Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA is releasing her first new solo album in 10 years. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the album, A, Fältskog has revisited the songs on her 2013 album on A+, out October 13.
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Along with revisiting the songs from her 2013 solo, A+ also features a new song, and lead single, “Where Do We Go From Here?” which is the first single from the LP.”
The original album was written for Fältskog by songwriter and producer Jorgen Elofsson, who has worked with Celine Dion, Britney Spears, and Kelly Clarkson, and featured the track “I Should’ve Followed You Home,” a duet with Take That’s Gary Barlow. The song was written by Elofsson and Carole Bayer Sager, legendary songwriter, former writing partner, and wife of the late Burt Bacharach. On the album, Fältskog also co-wrote the song “I Keep Them on the Floor Beside My Bed” with Elofsson.
As the 10th anniversary of the album approached, Fältskog and Elofsson were thinking of how to commemorate the album and decided to revisit each track. Working with producer Anton ‘Hybrid’ Martensson and reimagined the album in its entirety.
Each song was stripped back and given all new music arrangements while retaining Fältskog’s original vocals from 2013.
“A couple of years ago I heard one of the songs from my last album ‘A’ on the radio,” wrote Fältskog in a letter to fans on social media. “I have lots of fond memories from making that album, so I couldn’t help but smile. Time flies. Suddenly it hit me, ‘What would the album sound like if we had made it today?’ I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I reached out to the boys who produced ‘A’ back in 2013 – ‘What would you guys think about reimagining ‘A’ and making a totally new version of it?’ They loved the idea! ‘Let’s try!'”
Fältskog continued “A while later I heard the first reworked song, and I must say I absolutely loved it! It sounded so fresh and modern, even better than I had imagined it. We named the album ‘A+’ and as a cherry on top, we even recorded a brand new song. And that will be the first thing you´ll hear from me. Now I can’t wait to hear what you think about it! I hope you like it as much as I do!”
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Her album comes two years following ABBA‘s Voyage, which reunited Fältskog with Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida) for their first album of new material in 40 years. The release was followed by the group’s ABBA Voyage digital concert residency in London in May 2022.
For Fältskog, A was her first English-language solo release since her 2004 covers album, My Colouring Book. She released her English solo debut Wrap Your Arms Around Me in 1983, followed by Eyes of a Woman in 1985, and Stand Alone in 1987.
In 1968, Fältskog began releasing music in her native Swedish with her self-titled debut, along with several more albums through 1987. In 1994, she also released a German-language album, Geh’ Mit Gott, which translates to God With God in English.
At first, Fältskog said she was nervous about recording a new song for A+. “Where Do We Go From Here?” but reimagined the track, which was originally written with Swedish artist Kamilla Bayrak.
“He played me the demo, and the demo was very good,” said Fältskog. “Originally, it was another girl singing and I said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ I was a bit tense and a bit nervous because when you get older, your voice changes.”
She added, “I think my voice has dropped a little bit in tone or in pitch, so I maybe sound a little more, not dark, but lower. But I still can express a lot and I like to interpret the songs. And I did it, and I think it came out very well.”
. Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
