ABBA star Agnetha Fältskog has inked a major record deal and is poised to release her first solo album in a decade.
The 73-year-old Swede rose to international stardom in the 1970s as a member of ABBA, who won the ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ with ‘Waterloo’ in 1974.
However, she first achieved success in her native Sweden with her 1968 self-titled debut album, and she went on to release several Swedish and English language records.
Her last solo album was 2013’s ‘A’, which gave her a top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 6, and she has another one on the way after signing to BMG.
An insider told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column of her comeback: “Agnetha loved being back in the studio with Abba and it inspired her to relaunch her solo career.
“She has been in regular contact for months with the team at BMG in London and they have helped develop her new sound.
“After a long time working on new music, there is finally a body of work which she loves, and which is ready for release.”
Much like ABBA, it’s unlikely that Agnetha will perform her new songs live.
Speaking in 2013 about the possibility of her getting back up on the stage, she said: “No, I can’t. That’s my weakest [thing], the live thing. And also the fact I’m older now, so I can’t do that. I don’t want to disappoint people.”
Agnetha and her bandmates – Björn Ulvaeus, 78, Benny Andersson, 76, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 77 – haven’t performed together since 1982.
However, they returned with the album ‘Voyage’ in 2021 and avatar show ABBA Voyage in 2022, the latter of which sees virtual versions of the band members depicting the group as they appeared in 1977.