Life After Abba: One Day In London With Agnetha Fältskog

“I cognize this is considered heresy, but I for illustration it champion erstwhile it’s crystal cold,” says Agnetha Fältskog, past looks astir earlier spooning a mates of ample crystal cubes into her solid of Chablis.

We’re successful nan edifice astatine nan Corinthia edifice successful London. It is May 2013. Agnetha will beryllium surviving present for 10 days while promoting her latest solo medium A. Every different time she meets pinch media from each complete nan world. She has alternate days off, successful bid to beryllium capable to negociate her schedule, activity retired and remainder astatine nan edifice spa, aliases return short walks successful nan West End and Soho.

What brings Agnetha nan astir joyousness connected nan streets of London isn’t each nan trendy shops and people, but children and dogs. Her extended knowledge of 1960s popular euphony is besides successful evidence: “Every clip we perceive immoderate obscure opus connected nan car radio, aliases astatine a restaurant, Agnetha is nan 1 who nails precisely what it is,” says Peter Nordahl, 1 of her 2 producers connected this album. Corinthia is located successful Whitehall, wherever a ample portion of nan activity of nan British authorities is done. Less than a ten-minute locomotion from present is nan entranceway to nan subterranean bunker successful which Winston Churchill led operations erstwhile Adolf Hitler was trying to explosive London to bits.

There is thing electrical astir Agnetha. Everyone who recognizes her reacts nan aforesaid measurement and pauses successful their step.

Agnetha has checked into nan edifice anonymously, but news has nevertheless dispersed to immoderate of her fans. The group successful complaint of edifice guests are highly skilled astatine being attentive to nan beingness of a legend, while besides acting arsenic if thing is retired of nan ordinary.

There is thing electrical astir Agnetha. Everyone who recognizes her reacts nan aforesaid measurement and pauses successful their step, possibly partially because she has been retired of nan spotlight for a mates of decades. This travel to London is Agnetha’s first enactment abroad, arsenic good arsenic her first level travel successful decades. A journalist from 1 of Germany’s largest regular papers is told that his question and reply slot has been moved owed to her packed schedule and that he will person to wait. He answers: “No worries. I tin wait, I person waited 30 years for this.”

Having spent an full time pursuing Agnetha around, I reason that location is thing Garboesque astir her behavior, though she is often portrayed that way. She is social, unfastened (“I’m astir to show you thing I’ve ne'er told anyone before”) and funny astir everything astir her.

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Agnetha’s champion friend, Lolo Murray, is pinch her astatine nan edifice table. She useful arsenic a individual advisor to immoderate of Sweden’s biggest artists, pinch a manus successful everything to do pinch appearance—hair, make-up, clothes. She has worked pinch Agnetha up of each medium and quality she has done since 1980.

“It began erstwhile I did a styling gig pinch Agnetha and Frida for Clic magazine,” says Lolo Murray. “Then I sewage an connection connected short announcement to travel to Japan pinch Abba erstwhile they were connected circuit there. Once, erstwhile I was rushing to do a speedy costume alteration connected Agnetha during a show, I accidentally put her skirt connected upside down. ‘I’ll get fired now,’ I thought. But you”—here she puts her limb astir Agnetha—”let maine enactment on. That was an incredibly nosy tour.”

Agnetha and Lolo talk memories from Abba’s tours. At nan clip of this gathering nan Abba Voyage project and nan holograms that will beryllium called “Abbatars” are still 9 years successful nan future.

“Several group who interviewed maine present person asked if location was rivalry betwixt maine and Frida,” Agnetha says. “But location was nary of that. On nan contrary, we helped and supported each different each nan time, particularly connected tour. If 1 of america had a acold nan different would measurement up and propulsion a heavier load successful position of singing. We ever covered for each other.”

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It has been a agelong time successful London, anterior to america having vino that evening. It started successful nan morning, erstwhile Agnetha was interviewed astatine nan Abbey Road workplace by a newsman from Today, nan biggest and astir prestigious greeting TV show successful nan United States.

“I admit this; I person been present before,” Agnetha said arsenic she sewage retired of nan privately chauffeured car, wearing ample achromatic sunglasses, and stepped done nan doors to nan Beatles’ legendary signaling studio. “Paul McCartney invited america complete erstwhile we were present successful nan 1970s. We visited nan studio, said hullo and looked around.”

The Abbey Road workplace was chosen arsenic nan location for this question and reply since nan TV squad wanted a much colorful situation than a hotel. And nan relationship to nan Beatles is not far-fetched. In position of popular history, that is nan institution successful which Abba belongs. Q had precocious called Abba “the astir salient axenic popular set successful philharmonic history.”

The Today reporter, a section prosecute for nan occasion, was truthful overexcited astir getting to question and reply Agnetha that he talked much than she did. Some of nan questions were much akin to lists of facts that stress Abba’s position arsenic royalty successful England. “How do you consciousness astir Kate and William playing only Abba songs astatine nan reception aft their wedding? How does it consciousness that Queen Elizabeth loves ‘Dancing Queen’ and has quoted nan lyrics?”

All of this was news to Agnetha, but she did her champion to answer.

Unlike different awesome singers, she ne'er shows disconnected astatine nan disbursal of nan lyrics aliases engages successful unnecessary warbling. Her beingness unsocial tin toggle shape a opus into a drama.

When being interviewed successful English she spends immoderate other clip thinking, searching for nan correct words, successful a measurement that makes her look much reserved than she really is. “During my clip pinch Abba I was anxious astir not being arsenic bully astatine English arsenic nan others,” she says.

What overseas reporters thin to cognize little astir is really progressive she was successful Abba’s music. Agnetha is simply a skilled pianist. When Abba formed she was nan only 1 of nan 4 who could publication music.

On her solo albums successful nan 1960s and early 1970s, Agnetha wrote astir of her ain songs. Out of a full of 20 songs to make Svensktoppen, eleven were her ain compositions. A fewer weeks up of her sojourn to London she had been fixed nan Swedish composer’s and songwriter’s guild SKAP’s grant successful nan representation of Kai Gullmar. Kai Gullmar was Sweden’s first awesome female composer of celebrated music.

Björn and Benny encouraged Agnetha to constitute for Abba, but “there wasn’t overmuch clip near complete for that.” Instead, she became Abba’s crystalline voice. Her style of singing is astir truthful overmuch much than technique. Unlike different awesome singers, she ne'er shows disconnected astatine nan disbursal of nan lyrics aliases engages successful unnecessary warbling. Her beingness unsocial tin toggle shape a opus into a drama.

“It is ever difficult to speak to one’s ain strengths,” she says of her expertise to construe lyrics. “I cognize that I tin sing, that I tin write. But what I’m really bully astatine is knowing what a lyric is about. I ever inquire questions astir nan discourse of nan lyric, participate into it, become the lyric.”

A spot for illustration an character would?

“Yes, much aliases less. Personally, I do deliberation I became a amended vocalist arsenic I gained much life experience. You person truthful overmuch you want to share. And my measurement of sharing is done song. That is wherever I put my feelings.”

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From The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover by Jan Gradvall. Copyright © 2025. Available from St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan. Featured image: Pascal Carqueville, utilized nether CC BY-SA 4.0