Markéta Irglová


Markéta Irglová is a Czech-Icelandic singer-songwriter, musician, and actress, who starred in the 2007 film Once, which earned her a number of major awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly", with co-writer and co-star Glen Hansard. She is one half of the duo the Swell Season, with whom she has released three studio albums. She has also published four solo records.
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Career

The Swell Season

Irglová is one half of the duo the Swell Season, with Glen Hansard, which they formed in 2005. They released their eponymous debut album on Overcoat Recordings in 2006. In 2007, they co-starred in the indie film Once, for which they also composed the soundtrack. One of the songs, "Falling Slowly", received an Academy Award for Best Original Song, making Irglová the first Czech person to win that award and the youngest-ever Oscar winner in a non-acting capacity.
The Swell Season released their second album, Strict Joy, in 2009, and two years later, they went on an extended hiatus. In 2011, a stage adaptation of Once was created by John Carney and Enda Walsh, incorporating Irglová and Hansard's songs. It went on to win eight Tony Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
In 2022, the Swell Season regrouped, and a year later, they embarked on their largest world tour since 2011. In 2025, they issued their third record, Forward.

Solo work

In 2011, Irglová released her debut solo album, Anar. She followed it with Muna in 2014. In 2022, she issued Lila. That year, she was announced as one of the participants in Söngvakeppnin 2022, the Icelandic national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, where she competed with the song "Mögulegt" / "Possible".
In 2023, she was announced as one of five participants in Eurovision Song CZ 2023, the Czechia's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. She came in fourth place, with 1,009 points.
In 2024, she released the EP Where You Belong.

Personal life

Irglová began taking piano lessons at age seven and started playing guitar when she was eight. Her parents organized a music festival in Czechia and booked the Frames, Glen Hansard's band, which is how she first met him, in 2004, at the age of 16. Hansard played a large part not only in her development as an artist and songwriter but also in launching her career. They began a romantic relationship during the filming of Once and broke up in 2009. The aftermath of both Once and their relationship is caught in the 2011 documentary film The Swell Season.
Irglová was married to Tim Iseler from 2011 to 2012.
In 2012, she moved to Reykjavík, Iceland, where she met music producer Sturla Míó Þórisson while recording Anar. They later married and have three children together. Irglová speaks fluent Icelandic and is a dual citizen of Czechia and Iceland.

Discography

with the Swell Season

The Swell Season

Solo

Anar Muna Home Is Here film soundtrack, with Sturla Míó Þórisson Lila
  • ''Where You Belong''

Filmography

FilmOnce The Swell Season
TelevisionLive from the Artists Den: The Swell Season The Simpsons episode "In the Name of the Grandfather"

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations