Ballads from Berlin

Danish singer and pianist Agnes Obel tells Ed Power how the edgy German city inspired her hit album Philharmonics

AGNES OBEL needs to sit down. The Danish singer-songwriter has just seen her new year diary. In January she had hoped to start work on her next album, the follow-up to chart-topping debut Philharmonics. A rethink may be in order.

“I opened my computer a few moments ago and saw all of the things already planned for,” she says. “It’s quite intimidating. Everything is filling up so fast. There is not a lot of time to spare.”