AGNETHA ABBA & AFTER

COMPLETO


Agnetha Ft. Gary Barlow por shellnchris



http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10twyp_agnetha-ft-gary-barlow_shortfilms

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Agnetha Fältskog receives the SKAP 2013 Kai Gullmar Memorial Award

Frida y Bjorn at museum - Thank you for the music

-------------------------------------------------

FRIDA







http://www.svt.se/nyheter/article1203720.svt

another link



------------

BJORN

Agnetha style

pasan los años y Agnetha mantiene su estilo...

years pass and Agnetha keeps her style...

los mismos gestos

the same gestures

la misma voz...

the same voice ...

y nuestra admiración

and our admiration

publicado 22 de noviembre 2013 en facebook


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=609626189082984&set=o.429701990439337&type=1&ref=nf



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=609629379082665&set=o.429701990439337&type=1&ref=nf

publicado 23 de noviembre 2013 en facebook

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=610113672367569&set=o.429701990439337&type=1&ref=nf

Frida at Museum

15 de noviembre




FOTOS

ABBA sverige press

Publicado el 13/10/2012
Enjoy this fantastic interview from 1977. They all look stunning!
Thanks to Malin from Sweden, we have the great opportunity to watch and UNDERSTAND what ABBA are talking about in Sveriges Magasin.
All the translation credits go to her, and thanks again Malin for taking up such a huge task!
However, here is the link to the one without subtitles which is unlisted on YouTube if you want to enjoy the picture without subtitles.

abba Audio Museum

Frida 15 11 2013

Agnetha on stage 2013 Children In Need Rocks

Publicado el 13/11/2013
13/11/2013
Children In Need Rocks






Publicado el 15/11/2013
"Children In Need Rocks" (14 November, 2014)
















pos actualizado 23 11 2013

Agnetha Fältskog receives the SKAP 2013 Kai Gullmar Memorial Award

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqtnLMpEjWs

another link



Agnetha Fältskog receives the SKAP 2013 Kai Gullmar Memorial Award from SKAP on Vimeo.

Agnetha Jönköpingsyra ´84

Jönköpingsyra ´84 >> Agnetha co-hosts a celebration for the 700th anniversary of her home town, Jönköping. A children's choir who sing some of her early hits ("Jag var så kär", "Många gånger än", "Tack för en underbar vanlig dag" and "Så glad som dina ögen") 







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBS4KYhDOFA




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVwprzolDY4



http://youtu.be/dHphetCRNQc

AGNETHA FÄLTSKOG – BACK ON YOUR RADIO

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AGNETHA FÄLTSKOG – BACK ON YOUR RADIO
Fri, May 17, 2013Cover, Features
By Karl Batterbee | Photo: Andy Earl
-
This month sees the release of A, the first album of original material by Agnetha Fältskog since 1987’s I Stand Alone. It is an album that many assumed the former ABBA singer would never release, or even get round to making. Her preference to stay completely out of the limelight and her refusal to do any promotion for her last record, the covers album My Colouring Book released in 2004, led many, and Agnetha herself, to believe that she was done with music.

The man who made her change her mind was Swedish songwriter and producer Jörgen Elofsson, who has previously been behind hits for the likes of Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Westlife. He contacted a friend of Agnetha’s, saying that he had some songs for her. This friend, a fan of Elofsson, managed to convince the infamously reclusive Agnetha to invite Jörgen and his songwriting partner Peter Nordahl to her home to play her the songs. A lot happened in between, and now, 18 months later, we have the finished album just days away from being in stores.

Return to pop music

Back in March, Universal Music invited a select group of media representatives to attend a pre-listening event for the album in London. Elofsson and Nordahl were present and on hand to introduce each of the ten songs. Equally interesting as the songs themselves were Elofsson and Nordahl’s stories and anecdotes on the making of the album, including meeting Agnetha, playing her the songs, and writing and recording with her despite her own insecurities, and their own preconceptions of what she was like as a person. The listening session, which Scan Magazine attended, turned out to be a fascinating insight into one of the most famous yet mysterious women in the world, and her return to pop music.
“I withdrew for a little while”
Elofsson and Nordahl drove to her secluded lakeside farmhouse on Ekerö, eight miles from Stockholm, one of thousands of islands that surrounds the Swedish capital. Despite getting lost, they arrived early. So early, Elofsson says, that they chose to drive around for a little bit longer until the agreed meeting time, rather than disturb the singer any earlier than arranged. Any fears they had of meeting Agnetha though, built up due to her reputation as a bit of a recluse, were quickly dispelled when she opened the door to greet Jörgen and Peter. They received the warmest of welcomes via her bright smile and open arms.
The aforementioned reputation as a recluse is one that Agnetha herself dislikes, as Elofsson quickly learned. Speaking last month, Agnetha revealed: “To say that I’m mysterious, that’s all been created by the media. I get quite hurt by it actually. It’s something that has sprung up along the way because of certain things. Maybe because I withdrew for a little while. But there are periods in your life when you have to take care of yourself. Things happen and you have to be alone and have things quiet around you for a while.”
Still, Elofsson recalls being a little bit nervous around her for the first few meetings, until they became more familiar with each other. In one of their earlier meetings, he remembers sitting in her kitchen with her, and the radio was on in the background. Suddenly an ABBA song came on. “Peter and I didn’t really know how to react or how she would react, and we looked at each other nervously.” But Agnetha herself broke the awkward silence by laughing upon realising that the song was playing, and reassuring them that “it happens sometimes”.

“It started sounding better and better”
“We saw her open up, become much happier, with music again in her life,” says Elofsson of those first few meetings. They played Agnetha three songs at first, which ended up as the three opening tracks on the A album: The One Who Loves You Now, When You Really Loved Someone and Perfume In The Breeze. Thankfully, she loved them straight away, later revealing: “I never thought that I’d ever sing again. But hearing the first three songs, I just couldn’t say no.” And so the deal was done, and they set about to getting Agnetha into the studio to record the songs. That in itself turned out to be something of an obstacle though, due to her insecurities about her voice, having gone so long without singing. She revealed her concern to the pair that her singing voice might now “sound old”, even wondering if it “still worked”. She began taking singing lessons before hitting the recording studio, but after only two sessions felt confident enough again. “Once I learnt how to breathe properly again, I felt it would work. And then it started sounding better and better.”

“She wanted to make music again. We could feel that,” says Elofsson. “Basically, she’s a musician, a songwriter and singer who hadn’t done that for a while.” And so the next step for her to take was to see if she could find herself as a songwriter again. Speaking of her experience of sitting at the piano and crafting a song all by herself after so long, she says: “I felt that this was an album of Jörgen’s songs, at least nine of them. But I thought it’d be fun to have one song on there, and so I started writing songs again.” Elofsson recalls that to persuade her to find herself as a songwriter, he suggested she write something about what she evidently loves dearest of all at this point in her life – her grandchildren. But in the end, she was able to come up with something a lot deeper. “I hadn’t written any music for a long, long time. But I sat at the piano and suddenly it was there,” Agnetha says. “I managed to squeeze one song out, and it will actually be the last song on the album. It’s called I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed.” The 70s-inspired ballad with a “why is love so hard to understand” lyric, ended up being one of Elofsson’s favourite songs from the album.


She started dancing

Another song of note is Dance Your Pain Away, the sole up-tempo track on an album of slow to mid-tempo music. It is a rip-roaring and camp disco-inspired number, quite reminiscent of her ABBA days. “I would almost have a heart attack every time I would present a new song to her,” jokes Elofsson. And he was particularly wary of what she might think of Dance Your Pain Away. But he need not have worried. “When I first played her that song, she started dancing right behind where I was sitting. And I knew then that it felt right.”

One song that will be getting plenty of attention in the UK is I Should’ve Followed You Home, a duet with Take That member and X Factor judge Gary Barlow. Elofsson and Barlow wrote the song together last year, and Barlow recorded it in Elofsson’s studio. However, Agnetha was not present while Barlow was recording his parts as she had already booked in a holiday abroad. The song is one of those that starts off slowly, before becoming more upbeat after the first chorus. “We didn’t want to do a traditional ballad, but something a bit different,” says Elofsson. “I think it sounds like it could be a hit in England.”


The finished album, A, will be released on May 13th, and Agnetha has already booked in some promotional appearances for it; something she did not do for her last album, My Colouring Book, in 2004. All this points towards a singer who at 62 years of age, and after almost 30 years of shunning the spotlight, appears to finally be ready to step back into life as a recording artist. And based on the quality of A, we are certainly ready to enjoy all of the new music that should hopefully follow a successful comeback for the one and only Agnetha.
As she herself trills on the 60s-flavoured Back On Your Radio from the new album: “Are you picking up my signals from the radio?” It is nice to be able to respond once again with a resounding “loud and clear”.

http://www.scanmagazine.co.uk/2013/05/agnetha-faltskog/

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google translation


Este mes se estrena A, el primer álbum de material original por Agnetha Fältskog desde 1987 de I Stand Alone . Es un álbum que muchos asumieron el ex cantante de ABBA nunca soltar , o incluso recibir todo el año a hacer . Su preferencia a estar completamente fuera de los reflectores y su negativa a hacer cualquier tipo de promoción de su último disco , el cubre disco My Colouring Book publicado en 2004 , llevó a muchos , y Agnetha misma, a creer que ella había terminado con la música.
El hombre que la hizo cambiar de opinión fue compositor y productor sueco Jörgen Elofsson , que ha sido previamente detrás de éxitos para artistas como Britney Spears , Kelly Clarkson y Westlife . Entró en contacto con un amigo de Agnetha , diciendo que él tenía algunas canciones para ella. Este amigo , fan de Elofsson , logró convencer al Agnetha infame solitario invitar Jörgen y su compañero de composición Peter Nordahl a su casa para jugar su las canciones. Mucho pasó en el medio , y ahora, 18 meses después, tenemos el álbum terminado a solo unos días de estar en las tiendas.
Volver a la música pop
Ya en marzo , Universal Music invitó a un selecto grupo de representantes de los medios de comunicación a asistir a un evento de pre - escuchar el álbum en Londres. Elofsson y Nordahl estaban presentes y en la mano para introducir cada una de las diez canciones . Igualmente interesante que las canciones en sí eran Elofsson e historias y anécdotas de Nordahl en la realización del álbum , incluyendo Agnetha reunión , tocando su las canciones, y escribir y grabar con ella a pesar de sus propias inseguridades y sus propias ideas preconcebidas de cómo era ella como una persona . La sesión de escucha , que asistió a la revista Análisis , resultó ser una fascinante visión de una de las mujeres más famosas y misterioso en el mundo, y su regreso a la música pop .
" Me retiré por un tiempo "
Elofsson y Nordahl condujeron a su aislada casa de campo junto al lago en Ekerö , a ocho kilómetros de Estocolmo, una de las miles de islas que rodean la capital sueca. A pesar de perderse, llegar temprano. Tan temprano , Elofsson dice que eligieron para conducir por un poco más de tiempo hasta que el tiempo de reunión acordado , en lugar de molestar a la cantante más temprano que arreglar. Cualquier temor que tenían de reunión Agnetha embargo, acumula debido a su reputación de ser un poco de un recluso, se disiparon rápidamente cuando ella abrió la puerta para recibir a Jörgen y Pedro. Ellos recibieron la más cordial de las bienvenidas a través de su brillante sonrisa y los brazos abiertos.
Lo anterior reputación como un recluso es el que Agnetha ella no le gusta , como Elofsson aprendió rápidamente. En declaraciones el mes pasado, Agnetha reveló : "Decir que soy misterioso , que todo ha sido creado por los medios de comunicación . Me siento muy herido por la realidad . Es algo que ha surgido en el camino debido a ciertas cosas . Tal vez porque me retiré por un tiempo . Pero hay períodos en su vida cuando se tiene que cuidar de sí mismo . Las cosas pasan y hay que estar solo y tener las cosas en silencio a tu alrededor por un tiempo " .
Sin embargo, Elofsson recuerda ser un poco nervioso a su alrededor durante las primeras reuniones , hasta que se familiarizaron con los demás. En una de sus primeras reuniones , se recuerda sentado en su cocina con ella, y la radio estaba encendida en el fondo. De repente, una canción de ABBA se encendió. "Peter y yo realmente no saben cómo reaccionar o cómo iba a reaccionar, y lo miraron con nerviosismo. " Pero Agnetha ella rompió el silencio incómodo por la risa al darse cuenta de que la canción estaba jugando , y asegurándoles que " a veces sucede " .
"Todo empezó sonando cada vez mejor "
" La vimos abrirse , a ser mucho más feliz, con música de nuevo en su vida", dice Elofsson de esas primeras reuniones . Jugaron Agnetha tres canciones en un primer momento , que terminó siendo las tres vías de apertura en el álbum A : El que te ama ahora , cuando usted realmente amado a alguien y Perfume En La Brisa . Afortunadamente , los quería de inmediato, más tarde revela : " Nunca pensé que alguna vez había cantar de nuevo . Pero al escuchar las tres primeras canciones , yo no podía decir que no. " Y lo que el acuerdo estaba hecho, y que dedicó a conseguir Agnetha en el estudio para grabar las canciones. Eso en sí mismo resultó ser algo así como un obstáculo , sin embargo, debido a sus inseguridades acerca de su voz , después de haber pasado tanto tiempo sin cantar. Ella reveló su preocupación a la par que su voz para cantar puede ahora " sonido viejo " , aunque se pregunta si " seguía trabajando " . Ella comenzó a tomar clases de canto antes de llegar al estudio de grabación , pero después de sólo dos sesiones se sintió lo suficientemente confiado de nuevo. "Una vez me enteré de cómo respirar correctamente de nuevo , sentí que iba a funcionar . Y luego empezó a sonar cada vez mejor " .
" Quería hacer música otra vez. Pudimos sentir eso ", dice Elofsson . "Básicamente , es un músico, compositor y cantante que no había hecho eso por un tiempo. " Y por lo que el siguiente paso para que ella tome era ver si podía encontrar a sí misma como un compositor nuevo. Hablando de su experiencia de sentarse al piano y la elaboración de una canción por sí misma después de tanto tiempo , ella dice: "Sentí que era un álbum de canciones de Jörgen , al menos nueve de ellos. Pero pensé que sería divertido tener una canción en allí, así que empecé a escribir canciones de nuevo . " Elofsson recuerda que persuadirla para encontrarse a sí misma como compositora , sugirió que escribiera algo evidentemente lo que le gusta más querido de todos en este momento de su vida - sus nietos. Pero al final , ella fue capaz de llegar a algo mucho más profundo . "Yo no había escrito ninguna música durante mucho , mucho tiempo. Pero me senté al piano y de repente estaba allí ", dice Agnetha . " Me las arreglé para exprimir una canción hacia fuera, y que en realidad será la última canción en el álbum. Se llama I mantenerlos en el suelo junto a la cama . " La balada inspirada en los años 70 con un " ¿por qué es el amor tan difícil de entender " la lírica , que terminó siendo una de las canciones favoritas de Elofsson del álbum .
Ella comenzó a bailar
Otra canción de la nota es la danza le quitó el dolor , la única pista de ritmo rápido en un álbum de la lentitud con la música de medio tiempo . Es un número de disco- inspirado bulliciosa y el campo, muy reminiscencia de sus días de ABBA . " Casi me atrevería a atacar a tener un corazón cada vez que me gustaría presentar una nueva canción para ella ", bromea Elofsson . Y fue particularmente preocupado por lo que pudiera pensar en danza le quitó el dolor . Pero no tenemos por qué preocuparnos . " La primera vez que le tocaba esa canción , ella comenzó a bailar justo detrás de donde estaba sentado . Y entonces supe que se sentía bien " .
Una canción que va a obtener un montón de atención en el Reino Unido es que debería haber seguido a Casa , a dúo con Take That y miembro de X Factor juez Gary Barlow. Elofsson y Barlow escribieron la canción juntos el año pasado , y Barlow grabaron en el estudio de Elofsson . Sin embargo , Agnetha no estaba presente mientras Barlow estaba grabando sus partes, como ya había reservado en un día de fiesta en el extranjero. La canción es una de las que comienza lentamente , antes de ser más optimista después del primer coro . " No queríamos hacer una balada tradicional, sino algo un poco diferente", dice Elofsson . " Creo que suena como que podría ser un éxito en Inglaterra. "
El álbum terminado , A, se dará a conocer el 13 de mayo, y Agnetha ya ha reservado en algunas apariciones promocionales para ello , algo que no hizo en su último álbum, My Colouring Book, en 2004. Todo esto apunta hacia una cantante que a los 62 años de edad , y después de casi 30 años de rehuir el punto de mira , parece finalmente estar listo para dar un paso atrás en la vida como artista . Y en base a la calidad de A, sin duda estamos dispuestos a disfrutar de toda la música nueva que se espera que se atenga a un exitoso regreso a la única y Agnetha .
Como ella misma trinos en la vuelta 60 con sabor a la radio de su nuevo álbum : "¿ Está usted a recoger a mis señales de la radio " Es agradable ser capaz de responder una vez más con un rotundo " alto y claro " .

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ABBA Tours

Australian Tour Dates 1977



March 3 (Thu) Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
March 4 (Fri) Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
March 5 (Sat) Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
March 6 (Sun) Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (2 concets)
March 8 (Tue) West Lakes Football Stadium, Adelaide
March 10 (Thu) Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth (2 concerts)
March 11 (Fri) Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth,
March 12 (Sat) Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth, (2 concerts)



European Tour Dates 1977



January 28 Ekebergshallen, Oslo, NORWAY
January 29 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, SWEDEN
January 30 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, SWEDEN
January 31 Brøndbyhallen, Copenhagen, DENMARK
February 1 Brøndbyhallen, Copenhagen, DENMARK
Febrary 2 Berliner Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, WEST GERMANY
February 3 Sporthalle, Cologne, WEST GERMANY
February 4 Jaap Eden hal, Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
February 5 Arenahal, Antwerp, BELGIUM
February 6 Grugahalle, Essen, WEST GERMANY
February 7 Eilenriedehalle, Hanover, WEST GERMANY
February 8 CCH, Hamburg, WEST GERMANY
February 10 Odeon, Birmingham, ENGLAND
February 11 Free Trade Hall, Manchester, ENGLAND
February 12 Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, SCOTLAND
February 14 Royal Albert Hall, London, ENGLAND (2 concerts)


http://www.abbaontv.com/1977/tour-dates-europe.htm


1979 North American & European Tour



September 13 Edmonton Sports Arena, Edmonton, CANADA
September 15 Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, CANADA
September 17 Seattle Arena, Seattle, USA
September 18 Portland Opera House, Portland, USA
September 19 Concord Pavillion, Concord (Bay Area), USA
September 21 Anaheim Convention Center, Los Angeles, USA
September 22 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, USA
September 23 The Active Center, Tempe (Phoenix), USA
September 24 Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas, USA
September 26 Civic Auditorium, Omaha, USA
September 27 St Paul Civic, Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA
September 29 Auditorium, Milwaukee, USA
September 30 Auditorium Theater, Chicago, USA
October 2 Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA
October 3 Music Hall, Boston, USA
October 6 Forum, Montréal, CANADA
October 7 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, CANADA

October 19 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, SWEDEN
October 20 Isstadion, Stockholm, SWEDEN
October 21 Falkonerteatret. Copenhagen, DENMARK
October 23 Pavillion de Paris, Paris, FRANCE
October 24 Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
October 25 Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, WEST GERMANY
October 27 Olympiahalle, Munich, WEST GERMANY
October 28 Hallenstadion, Zurich, SWITZERLAND
October 29 Stadthalle, Vienna, AUSTRIA
October 30 Sporthalle Böblingen, Stuttgart, WEST GERMANY
November 1 Stadthall, Bremen, WEST GERMANY
November 2 Festhalle, Frankfurt, WEST GERMANY
November 3 Forest National, Brussels, BELGIUM
November 5 Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND
November 6 Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND
November 7 Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND
November 8 Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND
November 9 Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND
November 10 (Sat) Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND
November 11 (Sun) Bingley Hall, Stafford, ENGLAND
November 12 (Mon) Bingley Hall, Stafford, ENGLAND
November 13 (Tue) Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, SCOTLAND
November 15 (Thu) RDS Main Hall, Dublin, IRELAND

http://www.abbaontv.com/1979/tour-dates.htm


Japanese Tour Dates



Wednesday 12 March 1980 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Thursday 13 March 1980 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Friday 14 March 1980 Sogo Tai-iku-kan, Kohriyama, Japan
Monday 17 March 1980 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Tuesday 18 March 1980 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Thursday 20 March 1980 Kyu Den tai-iku-kan, Fukuoko, Japan
Friday 21 March 1980 Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan
Saturday 22 March 1980 Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan
Monday 24 March 1980 Aichi-ken Tai-iku-kan, Nagoya, Japan
Wednesday 26 March 1980 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Thursday 27 March 1980 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
http://www.abbaontv.com/1980/japan-tour-dates.htm

Gammeldans Agnetha

1972 Gammeldans Agnetha appeared in this programme which was was the first out of six episode

Agnetha Fältskog Jacob's Stage Interview 1987

Agnetha Fältskog Jacob's Stage Interview 1987

The songs >>
I Stand Alone, Maybe It Was Magic,  If You Need Somebody Tonight,
Let It Shine, I Stand Alone


Filmed late November 1987 Location Stockholm, Sweden Broadcast 21 November 1987, SVT1, 23.10-23.45 Sweden

The interview 



traslation ABBA ON TV


 Jacobs Stege (Jacob's Ladder)

(An old song sounds from the background)

Jacob Dahlin: Do you remember that?

Agnetha Faltskög: Yes, of course. It’s a mixture of several photos and things.

JD: I meant the song.

A: It’s a tape I made when I was 13 years old.

JD: You were registered with the TV program „Småstad” ?

A: That’s right.

JD: Along with a girl named Elisabeth.

A: There were 3 of us who sang and danced. Did you read about that somewhere?

JD: No. Elisabeth’s father Peter sent us the tape.

A:  Her brother’s name is Peter – her father’s name is Jakob.

JD: Skoal and welcome ! Nice to have you here.

A:  It’s nice to be here.

JD: Skol ! When you were 13 you sang that you wanted to look like Brigitte Bardot. Now here you sit with your new look: The New Agnetha ! Is your look important?

A: It must harmonize with the material on the new album. It’s very important. I think. It’s good to reinvent yourself and try to look you best. You men have it easy. You can look any way you like and it’s OK. But we always have to keep changing and look as good as possible. And our look has to suit our latest project.

JD: You and Lulu-Marielle have been here 3 times. You’re as beautiful as before. Is this look Agnetha The Artist?

A: Yes, I feel that it’s important to make that distinction.

JD: When you were in America around 7 stylists worked on you?

A:  Yes, there were seven Italians and just one American. They worked on me for 3 and a half hours to achive my new look.

JD:How does this look harmonize with your new music?

A: It’s very fresh, very 1987. You can’t look like you did 10 years ago. There are always new styles, so it’s nice to work with people who have heard the music, so they know what type of look is appropriate.

JD: No other Swede today could go to the USA and have an album produced by Peter Cetera. You’ve gotten terrific reviews, but I wonder how you overcame your fear of flying?

A:  I haven’t ! It’s still there and it’s terrifying !

JD: Did they have to tie you down?

A:  It’s not quite that bad. If I must fly for my work or vacation then I do. But I haven’t flown in 3 years as it’s very stressful for me.

JD: Why was this a sufficient challenge?

A: I think Peter Cetera has a terrific voice. He’s written many great songs for Chicago. And Bruce Gaitsch, who is here today. He wrote „La Isla Bonita” and produced part of my LP. When I heard Peter wanted to work with me, I was very interested.

JD: Still, I think you’re world-famous with money in the bank. You live in seciusion. Suddenly you’re drawn to the spotlight again.

A:  You feel something inside… And you want to let it out. It might be music or a film. When you get the chance you take it. You never grow blase. For instance my LP went gold in advance orders alone. And I’m thrilled !

JD: Will you go on tour and meet the public?

A:  No ! I’m well-established and I’m in control. I do what I can, but no touring.

JD: Why not ?

A: I’m afraid to fly and I don’t like being away from home. I’ve been recording 20 years and that slavery is over.

JD: But when I saw you at Brighton in 74 you loved being on stage.

A: On stage is one thing – touring and waking up in hotel rooms is another.

JD: Surely you must do a promotional tour throughout Europe?

A:  No, I don’t ! There are other ways to reach out. It’s a lot of fun to do TV, videos, radio… but travelling is too hard.

JD: Don’t you feel pressure from the fans, to tour?

A: I definitely want to reach my fans. But I feel that I can do it with videos and TV appearances.

JD: Fans still come and hang around your house, don’t they?

A: Yes, it’s very sweet.

JD: You want to be home with your children, but someday they won’t be at home very much.

A:  It’s that way already.

JD: What will you do then?

A:  They’ll always need me, even if it sometimes seems like they don’t.

JD: When will you take control of your talent?

A: I always have juggled motherhood and career. It’s hard, but I manage.

JD: Any guilty conscience?

A: Sure, like any parent, even parents living together as a family.

JD: But you’re the most famous working mother.

A: I don’t know. There are many mothers who have it tough.

JD: Would you like to be like everyone else?

A: I am like everyone else !

JD: You’re not, are you?

A: Yes, I am ! You can’t imagine how ordinary I am !

JD: Yes, but here sits 50 kg (110 lbs) of charisma, and…

A: 50 ??

JD: 45 (110 lbs) ? In any case a hell of a lot of charisma here.

A: Ah, and so much energy !

JD: It’s been awfully nice to have you here.

http://www.abbaontv.com/1987/jacobs-stege-translation.html

fuente http://www.abbaontv.com/1987/jacobs-stege-translation.html

ABBA - I am an A - Adelaide 1977 subtitled

https://www.youtube.com/user/FFridalicious

http://youtu.be/mAlNtXrQELw

ABBA - The Girl with the Golden Hair

ABBA - The Girl with the Golden Hair (Hamburg 1977 + Bjorn's introduction Sydney, 3rd March)

Bjorn Abba Museum -

Agnetha A >>>> Abba and After

Agnetha: Abba and After, a BBC One documentary telling the story of Agnetha Faltskog's music career.









RESEÑA BBC

11 Jun 2013

In this documentary the BBC have exclusive access to Agnetha Fältskog, 'The Girl with the Golden Hair' as the song goes, celebrating her extraordinary singing career which began in the mid-60s when she was just 15. Within just two years, she was a singing sensation at the top of the charts in Sweden.

Along came husband Björn Ulvaeus and the phenomenal band Abba that engulfed the world in the 70s, featuring Agnetha's touching voice and striking looks. Agnetha lacked confidence on stage as the global demand for the group grew and grew, while being away from her young children caused her great turmoil.

With special behind-the-scenes access to the making of her comeback album, the film follows this reluctant star - the subject of much tabloid speculation since she retreated from the stage post-Abba - as she returns to recording aged 63. Included in the film is her first meeting with Gary Barlow, who contributes a duet to the new album.

The programme features interviews with Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Gary Barlow, Tony Blackburn, Sir Tim Rice and record producers, Peter Nordahl and Jörgen Elofsson


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02x9zwc

Agnetha Fältskog Stockholm Pride 2013 -

Bjorn Museo ABBA - Abba Museum

ABBA THE COMPLETE SPECIAL BANG A BOOMERANG ( Australia 2013 )

Publicado el 09/02/2013
ABBA THE COMPLETE SPECIAL BANG A BOOMERANG ( Australia 2013 )


RAREABBAVIDEOEDITS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVgwnEA3L5U

ABBA on Swap Shop Awards 1978

daffodil17
Publicado el 18/06/2012
Unable to accept their award in person, they sent a short message from Stockholm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c31c5G20hho

Agnetha Faltskog On BLISS TV

Agnetha Faltskog On BLISS TV Part 1




ABBAVIDEOEDITS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqowPW2lN7Y


Agnetha Faltskog On BLISS TV part2



Publicado el 20/05/2013
Agnetha Faltskog On BLISS TV ( PART 2 )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehmtumwhgcw

AGNETHA WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG ON YOUR NEW ALBUM?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4GYBxbRHT8

Avicii, Benny, Björn (ABBA) : We Write Story

Publicado el 20/05/2013
The Official Anthem of Eurovision Song Contest 2013

"We Write the Story"
Musik: Benny Andersson.
Text: Björn Ulvaeus.
Processing : Avicii.

Justice and peace
And liberty
We write the story
We can fulfill
The legacy
We write the song

Welcome a new
Enlightenment
We write the story
We can recast
And reinvent
We write the song

We are humans
Born free and equal
On this mother
Lies our future
Reason and conscience
May they rule the
World one day

Justice and peace
And liberty
We write the story
We can fulfill
The legacy
We write the song

True to the ones
Who lit the light
We write the story
We have a torch

To reignite
We write the song

Welcome a new
Enlightenment
Welcome the glory
We can recast
And reinvent
We can be strong

We have a choice
In everything
We write the story
We have a voice
And words to sing
We write the song

We are humans
Born free and equal

On this mother
Lies our future
We are keepers
Reason and conscience
May they rule the
World one day

Justice and peace
And liberty
We write the story
We can fulfill
The legacy
We write the song

True to the ones
Who lit the light
We write the story
We have a torch
To reignite
We write the song

Welcome a new
Enlightenment
Welcome the glory
We can recast
And reinvent
We can be strong

We have a choice
In everything
We write the story
We have a voice
And words to sing
We write the song

Free and equal
Reason and conscience
We are humans
We are
One .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vucWnbRLry8

Agnetha Faltskog Album

actualizado | por Dave Itzkoff| www.nytsyn.com
Agnetha Faltskog presenta su nuevo álbum



2013 New York Times News Service
No parece que éxitos para bailar – como “Waterloo!”, “S.O.S.” y “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” (A Man After Midnight) – estén menos presentes en los más de 30 años desde que ABBA, el cuarteto pop sueco con grandes ventas de discos, los grabó la primera vez. Sin embargo, si su música está en todas partes, no es así con los compañeros de la banda: en particular, ya casi ha pasado una década desde que los escuchas oyeron hablar de Agnetha Faltskog, la cantante cuya voz distintiva ayudó a darle a ABBA su fresco encanto escandinavo.

Faltskog, de 63 años, retornó con “A” (Verve), su primer álbum con material nuevo desde 1987, que acaba de salir a la venta. Su colección de canciones, disponible a partir el 14 de mayo, tiene un conocido sonido ABBA, pero sus baladas de amores fallidos (e, incluso, una canción disco) suenan con las décadas de experiencia que ha acumulado desde entonces. En una reciente conversación telefónica desde Estocolmo, Faltskog habló de su reingreso en la música y por qué sus seguidores deben aceptar que ABBA nunca volverá a estar junta. Se presentan extractos de la conversación.

P: Todo lo que sé sobre Suecia, lo aprendí de sus canciones y de las novelas de Stieg Larsson. ¿Qué otra cosa debo saber?

R: Para empezar, el clima. Es terrible. Todavía hay nieve por aquí, e invierno, y estamos esperando la primavera. Ya nos está poniendo los nervios de punta, de verdad.

P: Al pasar casi una década sin sacar un álbum nuevo, ¿empieza a pensar que quizá nunca más haga otro?

R: No planee este álbum, para nada. Pensé que quizá, cuando hice mi álbum anterior ((el disco de versiones de 2004)), “My Colouring Book”, habría sido el último. Sin embargo, hoy entiendo que nunca hay que decir nunca. Cuando escuché las primeras tres canciones, simplemente sentí que tenía que hacerlo.

P: ¿Le preocupaba no estar en forma?

R: Cada día tengo más edad, y nunca sabes cómo suena la garganta ni la voz. Así es que les dije a los chicos ((su equipo de producción)) que tendríamos que escuchar con mucho cuidado. Si suena viejo, no quiero hacerlo. ((Ríe.)) Sentí la garganta algo oxidada. Así es que tomé algunas lecciones de canto, regresé a trabajar los músculos del estómago. Era más una forma de respirar – tomar la potencia desde el estómago sin usar la garganta demasiado. Cuando retorné a eso, funcionó mucho mejor.

P: ¿Cantó alguna vez durante esta interrupción?

R: Canto sólo por diversión. Tocando el piano con mis nietos. En la regadera. ((Ríe.)) Pero no había hecho nada grande.

P: Varias de las canciones en este álbum son sobre amores fallidos o personas temerosas de amar a alguien más de lo que esa persona las ama.

R: Sí, siempre es así, ¿verdad? ((Ríe.)) En las canciones. También hay más canciones con ritmo rápido, pero, sin duda, me gusta hacer baladas. Cuando grabo se siente como si estuviera en una burbuja. No hay ninguna otra cosa en mi cabeza en ese instante. Sólo es canción, y estoy tratando de realmente sonar como aquello de lo que trata la canción.

P: En una canción, “I Was a Flower”, usted canta sobre perder la inocencia y la belleza. ¿Realmente se siente así respecto de usted misma?

R: No se trata de mí. Es como interpretar un personaje en una película. En lugar de hacerlo con el cuerpo y la cara, tratas de sonar como aquello de lo que se trata. Esa canción, en especial, es muy trágica. Creo que es más fácil meter ese sentimiento en las canciones ahora, cuando tienes tanta experiencia en la vida, y tienes mucho que dar, sentirse más sensato. ((Se escucha una conmoción en el fondo.)) Espere un segundo. Perdón pero mis dos perros estaban haciendo ruido. Uno se acaba de escapar. Tengo un carlino y un checoslovaco llamado Prazsky krysarik. Están haciendo un poco de ruido aquí.

P: ¿Van al estudio con usted?

R: Al principio traté de hacer eso, pero se ponen algo nerviosos, sabe, con toda la música y no tenerme todo el tiempo.

P: Hay un montón de tecnología que ha llegado desde entonces para que los artistas la usen para mejorar la voz. ¿Sintió la tentación de usar también esto?

R: ((Ríe.)) No necesitamos usar eso, no. Pero depende del tipo de cantante que se sea. Cuando hay mucho baile, también es bonito verlo. A veces hay que hacer presentaciones en vivo, y entonces puede ser difícil, que no sean tan buenos cantantes. Hay muchos artistas que me encantan, y creo que realmente son talentosos, y también buenos bailarines. Siempre he deseado poder combinar eso. Pero me veo sólo como una artista que graba, y creo que fuimos eso como máximo en ABBA. No es muy fácil vernos, pero escucharnos, eso me gustaba mucho.

P: ¿Hará algunos conciertos para promover el álbum nuevo?

R: No. Nada de cantar ni nada de eso. Ya no soy tan joven. No tengo la energía para hacerlo, y tampoco quiero viajar demasiado.

P: ¿Es agridulce renunciar a todo eso?

R: No, no extraño eso para nada. A veces me gustaba. Pero siempre era muy pero muy cansado. E hicimos mucho eso. Trabajé como solista mucho antes de reunirnos en ABBA. Así es que ya hice bastante de eso en mi vida. ((Ríe.))

P: ¿Por qué decidió llamar al álbum “A”?

R: ((Ríe.)) Si, esa no fue mi idea. Se les ocurrió a los chicos – hay que llamarlo “A”. No me convencieron de inmediato. Ahora, ya me acostumbré, y creo que está bien. Es la primera letra de mi nombre y la primera letra de ABBA. Esa soy yo. ¿Por qué no?

P: Claro que lleva a preguntas de si usted y los otros integrantes de ABBA se volverán a juntar.

R: Creo que tenemos que aceptar que eso no va a pasar, porque estamos demasiado viejos y cada uno tiene su propia vida. Han pasado demasiados años desde que dejamos de cantar, y realmente no tiene ningún sentido volver a ponernos juntos.

P: Sin embargo, cuando usted se encontraba con sus compañeros de banda en actividades para “Mamma Mia!”, o cualquier otra cosa, ¿fue agradable verlos?

R: Oh, sí. Tenemos tantas experiencias juntos. Siempre es lindo vernos de cuando en cuando, conversar un poco y ponernos algo nostálgicos.

P: ¿Pero no demasiado?

R: ((Ríe.)) No, no demasiado. Tiene razón.

P: Si va manejando su coche con el radio prendido y, de pronto, suena “Dancing Queen” o alguna otra canción de ABBA, ¿lo apaga inmediatamente?

R: No lo apago. Después de que nos desintegramos, tanto Frida ((Lyngstad)) como yo dejamos de escucharla totalmente durante algunos años. Pero entonces pasan algunos años y está bien volver a escucharla.

http://noticias.latam.msn.com/ar/especiales/nytsyn/articulo.aspx?cp-documentid=257859482

ABBA EUROVISION Meet Frida, Bjorn & Benny - ABBA THE MUSEUM VIP OPENING 2013

Publicado el 17/05/2013

ABBA EUROVISION Meet Frida, Bjorn & Benny ABBA THE MUSEUM VIP OPENING 2013 From an Australian point of view.

ABBAVIDEOEDITS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Lg1JbGxKg

Frida The Museum Stockholm Sweden 2013

Frida Leaving ABBA The Museum Stockholm Sweden 2013 12/05/2013

ABBA MUSEUM

lista reproduccion videos

Agnetha in London's Heaven

4 DE MAYO DE 2013 Saturday May 4th @ Heaven Club in London, promoting her new album entitled "A".

Agnetha Faltskog breaks her silence: 'I was so tired once Abba was over' 2013

When Abba broke up in 1982, Agnetha Faltskog walked away from the public eye. In her first major interview for three decades, she talks about the loves and losses of the intervening years – and about ending her seclusion to record an album once again

By MOIRA PETTY
PUBLISHED: 23:01 GMT, 4 May 2013 | UPDATED: 23:01 GMT, 4 May 2013




Agnetha Faltskog breaks her silence: 'I was so tired once Abba was over'

Agnetha performing on stage with Abba in 1975, and today, opposite
Agnetha FALTSKOG
Agnetha today, and performing on stage with Abba in 1975


Passengers arriving at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport trundle through to the feel-good beat of Abba’s greatest hits. Honestly, it takes restraint not to execute a few dodgy disco moves as the tunes blast out from huge screens advertising Abba The Museum.
Once Sweden’s second most important export after Volvo, Abba is still, more than 30 years after disbanding, helping to sell the country’s brand to visitors. The new monument to the group’s decade of dancefloor dynamite is timely, as Agnetha Fältskog, always the most retiring of the Abba four, has emerged from her Swedish island home to release an album of new songs.
But my first glimpse of her is the 1978 Agnetha, all 1970s knitwear, high boots and pale blue eyeshadow, as the video for ‘Take A Chance On Me’ beams out across the arrivals hall. Then she’s full screen, eyes full of inky emotion, lips sticky with gloss, a bit tremulous, voice sliding magnificently from euphoria to anguish.
Agnetha with her co-producer Jörgen Elofsson in his studio
Agnetha with her co-producer Jörgen Elofsson in his studio

Since Abba abandoned a half-finished album in 1982, Agnetha has mainly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The catalogue of disasters includes two broken marriages and a series of failed love affairs, a road traffic accident in 1983 – when she was thrown out of the window of a bus on a solo tour – an accumulation of phobias, the suicide of her mother in 1994 and the persistent attention of stalkers, with one obsessive ruining her last album release in 2004 (her first since the 1980s) when his threats caused all interviews to be suddenly cancelled.
We meet in a brick, wood and slate house overlooking a sparkling lake on one of the many islands that surround Stockholm. This is home to Jörgen Elofsson, the co-producer and writer of her new album A. I am hanging out in the kitchen, a little bit tense, as she’s somewhere in this house having her make-up done. Then she pads into view, en route to the bathroom, in white towelling dressing gown and slippers, hair in rollers, smiling broadly, with a friendly ‘Hi’ to everyone. She exudes a Zen-like calm, the advantage no doubt of spending decades standing on her head because, as she tells me later, yoga and meditation helped rescue her from depression.
She is excited about her album and a little nervous, but it is full of lushly orchestrated numbers, every track about love and heartbreak, including a seductive duet with Gary Barlow. Her voice throughout sounds fantastic. ‘I will always be compared with Abba, with what was. I can only produce a good album, otherwise why would I do it? We had a joke about it. I said: “If I sound like an old woman, we won’t give it out. After a few times,
I kept saying: “This is not good.” So I trained and trained, took a couple of lessons, and suddenly on the third take it was there, and my voice sounds really young. I thought my previous record in 2004 was going to be my last. It’s not very common that you do records when you get past 60. Your voice changes, and your body, and you don’t have the same energy.’
Arlanda airport
Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus with their newborn daughter Linda
right: Sweden's most famous sons and daughters welcome visitors at Stockholm's Arlanda airport left: Agnetha with Björn and their daughter Linda in 1973

Has she sung in the interim? ‘For myself, yes; at home, at the piano and with my grandchildren, but nothing professional.’
Oddly, the only people who have been shielded from the Abba legend are her three grandchildren, aged 12, six and three, the offspring of her actor daughter Linda, 40. Her son Christian, 35, a computer programmer, has no children but Agnetha, an ardent grandma, is keeping her fingers crossed. She is cautious about talking about the little ones for security reasons but says, ‘I spend a lot of time with the grandchildren. They love it when we sing together. It’s fantastic to hear them and they really can sing. I don’t talk to them so much about Abba and the past, but as they get older they will become more aware. Already the eldest one, Tilda, knows a little bit more.’
‘I married, was in Abba, had my children, divorced – all in ten years. I wonder how I managed it, but I was young’

She apologises for her English, which becomes charmingly fractured under pressure. She is creamy-skinned, well preserved, robust looking, and emanates a mature beauty. She gave up smoking in the 80s, rarely drinks, and leads a healthy life tucked away on another Swedish island far removed from the stresses of youth culture and cosmetic surgery. She listens to some contemporary pop on the radio (‘I like it if it’s not too hard and has melody...even rapping can be nice’) but doesn’t know who the performers are.
Is she ready to leave this haven and embrace her public again, with all the madness it might bring? ‘I know that it is necessary if I am to get this CD out. It feels fantastic to meet new people again. I was very afraid of flying – I still am – so I had therapy. Now I am able to fly for three to three-and-a-half hours, no longer. The press has always written that I am a recluse and a mysterious woman, but I am more down-to-earth than they think. I live on a farm and there is a little bridge to get to Stockholm. I live a normal life there with my pug Bella and my puppy Bruno, a rare breed, just a little bigger than a chihuahua, with these big ears. I chat to other dog walkers, I go shopping and out to restaurants with friends. I don’t mind signing autographs as long as there’s not a queue forming,’ she says with a hearty laugh. She is estimated to have a £20 million fortune. ‘It helps, but I don’t think about it much,’ she shrugs. ‘You can go shopping, and if you see something very special you can buy it.
the couple in 1977 with baby son Christian
Agnetha and Linda
Left: The couple in 1977 with baby son Christian; Right: Agnetha and Linda in 2009

‘Maybe I was a recluse for some years. I was so tired once Abba was over and just wanted to be calm and with my children. I married, was in Abba, had my children, divorced, all in ten years. I wonder how I managed it, but I was young.’
The pop behemoth that became Abba was formed in 1970, when Agnetha and her boyfriend Björn Ulvaeus teamed up with his songwriting pal Benny Andersson. Soon, Benny’s girlfriend Anni-Frid – also known as Frida – Lyngstad joined them. Both couples went on to marry and divorce. Abba has sold 378 million records since 1972, the figure rising annually with new generations becoming fans after the success of Mamma Mia!, the stage musical and film. Having shunned other premieres of the musical, she turned out for the film premiere in Stockholm in 2008. ‘That was so exciting. Meryl Streep was really good in it.
I didn’t know that she could sing. She was very fresh and down-to-earth, not like a big star, and said, “It’s so good to meet you. I love these Abba songs.” She’s been into it a long time, singing the Abba songs. I think the Mamma Mia! craze is great.’
Adding to the buzz, Abba The Museum, an interactive exhibition in which visitors can record as if part of Abba, as well as peruse the band’s artefacts, will open on the island of Djurgården off Stockholm on Tuesday. ‘I didn’t keep any of my stage costumes from the Abba days. I have donated items to the museum, not very much but some things I had at home, some gold records, I can’t really remember. I think it’s nice that these things are in a place where they will be taken care of.’
Agnetha recalls Abba days with mixed emotions, as she found it hard dealing with global fame. ‘Fans would become really hysterical – banging on car doors. But very, very nice as well,’ she adds, not wishing to sound ungrateful for all this adoration. ‘Things that happened were quite incredible. We would arrive in our cars and there would be small children there and we were so scared that we were going to drive over someone or hurt them. Sometimes we could hardly leave our hotels. It was frightening, but we had so many people taking care of us and everyone wanted to show us the best [of their country] wherever we went. ’
The group in Germany in 1975
The group in Germany in 1975

She admits that she grew to dread going on stage. When she and Frida caught the whiff of cannabis from the audience, they would joke about taking in a few lungfuls, but Agnetha preferred a glass of champagne to fire her up. ‘Performing live is not my favourite. I am more of a recording person; I prefer to be private. I didn’t mind doing videos, even if they came very close with the camera. I can take that, but walking on stage in concert and singing live, that is a bit difficult. And I don’t think we sounded or looked very good.’
For a minute I am in shock, thinking that she means the platform boots, satin jumpsuits and glittery make-up, but she is talking about their lacklustre choreography, which wouldn’t stand muster next to routines by Lady Gaga or Rihanna, with their troupes of backing dancers.
‘It was nice to look how we looked, but we had no professional dance help.
We did it on feelings, so when we had our concerts it was different every night. Frida and I didn’t talk beforehand about what we were going to do.
We were very different types. We have been described as not being friends and in competition with each other, but we had something concrete between us on stage. There was some bad feeling when we were weary with our heavy schedule; little niggles, differences of opinion when we were a little irritated and tired of each other – and of ourselves.
Agnetha
Agnetha

‘But we helped each other a lot. If I felt I had a little cold, or Frida did, the other would work harder that night. During all of those times we worked so hard, through fevers and flu, and only ever cancelled two shows. The costumes were designed for us. I didn’t have the time to get involved with that, but Frida was more into it and had more time. We had to go and try everything and get measured, and I think they did a good job. Dancing in those platforms was OK, but I couldn’t do it today.’
Tours were never protracted, often 14 days off and 14 days on, which helped when she had her children. Did separations hurt? ‘Yes, but I didn’t feel guilty. I didn’t have any choice. When I was at home, I concentrated on the children. Linda was with us in California, but she was so little then, and my son was with us in London. I tried to explain [their lifestyle and work] to the children but it was hard for them to understand. It is difficult if your parents are famous but I tried not to spoil them.’
What is Agnetha’s favourite Abba song? ‘“The Winner Takes It All”,’ she says immediately. ‘Björn wrote it about us after the breakdown of our marriage. [They divorced in 1980.] The fact that he wrote it exactly when we divorced is touching really.’ Didn’t she hate reliving all that grief? ‘I didn’t mind.
‘You carry pain through your life…you survive – but it never leaves you’

It was fantastic to do that song because I could put in such feeling. I didn’t mind sharing it with the public. It didn’t feel wrong. There is so much in that song. It was a mixture of what I felt and what Björn felt, but also what Benny and Frida went through.
I always thought about the story behind those songs. I used to wonder what Björn and Benny were thinking about.’
Perhaps the hardest blow for Agnetha, who says she is ‘very sensitive’, was the death of her parents. Tragically, her mother Birgit, a former shop cashier, threw herself to her death from the sixth-floor flat in Jönköping where Agnetha had been raised. She was 71. ‘You knew about that?’ she whispers. ‘It was terrible. You wonder if you could have done something. Then my father [Ingvar, 73, once an administrator for a power company] died a year later. It’s so painful. You want them with you and to have known your grandchildren. I was depressed after that. Those were terrible years. I withdrew into myself and that was when I really began practising yoga because there was so much [emotion] coming out. I stayed at home a lot, meditated, listened to very special songs, lit candles. It helped heal me. You carry pain through your life, and when you get distance from it, you survive – but it never leaves you.
Agnetha and Anni-Frid performing in Amsterdam, 1977
Agnetha and Anni-Frid performing in Amsterdam, 1977

‘They were good parents. I started to compose when I was five years old, but had to use a neighbour’s piano. My parents made sacrifices to buy me a piano when I was seven. I used to play the harpsichord alone in the church. When I was 12, I played a fooj’ (fooj? Fudge? Ah, fugue!) ‘by Bach to an audience. I could never do that today.’
By 1965, aged 15, she was in a pop trio, the Chambers, with her friends Lena and Elisabeth, all hoping to become ‘world famous’. Then she became a singer with a dance band, and when its leader sent a demo to a record company, they were only interested in Agnetha. At 17, she had her first solo number one in Sweden and was on her way. Her younger sister, Mona, took over her job as a switchboard operator, and took the bus 175 miles with her parents to visit Agnetha in Stockholm. Agnetha couldn’t persuade the family to take money from her or move to the city because they felt that they would be out of their depth.
Back in those more unguarded days, she offered tantalising glimpses of herself in interviews with Swedish publications, which visited her at home with Björn. He was then a member of popular folk group The Hootenanny Singers, and she had fallen in love with him when they recorded a TV show together in 1969. ‘He’s grumpy in the morning.’ ‘He buys me flowers after I’ve done the cleaning.’ ‘Sometimes I fall out of love with life.’ The happy housewife, the sensitive soul, the occasional depressive were laid bare.
Abba performing 'Waterloo' at Eurovision in 1974
Abba performing 'Waterloo' at Eurovision in 1974

The teenage Agnetha drove men crazy, especially when she wore a pink jumpsuit with a large heart-shaped cut-out on the abdomen, which caused one Swedish reporter to slaver unpleasantly about her ‘sexy little tummy’. Another declared his temperature had been normal before he knocked on her door and dissolved into a description of ‘peachy skin’ and ‘hair like frozen waterfalls’.
This was just from Swedish journalists, so no wonder she became alarmed when stalkers became a fixture. Probably the worst was Dutch forklift truck driver Gert van der Graaf, 16 years her junior, who set up home a quarter of a mile from hers on the island of Ekero, west of Stockholm. When he turned sinister, police raided his cabin, which had become a shrine to her, and he reappeared with threats in 2004.
Does she find it easy to decide who is genuine? ‘I don’t think I’m very good at judging people. Sometimes I get a bad feeling but not very often. I have a very open heart and mind.
I want to give everyone a chance.’ I sympathise that it must be hard to meet new people, and in a mastery of understatement she replies: ‘Yes, I’m not only well-known in Sweden.’
She once compared the behaviour of poker-faced Swedes in a lift adversely with the chattiness of Americans, but now talks approvingly of ‘Swedish reserve: they respect you a lot’. The Swedish winter she finds less congenial – ‘It is too long and cold and can really make you tired’ – but now that she can fly, she breaks it up with holidays in sunnier spots such as Majorca. ‘On my ordinary days I don’t look like this,’ she says pointing to photo-ready hair and make-up. ‘So people don’t recognise me. And in winter we are fully dressed [she mimes pulling a hood over her head] so as not to freeze.
‘I see Björn now and then, when the children have birthdays, but he moved to London and started a new life, and he and his wife are grandparents too.’


It was reported that he was suffering from some kind of memory loss and had forgotten parts of his early career and life. ‘I know, but I haven’t talked to him about that,’ she says. ‘We don’t have that sort of relationship.’
She doesn’t seem to regret her absence from music for so long, saying, ‘I’m not jealous of the boys,’ as she calls Benny and Björn, who have continued songwriting, mainly for musicals. In 1969, she joked that when it came to songwriting, ‘Björn is almost as good at me.’ By the time they were in Abba, he could not persuade her to take time away from the children to compose for the group.
She talks about being ‘self-critical’ and ‘lacking self-confidence’, especially in this new and exposing project. She has written just one song for the album, ‘I Keep Them on the Floor Beside My Bed’, about the mementos of love. It contains lyrics such as: ‘I never thought my heart would break so easily…I should have stayed and worked it out.’ She had a German record producer fiancé before Björn, and after her divorce had a series of high-profile boyfriends, including a fashion designer, ice hockey star and police inspector. There was also a second marriage in 1990 to a surgeon and karate expert, which lasted two years.
‘'In love there are many ups and downs, but I remain optimistic’
I wonder if her new song was about Björn, but she says, ‘Björn and I have dealt with the heartbreak. It is amicable. In love, there are so many ups and downs, but I remain optimistic about it. I haven’t closed any doors.’
Jörgen, who has written for Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Westlife and many others, contacted Agnetha last year, and he and co-producer Peter Nordahl got to know her and then presented her with their new songs. ‘My God!’ she squeals. ‘A Swedish girl was on the demos and I said, “Why can’t she do this?”’ But the songs reflect the romantic war wounds of an older woman.
‘I was a little scared of the mic and thought, “How am I supposed to do this?”
The answer was, “In your own way” because it’s one of the few things I really can do and am good at. I go into a bubble as if I was in a film role and bring my life and experience into that.’
Anni Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog
Anni Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog

Gary Barlow flew to Jörgen’s home studio to co-write a song, ‘Should Have Followed You Home’. Despite the title, it is not about stalkers but a missed romantic opportunity after a dancefloor meeting. Agnetha was away in Majorca but due to fly back for Gary’s last day until her travel plans changed. It isn’t clear whether this was a mishap or due to her anxiety over singing the duet, but they recorded separately. Still, her eyes glitter as she says: ‘When I heard his voice in the headphones, I thought: “Oh, I have to match this enormous, cool voice and the way he sings.”’ She purrs, ‘It’s verrry sexy and a very good song. I hope to meet him in London.’ The album also contains a 1970s disco-style number, ‘Dance Your Pain Away’, which Jörgen wrote with her gay fans in mind.
After so many half-hearted forays back into music, this seems the right album – mature, considered, sounding like a hit – at the right time. Other forces were needed, she agrees, to kick-start this return, but now she believes, ‘It was really meant to be.’
Agnetha’s new album A will be released by Polydor on 13 May.


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