity to have a wax statue made there.[1] In 2023, she represented Indonesia at the Grammy's Global Spin,[2] and became the first Indonesian musician to perform solo at the event.
Agnes Monica Muljoto was born in Jakarta to a family of Chinese, Japanese, and German ancestry.[3][4] She is the youngest child of Jenny Siswono, a former table tennis player, and Ricky Muljoto, a former basketball player.[5][6][7] Her elder brother, Steve Muljoto, is her manager.[8] She attended Tarakanita Elementary School and Pelita Harapan Junior and Senior High school in Jakarta.[9] She has shown her talent in the performing arts since childhood, especially in singing. She sang in church and was also sent to vocal courses.[9]
Using "Agnes Monica" as her stage name, Mo entered the entertainment industry in 1992 with her first children's album, Si Meong[id].[5] In 1995, she released her second children's album, Yess!, which includes a duet with fellow Indonesian child singer Eza Yayang.[5] Her last children's album, Bala-Bala[id], was released the following year.[5][10] She also became the host for several children's programs, including Video Anak Anteve (VAN) on ANTV, Tralala - Trilili on RCTI, and Diva Romeo on Trans TV.[5] She was awarded "Most Favorite Presenter of Children's Program" at the Panasonic Awards in 1999 and 2000 for Tralala - Trilili.[11]
Mo began acting when she was 13 years old. Her first two roles were on the soap operas Lupus Millenia[id] and Mr. Hologram[id] in 1999.[9] The next year, she starred in the TV series Pernikahan Dini,[5] which served as a turning point in her career by transforming her image from that of a child artist to one of a teenage artist.[11] Her performance in the series was well received by audiences, resulting in her receiving the "Favorite Actress" award at the 2001 and 2002 Panasonic Awards as well as the "Famous Actress" award at the 2002 SCTV Awards[id].[11] In 2002, Mo starred in three soap operas: Ciuman Pertama, Kejar Daku Kau Ku Tangkap, and Amanda.[11] Due to her popularity, she became the highest-paid teenage artist in Indonesia.[12]
Mo returned to the music industry with the Melly Goeslaw-penned songs "Pernikahan Dini" and "Seputih Hati" for the soundtrack of Pernikahan Dini. Both songs were featured on the 2001 compilation album, Love Theme[id].[13] She signed a record deal with Aquarius Musikindo and began working on her teen breakthrough album. She also collaborated with the Indonesian senior singer Yana Julio in the song "Awan dan Ombak" for his 2002 studio album, Jumpa Lagi.[14]
2003–2006: And The Story Goes, TV series, and Whaddup A.. '?!
On 8 October 2003, Mo released her first studio album as an adult, And the Story Goes, in which she worked with several prominent Indonesian producers and songwriters, including Ahmad Dhani, Melly Goeslaw, and Titi DJ.[15] The album production took a year and a half, including the audition process for the dancers.[16] According to her record label, Aquarius Musikindo, the album sold 35,000 copies before its official release.[16] It was later certified double platinum after selling more than 300,000 copies.[9][17] Four singles were released from the album: "Bilang Saja", "Indah", "Jera" and "Cinta Mati" (featuring Ahmad Dhani). The album received ten nominations at the 2004 Anugerah Musik Indonesia. Mo won three awards for Best Pop Female Solo Artist, Best Dance/Techno Production Work, and Best Pop Duo/Group for her duet with Dhani.[18] She also won Best Female Newcomer Artist at the 2004 Anugerah Planet Muzik in Singapore[11]
Mo launched her second studio album, Whaddup A.. '?!, on 7 November 2005. It featured five singles: "Bukan Milikmu Lagi", "Tanpa Kekasihku", "Tak Ada Logika", "Cinta Di Ujung Jalan", and "Tak Mungkin". In addition to working with prominent Indonesian musicians such as Melly Goeslaw, Andi Rianto, and Erwin Gutawa, she also collaborated with American singer-songwriter Keith Martin.[9] Martin wrote two English songs for the album, including the duet "I'll Light a Candle".[17] To promote the album, she held a concert tour known as Clasnezenzation in four Indonesian cities.[21]
The album was a commercial success, and Mo won two 2006 Anugerah Musik Indonesia for Best Pop Female Solo Artist and Best R&B Production Work.[22] She also won the Most Favorite Female award at the 2006 MTV Indonesia Awards.[23] Mo was nominated for Favorite Artist Indonesia award at the 2005 MTV Asia Awards. She was the youngest artist of all nominees in Asian category.[24] Selling more than 450,000 copies, the album was one of the top-selling albums of 2006 and was certified triple platinum.[25]
In early 2007, Mo was appointed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) Far East Region as an Asian anti-drug ambassador.[31][32] On 15 May 2007, Mo was an opening act for American R&B group Boyz II Men, at a concert in Istora Senayan, Jakarta,[11] and on 23 June of that year, she held her first concert at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[33] She also guest starred in the finale of Asian Idol on 16 December 2007, and performed the song "Get Up".
In 2008, Mo began working on her third studio album. She released the first single, "Matahariku", earlier than she had planned. It became her best-selling single, with sales of its ringback tone reaching three million downloads within nine months.[34] The song received the "Most Favorite Female" award at the 2008 MTV Indonesia Awards and the "Best Female Solo Pop Artist" award at the 2009 Anugerah Musik Indonesia.[35][36] In September 2008, Mo released the second single, "Godai Aku Lagi", which she wrote herself. She also released a CD single containing both of the songs.[37] That same year, she starred in two RCTI soap operas, Jelita[id] and Kawin Masal.[38]
On 4 October 2008, Mo was invited as the Indonesian representative to the Asia Song Festival in Seoul, South Korea. She performed with 24 artists from 12 Asian countries at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The event was broadcast to 30 countries.[39][40] She performed two songs from her upcoming album, "Godai Aku Lagi" and "Shake It Off". During the performance, she incorporated elements of Indonesian traditional dance from Bali. Her performance received positive responses from the Korean media and won the committee's "Best Asian Artist Award".[41] The following year, Agnes Monica was invited again alongside 14 Asian artists and performed three songs: "Shake It Off", "Temperature", and Michael Jackson's song "Heal the World".[42] She received good reviews and was awarded the Best Asian Artist Award.[43]
Mo launched her third studio album on 1 April 2009, Sacredly Agnezious. This time she was more involved in the production process of the album. She worked with renowned musicians Erwin Gutawa, Dewiq, Pay, and DJ Sumantri and also acted as producer and songwriter.[44] In addition to "Matahariku" and "Godai Aku Lagi", the album yielded two more singles: "Teruskanlah" and "Janji - Janji". Later she won three awards at the 2010 Anugerah Musik Indonesia; Best Pop Album, Best Female Pop Solo Artist, and Best of the Best Album.[45] On 23 May 2009, Agnes Monica appeared as a guest star at the "Festival of Life" in Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Bali, to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Japan.[46]
In 2010, Mo joined the judging panel of the season 6 of Indonesian Idol.[47] That year, she was also appointed as an ambassador of the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) organization, which combats human trafficking.[48] In addition to her role as a spokesperson of MTV Exit Indonesia, she also performed at concerts in Surabaya and Jakarta.[49] In late 2010, Mo 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.[50] Several months after that appearance, she announced that she had signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and was working on her international debut in London and Los Angeles.[51]
2011–2014: Agnez Mo
In early 2011, Mo recorded a duet version of "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" with American singer Michael Bolton, for the Asian edition of his compilation album, Gems: The Duets Album with Bolton only saying that Mo had potential.[52][53] 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.[54] 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.[55]
Mo ended her 10-year relationship with label Aquarius Musikindo by releasing her first greatest hits album, Agnes Is My Name, on 2 February 2011. The album compiled ten hit singles of the past decade with two new songs, "Karena Ku Sanggup" and "Paralyzed".[56] The album was sold via Indonesian chains of fast-food restaurant KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), where the CD was bundled with chicken package purchase. This marketing strategy boosted the album sales to one million copies within three months, earning her the Million Award.[57] She followed it with two non-album singles, "Rindu" and "Muda (Le O Le O)"; the later was free to download for simPATI subscribers.[58]
Mo starred in soap operas Pejantan Cantik (2010), Marisa (2011) and Mimo Ketemu Poscha (2012). In 2012, she returned as one of the judges for the season 7 of Indonesian Idol.[64] The next year, she became a judge on NET's talent show named after her, Nez Academy. In December 2012, she gave the opening and closing speeches at UN Global Youth Forum and performed her unreleased song "Show a Little Love" with American rapper Timbaland.[65] They also performed the song at the pre-Grammy launch party in Los Angeles.[66]
On 1 June 2013, Mo released her fourth studio album, Agnez Mo, which introduced her new stage name instead of 'Agnes Monica'. Produced by Tearce Kizzo, it is her first album where she co-wrote all the songs. The album was originally recorded as her demo which was sent out to record labels in the United States in order to secure a deal for her international debut. Although all songs were composed in English, the album was released for Indonesian market only. It was released digitally via Souniq Music (bundled with local coffee brand, Kopi Kapal Api) in June 2013. Two months later, the album was released physically via Indomaret.[67] She also released her first-ever "eau de perfume" line, Rêve, meaning "Dream" in French.
Mo landed her US record deal with The Cherry Party, a label ventured with Sony Music Entertainment. Her debut international single, "Coke Bottle", featuring Timbaland and T.I., premiered in September 2013 in a hip hop radio station in Los Angeles, Power 106 FM.[68] "Coke Bottle" was released digitally on 8 April 2014, and was serviced to urban radio stations in the United States on 20 April.[69] Despite being voted as MTV Iggy's Song of the Summer, "Coke Bottle" failed to enter any Billboard charts. In November 2014, it was announced that she had joined the Wright Entertainment Group, a management group owned by Johnny Wright who has handled some of the big names in the US entertainment industry.[70] She embarked on the Keep Walking Tour in several cities across Indonesia. The tour was sponsored by whisky brand Johnnie Walker.
2015–present: The Voice Indonesia, X, and international debut
In 2015, Mo produced The Freaks, a singing group which consisted of Indonesian young stars. The album, also titled THE FREAKS, will contain eight group, duo, and solo songs. The first single from their collaboration, "Jatuh Cinta Tak Ada Logika" is a mash-up of two songs, "Ku T'lah Jatuh Cinta" and "Tak Ada Logika". Besides The Freaks, she also produced and wrote a single "Vroom Vroom" for her niece, Chloe X.
In September 2015, together with The Wahid Institute and thousands of prominent figures and supporters, Mo read the Declaration of Peace Movement which titled the 'Oath of Love' as a celebration of International Day of Peace. She released a single, entitled "I #AM Generation of Love", as part of the Oath of Love campaign which premiered on 250 local radio stations, followed by "Boy Magnet" in November 2015. "Boy Magnet" brought Mo entering her first Billboard charts at 52nd in Dance Club Songs.[71][72]
On 22 September 2017, Mo released a single titled "Long As I Get Paid".[75] She released her debut international album, titled X on 10 October 2017. In November 2017, Mo was a guest star on AOL live interview program BUILD Series and on MTV TRL in New York. The same month, she attended the 2017 American Music Awards. She next won the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Vietnam as Indonesia's Best Asian Artist. At the event, she performed "Coke Bottle", "Long As I Get Paid", and "Damn I Love You". On 13 December 2017, Mo announced that she was joining Chris Brown's Heartbreak on a Full Moon album deluxe edition with the song "On Purpose".
In March 2018, Agenz Mo was featured in Vogue USA. Mo herself was identified by the magazine as a breakout Indonesian pop star, songwriter, actress, producer and antidrug and antihuman trafficking activist.[76] The following month, Mo joined the 300 Entertainment label.[77] In July 2018, Mo released the single "Overdose" featuring Chris Brown.[78] She was later featured on iHeartRadio's On The Verge Artist and perform live on iHeartRadio YouTube channel in October 2018.[79] On 11 November 2018, Overdose entered five Billboard charts. The single reached 36th in R&B/HipHop Airplay, 38th in Rhythmic Songs, 24th in Hot R&B Songs, 28th in Mainstream R&B/HipHop, and 30th in Mixshow Airplay.[80] She was chosen as Artist of the Week on Billboard Vietnam on 16 November 2018.[81]
Since 2019, Mo and Chris Brown have been preparing for their second joint project.[82] She's also been working on a new album with Juicy J.[83] On 14 March 2019, Mo won Social Star Award at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles.[84][85] In August 2019, she appeared in Megan Thee Stallion's music video for "Hot Girl Summer".[86] On 5 September 2019, Mo returned with her new single "Diamonds" featuring French Montana.[87] On 22 October 2019, the music video for "Wanna Be Loved" was released.[88]
Mo next had a collaboration with Steve Aoki and Desiigner in a new single "Girl", from Aoki's album Neon Future IV.[89] The single was released on 25 March 2020, and topped Indonesian iTunes Top Songs.[90]
In 2021, Mo worked together to launch an international graphic comic titled "Don't Wake Up" which is published by z2 Comic, headquartered in New York.[91]
Throughout her career, Mo has often been deemed controversial in Indonesia. When she was a teenager, her frequent comments about her goal to break into the international market was viewed by some as a pompous proclamation. In 2010, however, she began working on a debut English studio album. 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.[54]
During her career, Mo has kept her personal life private and relationships private, often stating that dating is not her priority. She also stated that personal relationships of all public figures should remain private.[98][99]
Judge Won - 2018 Indonesian Television Awards for Most Popular Judge for Talent Search Program
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↑ "Agnes Monica Percaya Tim Keluarga"[Agnes Monica Believes in Family Team]. Tempo Interaktif (in Indonesian). 3 November 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
↑ Hasan, Nur (14 October 2006). "Dahulukan Karir Agnes Cuti Kuliah"[Putting Career First, Agnes Takes a Break from College]. detikHot.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
↑ Putra, Fajar Anugerah (21 March 2007). "Agnes Monica Kepincut Narkoba"[Agnes Monica Is Drawn to Drugs] (in Indonesian). Detikhot.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
↑ "Royalti untuk Mbah Surip"[Royalties for Mbah Surip]. Kompas (in Indonesian). 13 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
↑ "Agnes Monica Gebrak Pembajak"[Agnes Monica Surprises Copyright Infrigers]. Kompas (in Indonesian). 21 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
↑ Mahgriefie, Lusi Catur (20 February 2008). "Agnes Monica Susah Diubah Menjadi Orang Miskin"[Agnes Monica Is Hard to Change to Look Like A poor Person] (in Indonesian). Okezone.com. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
↑ "Agnes Segera Rilis Album Internasional"[Agnes Releases an International Album Soon] (in Indonesian). Jawa Pos National Network. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
↑ Kartikawati, Eny (23 December 2005). "Agnes Monica: Seksi, Bodo Amat!"[Agnes Monica: Sexy, Who Cares!] (in Indonesian). Detikhot.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
↑ Diananto, Wayan (27 April 2010). "Cowok-cowok di dekat Agnes Monica"[Men close to Agnes Monica] (in Indonesian). Tabloid Bintang. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
↑ "Agnes Monica Tertutup Soal Asmara"[Agnes Monica is Close about Her Relationships] (in Indonesian). Cumi-cumi.com. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
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