AGNETHA FÄLTSKOG

Agnetha Ase Fältskog was born in the south of Sweden in a town called Jonkoping on April 5th 1950. Her father, a local entertainer gave Agnetha her first experience as a performer at the age of six when she sang BILLY BOY in front of an audience of elderly folk at a Christmas concert helped by Agnetha's papa. Agnetha can recall this event and her mother will always remind her just in case she forgets as during the song, Agnetha felt the elastic in her pants give way and they fell down! But that aside it pushed Agnetha on to writing her own songs and learning to play the piano.
By the age of 15, Agnetha was singing with a local dance band in Jonkoping and also making guest appearances with other bands. A local talent scout named Little Gerhard was sent a tape and on this tape was Agnetha singing background vocals etc. Gerhard was so impressed with her voice he asked for a full audition tape from Agnetha. She was now 17 and she sent him a tape with a song she had written herself called JAG VAR SÅ KÄR. After hearing the tape he was even more impressed with her and invited her to Stockholm to record this song. Agnetha and her father travelled to Stockholm, for Agnetha, an experience she says she will never forget, hearing an orchestra playing something she had written. Within weeks she had signed to CBS-Cupol. Her first single went to number 1 on the charts and it kept going from there. By the end of the 60's she was one of Sweden's biggest female singers, having had numerous number 1 singles.

In 1968/69 Agnetha was engaged to a German songwriter named Dieter Zimmerman, they wrote a few songs together, and he was instrumental in the push to get Agnetha to record some songs in German, of which she ended up recording 16 tracks. But the relationship did not last and the end of 1969 was to see Agnetha's life take a different direction and a new romance was on the horizon. She was booked to appear on a television programe, and it was here she met and fell in love with Björn Ulvaeus. Björn was booked to appear on the same show and they were instantly attracted to one another and by the next year had become engaged. Another step towards ABBA had begun............

Agnetha released a few solo LP's during the time with ABBA and they were very successful. She even wrote a song and performed it live during ABBA's 1979 world tour, I'M STILL ALIVE, has never been studio recorded, although it was recorded live in '79 but has never been officially released. During the ABBA years Agnetha gave birth to her two children with Bjorn, Linda born '73 and Christian born in '77. In 1978 she and Bjorn announced they were to divorce after seven years of marriage. According to Agnetha they simply grew apart in their relationship, and to their credit they kept working together as good friends with ABBA, although it must have been very difficult at times. In 1983 Agnetha finally took up her solo career again and released the brilliant WRAP YOUR ARMS AROUND ME album. In 1985 it became clear that ABBA may not record together again and she continued her solo career.

She released her second English solo lp in 1985 - EYES OF A WOMAN. During this time the Swedish press were having a field day with her love life and she found everyday brought more and more false reports on her life, teaming her up with just about every man she was seen with. She finally took matters into her own hands and with help from Britta Ahman (later to write Agnetha's biography) they wrote on open letter to the press, and in the form of an interview cleared up a few matters that concerned Agnetha. This calmed them down a little for a short time and she went about getting on with her career. She starred in a Swedish movie called RASKENSTAM, it was a big hit in Sweden.
In 1988 she teamed with American Peter Cetera to create her ultimate album the brilliant I STAND
ALONE. Till now it seems this is her final solo album as she has not recorded anything since then.
She stunned her fans when in 1990 she secretly married. The man in question, a Swedish surgeon named Thomas Sonnenfield. But tragically Agnetha's chance of lasting happiness ended 18 months later when the couple filed for divorce. After this she was rarely seen and tended to keep away from the media living a quiet and extremely private life with her two children.
In 1995 she was seen in public at the 50th birthday party for Bjorn. It was the first time she had been photographed by the press in 8 years and they went wild, she hit the front cover of the papers next day. But this was not to be a one off event. More and more she started to be 'seen'. She was again, all over the front of the newspapers when she attended the premiere of Bjorn and Benny’s musical KRISTINA FRÅN DUVEMÅLA, as her and Björn's daughter, Linda had a small part in the show.

By this time she had announced she was to write her autobiography and release a Greatest Hits CD. All an Agnetha fan could want and more, she was back!
The book co-written with her friend of many years, Britta Åhman was released in late 1996, the book written in Swedish features many unpublished photos chosen by Agnetha, many from her own private collection. (An English translation was later released titled “AS I AM -ABBA BEFORE AND AFTER”) The greatest hits collection, a double CD set was released at the same time and did quite well in Sweden. And like the book an English release of a collection simply titled “THAT’S ME - THE GREATEST HITS” was soon to follow. But this time the Cd featured a previously unreleased track called “THE QUEEN OF HEARTS”.
Will she ever record again? On this subject Agnetha says: "People think that I have closed all doors. That I am not interested in anything anymore. But I haven't closed any door. Neither about myself, nor movie roles, or singing again."

The press reported that Agnetha had indeed found her musical calling once again as she began recording a new solo album in 2001. But her chosen producer Mickie Tretow suffered a stroke and the plans were put on hold until his recovery was complete. The result was the amazing album  MY COLOURING BOOK  which contained the massive hit IF I THOUGHT YOU'D EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND and the follow up hit WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM.

AGNETHA FALTSKOG WAS BACK!  Since then nothing new, but that does not mean the end..