Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Agnetha is Back!



I never thought I’d live to see Agnetha Fältskog returning to music, but after a nine year hiatus ABBA’s blond girl is back with a brand new album! ABBA and Agnetha fans worldwide are ecstatic with the news, and I am one of them. Since I became an ABBA fan there was not one solo album release from any of the band members, and I did not think there would ever be one, although I was convinced it was possible for Frida to release something. The fact that Agnetha, who became (maybe unfairly) known as shy and reclusive, was the one who came up with a whole album of new songs came to me as both a shock and a surprise. This is definitely a milestone in ABBA history!
The first single of the album, “When You Really Loved Someone”, has a modern sound, very unlike Agnetha’s 2004 album My Colouring Book, and the video released to promote it is also different from anything Agnetha has ever done. It is not over the top or full of special effects, it is simple, beautiful, touching, and current, and Agnetha looks and sounds incredibly amazing. The single released in Germany is “The One Who Loves You Now” and it is a beautiful song that took me back to her 1983 album Wrap Your Arms Around Me, making me think of the title track as well as songs like “Man” and “To Love”, which are very Agnetha-ish. She also attempted to write a song in the new album, something she hasn’t done much in her English albums, and only a couple times with ABBA. She definitely got out of her comfort zone, both figuratively and literally. She even said in a BBC interview that she is overcoming her fear of planes! I am delighted with her comeback, and beyond excited to hear the rest of the album.
Agnetha’s new album, simply titled A, will be release on May 10, and we fans are looking forward to it.
Welcome back, Agnetha. You have been missed. Check out her new video below: