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Markéta Irglová

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Markéta Irglová
Markéta Irglová seen from profile wearing a dark blue dress and playing a piano on a darkened stage, looking sideways and grinning, face close to a microphone
Irglová performing in 2014
Born (1988-02-28) 28 February 1988 (age 38)
Valašské Meziříčí, Czechoslovakia
Citizenship
  • Czech Republic
  • Iceland
Spouses
Tim Iseler
​
​
(m. 2011; div. 2012)​
Sturla Míó Þórisson
​
(m. 2019)​
PartnerGlen Hansard (2006–2009)
Children3
Musical career
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • actress
Instruments
Years active2006–present
LabelANTI-
Member ofThe Swell Season
Websitemarketairglovamusic.com

Markéta Irglová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmarkɛːta ˈɪrɡlovaː]) (born 28 February 1988) is a Czech and Icelandic singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She 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. In 2005, she and Hansard formed the duo the Swell Season, which released three studio albums. She has also published four solo records.

Career

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The Swell Season

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In 2005, Irglová and Glen Hansard formed the Swell Season. 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,[1] making Irglová the first Czech person to win that award[2] and the youngest Oscar winner in a non-acting category.[3]

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.[4][5]

In 2022, the Swell Season reformed, and a year later, they embarked on their first world tour since 2011.[6] In 2025, they issued their third studio album, Forward. In July 2026, Hansard died in a motorcycle crash, aged 56.[7]

Solo work

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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".[8]

In 2023, she was announced as one of five participants in Eurovision Song CZ 2023, Czechia's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest.[9] She came in fourth place, with 1,009 points.[10]

In 2024, she released the EP Where You Belong.

Personal life

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Irglová with Hansard performing in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 2006

Irglová began taking piano lessons at age seven and started playing guitar when she was eight.[11] Her parents organised a music festival in Czechia and hired the Frames, Glen Hansard's band, where she first met him, in 2001, at the age of 13.[12][13] 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[14][12] and separated in 2009.[15] The aftermath of both Once and their relationship is the subject of the 2011 documentary film The Swell Season.

Irglová was married to Tim Iseler from 2011 to 2012.[16]

In 2012, she moved to Reykjavík, Iceland, where she met music producer Sturla Míó Þórisson while recording Anar. They married in 2019 and have three children together.[17] Irglová speaks fluent Icelandic and is a dual citizen of Czechia and Iceland.[18][19]

Discography

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with the Swell Season

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Solo

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  • Anar (2011)
  • Muna (2014)
  • Home Is Here film soundtrack, with Sturla Míó Þórisson (2016)
  • Lila (2022)
  • Where You Belong (EP, 2024)

Filmography

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Film

Television

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2007 Academy Awards Best Original Song "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Won [21]
2007 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards Best Score Once Won [22]
2007 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Original Score Won [23]
2007 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Song "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Won [24]
2012 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Lyrics Once Won [25]
Outstanding Music Nominated
2007 Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Film Score Once Nominated
2007 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Original Songs Won [26]
2007 Gold Derby Film Awards Original Song "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Won [27]
2007 Grammy Awards Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media Once Nominated [28]
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Nominated
2009 Houston Film Critics Society Best Original Score Once Nominated [29]
Best Original Song "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Won
"If You Want Me" (from Once) Nominated
2014 Laurence Olivier Awards Outstanding Achievement in Music Once Won [30]
2007 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Music Score Won [31]
2007 Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Original Song "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Won [32]
2007 Online Film Critics Society Best Original Score Once Nominated [33]
2007 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Original Song "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Won
2007 Satellite Awards Best Original Song "If You Want Me" (from Once) Nominated [34]
2007 St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Best Score Once Nominated [35]
2007 World Soundtrack Awards Best Original Song Written for a Film "Falling Slowly" (from Once) Nominated [36]

References

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  1. ↑ "The 80th Academy Awards; 2008". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Oscar dream comes true for young Czech musician Markéta Irglová". english.radio.cz. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Markéta Irglová's first love: Jesus Christ Superstar". acousticlivenytsa.com. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Once Tony Awards Info". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "steve-kazee/3769". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Once Duo Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova Returning to the Road – SPIN". 17 January 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Glen Hansard, Irish musician who won Oscar for 'Once', dies in motorcycle crash". AP News. 29 July 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Iceland: 'Söngvakeppnin' 2022 songs revealed 🇮🇸". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 5 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  9. ↑ "Czech Republic: ESCZ 2023 lineup revealed". Eurovision Song Contest. EBU. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Farren, Neil (7 February 2023). "Czech Republic: Vesna to Eurovision 2023". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "About Marketa Irglova". Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 Jamie diamond (24 February 2008). "Life Imitating Film". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2012. Cite error: The named reference "nytimes_7734786" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ↑ "Markéta Irglová and Marek Irgl: Daughter and father on her Oscar success and much more". Radio Prague. 26 December 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "'Once' a Hero". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 April 2011.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ Bray, Allison (26 January 2009). "falling slowly ... out of love". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  16. ↑ Ouzounian, Richard (22 November 2013). "Once the musical: Love found, lost and found again". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Markéta Irglová porodila na Islandu holčičku, jméno neprozradila" [Markéta Irglová gave birth to a baby girl in Iceland but did not reveal her name]. Mladá fronta DNES. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  18. ↑ Hallur Már Hallsson (10 February 2020). "Hinn íslenski Óskarshafinn" [The Icelandic Oscar winner]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  19. ↑ Kristjáns, Kristin (5 February 2022). "Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2022 artists and songs revealed". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  20. ↑ "The Swell Season". IMDb. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "The 80th Academy Awards (2008) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  22. ↑ "Awards 2007". Central Ohio Film Critics Association. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "1988–2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  24. ↑ Kit, Borys; Kilday, Gregg (8 January 2008). "B'cast Critics flag planted in 'No Country'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  25. ↑ "Markéta Irglová". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "2007 FFCC Winners". Florida Film Critics Circle. 16 November 2013. Archived from the original on 11 December 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "2007 Gold Derby Film Awards". Gold Derby Awards. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "Markéta Irglová". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  29. ↑ "The Houston Film Critics Society Award Winners for 2007". Houston Film Critics Society. 3 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 March 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Olivier Awards 2014". Society of London Theatre. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "The 33rd Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "12th Annual Film Awards (2007)". Online Film & Television Association. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "2007 Awards (11th Annual)". Online Film Critics Society. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  34. ↑ "2007 Satellite Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  35. ↑ "St. Louis Film Critics". St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  36. ↑ "World Soundtrack Awards". World Soundtrack Awards. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
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