| Agnete Saba | |
| Birth Name: | Agnete Kristin Johnsen |
| Birth Date: | 4 July 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Nesseby, Norway |
| Instrument: | Vocals |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Associated Acts: | The BlackSheeps |
Agnete Kristin Johnsen Saba (born 4 July 1994), also known as Agnete Saba, Agnete Johnsen or simply Agnete, is a Sami-Norwegian singer and songwriter. Saba is best known for being the lead singer of the Norwegian teen punk band the BlackSheeps. She represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 as a solo artist with the song "Icebreaker".
Saba was born as Agnete Kristin Johnsen on 4 July 1994 in Varangerbotn in Nesseby Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. She is an ethnic Sami and the daughter of Sami children's author Signe Iversen.[1] In 2020, she changed her surname to her grandmother's maiden name Saba.[2]
The BlackSheeps were formed in 2008 while its members were attending school in their hometown of Nesseby. They later won Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2008 with their song "Oro jaska, beana" ("Be quiet, dog") which was performed in both Norwegian and Northern Sami.[3] The band later performed at MGP Nordic 2008 and won the competition. "Oro jaska, beana" went on to win Song of the Year at the Spellemannprisen Awards and peaked at number-one on the Norwegian singles chart.[4]
In 2011, the band were announced as one of the competing acts in Melodi Grand Prix 2011 with the song "Dance Tonight", where they placed second.[5] They later split up the same year.
In 2013, Agnete competed in the second season of the Norwegian music TV-competition , where she placed second in the finale against Silya Nymoen. The same year she also performed as an interval act during Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2013.
In 2014, Johnsen was announced as one of the competing celebrities in the tenth season of the Norwegian version of Dancing with the Stars, called Skal vi danse? (Shall we dance?). She went on to win the competition. In 2015, she participated in the Norwegian reality television series , but withdrew early in the season because of mental health problems.[6]
On 19 January 2016, Johnsen was announced as one of the ten competing acts in Melodi Grand Prix 2016 with the song "Icebreaker".[7] In the final, held on 27 February, she was declared the winner after receiving 166,728 votes from the Norwegian public.[8] She represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 performing on 12 May 2016, during the second semi-final held in Stockholm, but failed to qualify to the 14 May final.
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR [9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Goin' Insane" | 2013 | — | Nature | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Mama" | 2014 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Icebreaker" | 2016 | 11 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| "Beginning of the End" | 2020 | — | Tundra | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Boo" | 2021 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Solid" | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Barely Breathing" (with Jowst featuring Azzip) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||||||||||