Aftonbladet 1983-12-15
ENTERTAINMENT
First interview with Frida since she left Sweden
-I don't have a big need for new friends, I want to take care of the ones I have, says Frida Lyngstad in the first interview she gives after leaving Sweden for London.
Photo: ROGER LUNDSTEN
Thatcher is a fiery girl!
LONDON. Just over a year ago, Frida Lyngstad moved to London under great attention.
Since then, she has stayed away from the mass media.
Kjell Dabrowski got the first interview for the Swedish press with an open-hearted Frida in London.
-I feel great, I have to say that this year in London has been very good for me because I have had time to catch up with myself and have had time to think about my life, myself and what I want, she says.
But that Frida would live in London and just sit and twiddle her thumbs is completely wrong. In the past year she has spent, among other things, writing about ten melodies for her new LP, which will be recorded in February and produced by Steve Lillywhite.
-But since I am so self-critical, we will probably only use one of my own songs.
She has recently been working on the musical "Abbacadabra". In France she has made 12 songs for TV and in England she has made a video and sung a single from the musical, which this week is in 61st place.
Why have you stayed away from the mass media? -When I made the decision to move from Sweden, I wanted a period of peace and quiet in my life, so much had happened before and after all these years I deserved to take a little break.
Never in the pub
• When you walk around the streets of London, do people recognize you? Yes, they do, but I am not bothered or harassed in any way.
- Living in a big city gives you anonymity and here I can choose how I want to spend my time and what I want to do in a completely different way. It was very sensible to move.
Do you take the tube?
- No, I walk in London. In fact, I sold my car because I don't dare drive left-hand traffic.
What does a normal day look like for you? Do you drink champagne for breakfast? Sure... (laughter) Well, I have my cup of coffee and my sandwich. The same old normal breakfast I've had for many years. I live a quiet life.
Do you go to the pub and have a beer sometimes?
- I'm not at all fond of beer, so I haven't been to the pub many times.
What do you think of Margaret Thatcher?
She's a fiery girl.
Do you think Swedish journalists are too mean when they do interviews with you? An English newspaper asked Mick Jagger when he last took drugs and how many girls he had slept with since he became a pop star. What would you think of such questions?
I am very in love
There are different kinds of journalists in all countries, the Swedes are not particularly squeamish.
-If I were asked such questions, I would say that I don't know anything about it because I have never tried it, at least not the first one. I probably wouldn't answer such questions. It is a lot about integrity.
In a Swedish newspaper you could read that you were very in love with a French businessman.
-I am very in love, but I don't know if he is French.
Are you not going to get engaged or married? -I don't know, if someone proposes, I might consider saying yes.
If you got engaged, would you advertise it in the press?
- I wouldn’t.
• Your children are scattered all over the world, your son lives in Sweden and your daughter in the USA.
Family life works quite well, but I miss them a lot. My son, who is 21, lives his own life with his own apartment and my daughter chose to go to an American school instead of living in Sweden. But this is something that happens to all parents, my children are adults.
Do your children like the music you make?
Both Lotta and Hans like my solo album "Something's going on", Lotta was also a good advisor when I chose songs.
Benny must not disappear
What are you going to do for Christmas and New Year? I'm going skiing in the Alps.
Have you changed as a person since you left Sweden?
I have become freer, more open and happier. Because I have had time to think for myself. My life changed a lot when Benny and I broke up and I sold everything I owned in Sweden and moved.
Have you completely gotten over the divorce now?
I have to say that I did, but when you've been with someone for so long, it pops up sometimes. I wouldn't want Benny to disappear from my life or my thoughts. The times he pops up, he's welcome, most of the time it's positive.
Isn't it hard to have contact with someone you've broken up with?
- The atmosphere might get a little tense because we don't see each other very often. I don't see Benny, Björn or Agnetha very often these days.
• Do you exercise?
-I don't jog, but I have a bench with lifting devices where I work for an hour every other day.
"Damn how good I have it"
• Are you fascinated by luxury and being financially independent?
No, I'm not fascinated by luxury, but sometimes I think, damn how good I have it.
• Are you afraid of dying? -I'm having so much fun and am so happy with my life that it would be tragic if it happened now. But if it comes naturally, I probably won't be afraid that day.
• Are you worried about the future of the world? What's happening is terrible and worrying. If the unrest in, for example, the Middle East continues, I think there could be a third world war.
Can you do anything as an artist?
- I don't know what I could do, you have little say in the matter of those in power. Even if you think they're idiots, it's not something you stand in a square and shout about.
Kjell Dabrowski.
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