Agnes Monica Muldjoto was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 1 July 1986 to a Yang family of Chinese ancestry. She is the youngest child of Jenny Siswono, a former table tennis player, and Ricky Muljoto, a former badminton player. Her older brother, Steve Muljoto, is her manager. She attended Tarakanita elementary school and Pelita Harapan junior high school.
Her talent for the performing arts was evident in her childhood,
especially in singing; she sang in church and attended vocal courses.
Agnes entered the entertainment industry in 1992, when she was six years old, and released her first children's album, Si Meong. In 1995, she released her second children's album, Yess!, which includes a duet with fellow Indonesian child singer Eza Yayang. Her last children's album, Bala-Bala, was released the following year. Agnes also became the host for several children's programs, including Video Anak Anteve (VAN) on Anteve, 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.
Agnes began acting as a teenager. Her first two roles were on the soap operas Lupus Millennia and Mr Hologram 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. The production was well received by audiences, and she received the "Favorite Actress" award at the 2001 and 2002 Panasonic Awards, as well as the "Popular Actress" award at the 2002 SCTV Awards.
In 2002, Agnes 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. Agnes also recorded songs in her early teens, including "Pernikahan Dini" and "Seputih Hati" for the soundtrack of Pernikahan Dini, both of which are featured on the 2001 compilation album Love Theme.
The following year, she collaborated with the Indonesian senior singer
Yana Julio in the song "Awan dan Ombak" for his studio album Jumpa Lagi. In 2001, she also announce that she had an international singer
ambition. She wants to be an international singer instead of Indonesian
singer.
On 8 October 2003, Agnes released her first adult album, And the Story Goes. In this album, she worked with several famed 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, Aquarius Musikindo, the album sold 35,000 copies before its official release. It was later certified double platinum after selling more than 300,000 copies. The album won three awards after receiving ten nominations at the 2004 Anugerah Musik Indonesia
Award the highest music awards in Indonesia. They were "Best Female
Solo Pop Artist" for the song "Jera", "Best Dance/Techno Production" for
the song "Bilang Saja", and "Best Duo/Group" for her duet with Ahmad
Dhani in "Cinta Mati".
She also won "Best Female Newcomer" at the 2004 Anugerah Planet Muzik awards in Singapore. Because of her success at a young age, she was dubbed a "Young Diva" by members of the media. At this point, she started broaching the idea of an international career. In addition to promoting her debut album, Agnes also starred in
several TV series during this time, playing the lead role in three: Cewekku Jutek, Bunga Perawan, and Cantik. She won "Favorite Actress" at the 2003 Panasonic Awards and "Famous Actress" at 2004 SCTV Awards. In 2004, after graduating from Pelita Harapan senior high school,
Agnes enrolled at Pelita Harapan University, where she majored in Business Law. But now, she continue her study on Oregon State University.
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