Agnez Mo
Agnes Monica Muljoto, known professionally as Agnez Mo, is an Indonesian singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Jakarta, she started her career as a child singer in the 1990s. She later transformed into an Indonesian pop icon of the 2000s and launched her international career in the mid-2010s. A triple-threat entertainer, Mo is known for her whole package of powerful vocals, elaborate choreography, and dynamic visuals.
After recording four children's albums and hosting several variety shows, Mo established herself as a teen idol with her leading role in TV series Pernikahan Dini. Her first adulthood's studio album, And the Story Goes, was certified Double Platinum in Indonesia. She followed it with another successful studio albums Whaddup A.. '?! and Sacredly Agnezious, and continued starring in various TV series in between. In 2006, Mo also took part in two Taiwanese drama series, The Hospital and Romance In The White House. Mo also became a judge for singing competitions Indonesian Idol and The Voice Indonesia.
Mo rebranded herself with a new stage name on her first English studio album, Agnez Mo. After signing a record deal with The Cherry Party in 2014, Mo released her first international single, "Coke Bottle". Her second English album, X, was produced by Danja. Mo continued releasing a string of standalone singles until the mid-2020s, three of which—"Boy Magnet", "Overdose", and "Patience"—entered the US Billboard charts. In 2025, Mo cast as Lila Hoth on the American TV series Reacher.
Mo is the most-awarded Indonesian artist in history, with local awards including 18 Anugerah Musik Indonesia and 8 Panasonic Awards, as well as international ones such as 3 awards of Asia Song Festival, 2 Mnet Asian Music Awards, an iHeartRadio Music Award, and a World Music Award. She became the first Indonesian artist to be immortalized in multiple wax statues by Madame Tussauds, in its Singapore and Hong Kong museums. In 2020, Mo was listed among the 10 highlighted figures on Forbes Asias 100 Digital Stars: Asia-Pacific's Most Influential Celebrities on Social Media.
Life and career
1986–2002: Childhood and early career
Agnes Monica Muljoto was born in Jakarta to a family of Chinese, Japanese, and German ancestry. She attended Tarakanita Elementary School and Pelita Harapan Junior and Senior High school in Jakarta. 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.Using "Agnes Monica" as her stage name, Mo entered the entertainment industry in 1992 with her first children's album, '. In 1995, she released her second children's album, Yess!, which was a duet album with fellow Indonesian child singer Eza Yayang. Her last two children's albums were ' and Tra La La Tri Li Li. She also became the host for several children's programs, including Video Anak Anteve on ANTV, Tralala - Trilili on RCTI, and Diva Romeo on Trans TV. She was awarded "Most Favorite Presenter of Children's Program" at the Panasonic Awards in 1999 and 2000 for Tralala - Trilili.
Mo began acting when she was 13 years old. Her first two roles were on the soap operas ' and ' in 1999. The next year, she starred in the TV series Pernikahan Dini, 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. 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. In 2002, Mo starred in three soap operas: Ciuman Pertama, Kejar Daku Kau Ku Tangkap, and Amanda. Due to her popularity, she became the highest-paid teenage artist in Indonesia.
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, , released by Indonesian record label Aquarius Musikindo. Mo signed a record deal with the label and began working on her teen breakthrough album. She also collaborated with her labelmate and senior singer Yana Julio in the song "Awan dan Ombak" for his 2002 studio album, Jumpa Lagi.
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. The album production took a year and a half, including the audition process for the dancers. According to her record label, the album sold 35,000 copies before its official release. It was later certified double platinum after selling more than 300,000 copies. Four singles were released from the album: "Bilang Saja", "Indah", "Jera" and "Cinta Mati". 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. She also won Best Female Newcomer Artist at the 2004 Anugerah Planet Muzik in SingaporeWhile promoting her debut album, Mo also starred in several TV series, playing the lead role in three of them: Cewekku Jutek, ', and Cantik. She won Most Favorite Actress at the 2003 Panasonic Awards and Most Popular Actress at.
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. Martin wrote two English songs for the album, including the duet "I'll Light a Candle". To promote the album, she held a concert tour known as Clasnezenzation in four Indonesian cities.
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. She also won the Most Favorite Female award at the 2006 MTV Indonesia Awards. 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. Selling more than 450,000 copies, the album was one of the top-selling albums of 2006 and was certified triple platinum.
In 2005, Mo appeared in the Taiwanese drama The Hospital, co-starring with Jerry Yan, a member of the Taiwanese boyband F4. She also appeared with Peter Ho in several episodes of the Taiwanese drama Romance in the White House, and starred in two TV series, ' and Pink. In 2006, she starred in a TV series, . In the same year, she decided to take a break from her study in Pelita Harapan University to focus on her career.
2007–2010: ''Sacredly Agnezious'' and ''Indonesian Idol''
In early 2007, Mo was appointed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the International Drug Enforcement Conference Far East Region as an Asian anti-drug ambassador. On 15 May 2007, Mo was an opening act for American R&B group Boyz II Men, at a concert in Istora Senayan, Jakarta, and on 23 June of that year, she held her first concert at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She also guest starred in the finale of Asian Idol on 16 December 2007, and performed the song "Get Up".While working on her third studio album in 2008, Mo released its first single, "Matahariku", earlier than she had planned. It became her best-selling single, with sales of its ringback tone reaching three million within nine months. 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. In September 2008, Mo released the second single, "Godai Aku Lagi", which she wrote herself. She also released a CD single containing the two songs, which was an uncommon release format in Indonesia at the time. That same year, she starred in two RCTI soap operas, and Kawin Masal.
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. 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". 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". She received good reviews and was awarded the Best Asian Artist Award.
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. 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. 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.
In 2010, Mo joined the judging panel of the season 6 of Indonesian Idol. That year, she was also appointed as an ambassador of the MTV EXIT organization, which combats human trafficking. In addition to her role as a spokesperson of MTV Exit Indonesia, she also performed at concerts in Surabaya and Jakarta. 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.