Agnetha Fältskog

Agnetha Fältskog will always be indelibly remembered as the blonde singer in ABBA - one of the most successful pop groups of all time - although she was already a star in Sweden before the group and, with varying degrees of success, pursued a solo career after they split. The daughter of a department store manager, she reputedly wrote her first song at the age of six, took piano lessons and sang in the local church choir. She formed her first group, The Cambers, in her early teens and went on to sing with a dance band, which led to her being signed by CBS Records. Her first single Jag Var Så Kär topped the Swedish charts in 1967 and she subsequently became one of the country's biggest pop stars, going on to find success in Germany and other parts of Europe. Her marriage to Björn Ulvaeus, then a member of the successful Hootenanny Singers, was widely celebrated, making them Sweden's golden couple and paved the way for the formation of ABBA. As the group's unprecedented run of hits finally faded, Agnetha had a big hit in various parts of the world duetting with Tomas Ledin on Never Again and starred in a Swedish movie, Rakenstam. Her first post-ABBA solo album Wrap Your Arms Around Me was released in 1983, including a major hit single, The Heat Is On. She followed it with the albums Eyes Of A Woman (1985), produced by Eric Stewart of 10cc, and I Stand Alone (1987) before disappearing from the music industry for many years amid rumours that she had become a recluse. She returned in 2004 with the hit If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind and an album of oldies, My Colouring Book; and in 2013 revived her career once more, collaborating with Gary Barlow and released the album, A.