Available to watch on Friday 10th May at 18:00 on BBC Nordic and from Wednesday 1st May on BBC Nordic+.

Recognised throughout the globe by her golden blonde hair, tender vocals and striking looks, Agnetha Fältskog ascended to global stardom as a forefront member and vocalist of the Swedish pop-group sensation, ABBA. 

At the height of her career, ABBA had reached worldwide fame as one of the best pop groups of the 1970s, with an increasing repertoire of hit singles to show for it. 

But behind the sunny exterior of the groups’ success was a much darker reality for the Swedish singer, as years in the spotlight – and a growing desire to step out of it – began to take its toll. 

This documentary brings exclusive access into the highs and lows of life in the limelight, in Agnetha’s own words.

A born musician

Born in 1950 in Jönköping, Sweden, Agnetha discovered an affinity for music at a very young age. Recounting an instinct for composing songs as early as five-years-old, Agnetha left school to pursue a career in music at just 15. 

After relocating to Stockholm and with a burgeoning career as a charting solo artist, the Swedish singer-songwriter met fellow musician, Bjorn Ulvaeus, in 1968.

It was here that the pair married and later, along with friends and fellow couple, Benny Anderson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, that the beginnings of the journey towards ABBA first began. 
 

The ABBA years

After triumphing at the 1974 Eurovision song contest with their subsequent hit single, Waterloo, the group’s victory solidified ABBA’s position on the world stage. 

With increasing global success, owing to the release of hit singles like Mamma Mia, Honey Honey and S.O.S, ABBA fever was catching - and fast. 

But as the group’s star power grew, so did Agnetha’s struggle with the limelight both on and off stage. 

The group’s growing prestige made it increasingly difficult for her to spend time with her young family, while a growing lack in confidence on stage, coupled by unwanted press attention, culminated in an overwhelming desire to leave it all behind. 

Back to the studio

Years later - and with exclusive access into her life after ABBA - the programme follows Agnetha at 63, happiest at home, as she plans to make her return to the recording studio.

With a new single in tow, we see the Swedish singer come full circle following her retirement from the stage after the band’s breakup in 1982, both in her love for recording and in reclaiming her status as a solo artist. 

The show also features interviews with ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson, English musician and Take That singer, Gary Barlow, as well as the Swedish record producer, Peter Nordahl and songwriter, Jorgen Elofsson. 
 

Agnetha - Abba And After, will be available to watch on BBC Nordic at 18:00 on Friday 10th May and from Wednesday 1st May On BBC Nordic+.  

Words by Tom Vaughan