I have had a good life

Agnetha Fältskog breaks the age long silence with a reply to Ekstra Bladet.

I can look back on a good life and I still hope I can look forward to many good years too, the ABBA-singer Agnetha Fältskog says in a reply to Ekstra Bladet.

The blonde Swede is now 54 years old and has for the last couple of decades avoided contact with the press and media, while living a totally secluded life in her house on Ekerö outside Stockholm.

All requests for an interview in connection with her first album in 17 years, "My Colouring Book", which was released last Monday, has kindly been refused. Instead, selected journalists from all around the world have been asked to send their questions by letter and among those hundreds of questions asked, she has chosen to answer 9 - four of those nine were asked by Ekstra Bladet.

Among the answers, there aren't any which are connected with the ABBA period. Ekstra Bladet would for example have liked to know if she looked back on the years of success with joy and pleasure - if she still sees Frida, Benny and Björn and if she can understand the whole world’s continuous interest in the Swedish pop-phenomenon. Unfortunately she has chosen to ignore these questions.

WANTED TO SING AGAIN

In return, she happily and willingly talks about her comeback-album, which has been "slaughtered" by several music critics - but still very fast has turned out to be a sales success.

EB : What motivated you to make this comeback-album with cover versions of mainly wellknown songs from the 60's ?

AF : I wanted to sing again and through the years I have received so many kind letters from fans all around the world telling me, that they wanted to hear my voice again. That was my motivation/incentive, but it also was a nostalgic trip for me to go back to my youth with all those songs, which really meant so much to me.

EB :  How have you kept up your voice - do you sing in the bathroom like everyone else does?

AF :  Yes, sometimes I sing in the bathroom. But I haven't really practiced during this, can we call it, long silent period of mine. In fact I was a bit worried when we started recording. Had something happened to my voice after the years I’d been away? At first it was a bit hard, but it came to me pretty quickly and naturally, so it wasn't really a problem. In fact it sounds pretty good, I think.

NOT NERVOUS

EB :  Is it important for you, that the album becomes a success?

AF :  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a hit, but it would be nice if it sells good and people like what I’ve recorded. It would be a lie to say anything else.

EB :  Are you nervous about going public again?

AF :  Not at all. I try to do it my way and at a pace that I like. We have been in the studio for a long time, just so it wouldn't be stressful and I hope you can hear the relaxed atmosphere that was there during the recording.

EB :  You're now 54 years old. What do you think the future will bring you?

AF :  You never know that. Right now I'm so much into this album. If I feel like it, I may record another album, but the way I feel now, it's enough with this one. But let's see what happens.