In the spring of 2011, the duo Algot won the national finals of Music Direct in Eskilstuna. The price was to go abroad and compete in the international music competition Imagine Festival in Brussels. Eight bands from different European countries, and different genres participated in the competition. The duo was happily suprised and shocked when the judges announced that they had won the whole Imagine Festival, not only giving them an extended tour of Europe and also the oppurtunity to record their debut album.

The journey, however, began long before that.

In spring 2007, the couple took up their instruments together for the first time. They began writing songs together and gig at baptisms, weddings and various other events. Mattias played acoustic guitar and Magdalena played the violin. Every song they wrote was an attempt to find a path between their different musical backgrounds. Mattias, whose main-instrument at the time was percussion, had never encountered the Swedish folk music, while Magdalena had grown up in a household filled with it.

They participated together for the first time in the music competition Music Direct in 2008 and was involved in the event every year after that.

During the christmas-holiday 2010 Mattias found an instrument on the wall at the home of Magdalena. Her father had it lent to a friend for quit some time but now it had returned home. It was a cittern / bouzouki built by Stefan Sobell. Mattias picked up the instrument and started playing and in an instant the last piece of the puzzle was found and Algot had started to find their ”sound”. They played polskas from Ångermanland and wrote new songs and it was with the help of these instruments they took on not Sweden, but Europe, and won Music Direct and Imagine Festival.

Algot has their roots in a small village up in the northern part of Sweden named Gottne, where both Magdalena and Mattias were born and grew up. When they were children they both attended the same school.They’ve got their local folk music influences from Magdalena’s father, Anders Eriksson, and that music stand as a core to the music they create themselves.

Since they won the Imagine Festival, Algot has been quite busy. In 2012 they traveled and did gigs in Mozambique, Belgium, Croatia and Cyprus.

They also recorded their debut-album ”Inom” and they have already written songs for their next album.

“Both are virtuosos but does not seem to play for themselves but play together in a form of unity that sounds almost intuitive “ – Tidningen Ångermanland

“Dead on interaction with joy that is contagious, not just for us that are here but soon also the rest of the world.” – The jury at the national festival of Music Direkt 2011

“On their way to put Ångermanlands folk music on the map through both regional and national victory in the competition Musik Direkt, and their ability to tell their stories through their own music that bring so many emotions to their audience” – Nicke Sjödin talent price