The Swedish magazine VeckoRevyn picked Agnetha as the artist of the year in 1983.
One of their journalists handed over the pin.

By Christer Olsson


This woman is worth gold!

Last year Ulf Lundell received Vecko-Revyn’s golden pin for artist of the year. This year the choice was just as easy : Agnetha Fältskog.

Agnetha Fältskog is 33 years old. For the first time she’s on her own, without the security and safety of the other members of ABBA. And it’s a freedom that has meant a new start for Agnetha, that is obvious. Together with the producer Mike Chapman she has created her own musical profile, she’s wearing tougher and sexier clothes and she has changed her hairstyle.

Gone is the kind, sweet girl with the sexy behind you remember from ABBA and instead an aware and strong world artist has appeared. A woman who can compete with international singers such as Sheena Easton, Kim Carnes, Bonnie Tyler and Donna Summer.

Agnetha’s first “real” solo-LP “Wrap Your Arms Around Me” has currently sold more than 500 000 copies around the world. At the same time the pressure on Agnetha has been harder than ever when she no longer has had ABBA’s protecting anonymity to hide behind.

The romance rumors have been more frequent and nastier and wounded more deeply. Agnetha has been paired with every man she’s spoken with and she’s been accused of being everything from lonely and afraid to unhappily in love and pregnant.

And still. The same year Agnetha has had the strength to deal with a brand new, exciting and appealing territory and made the most spectacular and much discussed acting debut in decades in this country in Gunnar Hellström’s “Raskenstam”.

That’s quite an effort.

And that is why Agnetha Fältskog deserves the title “Artist of the Year”.

When you meet Agnetha it is a warm and lively person who greets you. A woman you can joke around with and kiss on the cheek. A woman who is light years away from the frail, anemic porcelain doll that is portrayed in the media.

-This is a lot of fun, Agnetha says when I give her Vecko-Revyn’s golden pin at an improvised meeting with pink champagne. I’m happy about it. Very nice.

She laughs and asks me to be careful so I don’t prick her when I attach it on her chest. It’s been a busy, exciting and emotional year for Agnetha.
First the recording of the album, then the acting debut and then finally the on-again romance and engagement to Torbjörn Brander.

-A very good year, Agnetha says and smiles. When I’m being treated as a human being, I feel very good.

During long periods of this year, Agnetha has been traveling to promote her new LP, and even though she’s terrified of flying, she has forced herself to go to the US to give interviews on radio and TV.

-I’m impressed with them, she says. All of them were very well informed on ABBA and ABBA’s music. And that is something I haven’t experienced before. But maybe it’s because I go in for this in a different way also…

She smiles. She takes a sip of the champagne.

-You never feel the same way as you do when you’re a part of a group.

A new solo album is planned in 1984, and if everything goes according to plans, Giorgio Moroder will be the producer of the new album.

Agnetha’s schedule this fall has been so busy that she still hasn’t had the time to go to a movie theater and watch herself on the screen in “Raskenstam” together with a regular audience. She chose to spend the fourteen days she has had off together with her children.

-But I wish I had had the time to sneak into a movie theater to see how it’s being received, she says.

Instead she has had to be content with reports from Gunnar Hellström (the director), reports saying it’s being received very well. Well enough that Gunnar and Agnetha have already talked about making a new movie together.

-I’d love to, says Agnetha. But we’ll see what happens.

Agnetha is one of those people who don’t like to plan to far ahead. Something that is also applied to her relationship with Torbjörn.

-Now we’re engaged, she says. We’ll see what happens later…

Agnetha Fältskog’s music is not only popular with the pop audience around the world. Mom is also being appreciated at home in the house on Lidingö.

-Mostly Linda, says Agnetha and laughs. She plays music in her room all day long. Mostly Police and Donna Summer. But also my albums. But not as often. But you can say that she doesn’t think her mom is a bad singer…