Magnus Carlsson was born in Borås and grew up in Fristad. He attended comprehensive upper secondary school for 2 years with a focus on musical training, and four further years at the Faculty of Arts in Gothenburg University, where he studied to be a music and song/voice teacher.

Carlsson was first a singer in the Swedish dansband Barbados. Though near the end of 2002, he left Barbados and joined the pop-dance group Alcazar.

Carlsson participated in Melodifestivalen every year between 2000 and 2007 inclusive, except for 2004, either with Barbados, Alcazar or as a solo act.

At the end of 2002, Carlsson decided to leave Barbados, and on 13 December 2002, Carlsson became an official member of the pop group Alcazar. On 24 January 2003 he performed his last concert with Barbados.

In February 2006, he was a contestant in Melodifestivalen's semi-final in Karlstad with "Lev Livet!", composed by Anders Glenmark and Niklas Strömstedt, and qualified for the final in Globen.

In 2007 Magnus performed in the third heat of Melodifestivalen 2007 in Örnsköldsvik with "Live Forever", an eighties-inspired electropop dance song. The entry came in 5th place and was knocked out of the contest but still became the 6th most frequently played song on Swedish radio in 2007. The song was released as a single on 5 March 2007, and reached the status of gold certificate.

Carlsson participated in Melodifestivalen 2015 with "Möt mig i Gamla stan" and made it to the final in Friends Arena, finishing 9th overall in 12 finalists.