Q : 25 years after ABBA stopped the songs are more popular than ever. What
is in your opinion the reason for this ?
"The fact that the success has continued is of course incredible and
fantastic. First of all I think it is because of the music. I have understood
throughout the years that our music is very efficient music. Second I think it
is also because of a lot of great artists who have performed our songs after us.
they have brought our songs back to the charts after many years. And of course
the Mamma Mia musical."
Q : Talking about Mamma Mia, what do you think about this musical that
had had tremendous success for about 10 years now all over the world ?
" You know I am not personally involved in the creative process as far as
Mamma Mia is concerned; I have merely invested in it."
Q : But what did u think the firts time u saw it ?
"I was completely blown away. I was a bit anxious though at first because I
didn't know what to expect. To hear our songs in such a different setting. But I
needn't have worried, it was so well done."
Q : A couple of years ago you were in London with Björn and Benny. It seems
to have been a very moving event ?
"Yes, it was. I was a big shame that Agnetha was not able to attend. She
still is very afraid of flying, so she chose not to attend. But it was a very
wonderful evening nevertheless. We could really feel how much our music is still
appreciated. The atmosphere was incredible. And we were presented with a lot of
gold discs. All three of us were very proud and very happy."
Q : When ABBA was formed. I heard that B & B were both already a part of a
famous group in Sweden ?
"Yes we met on the road. All four of us were popular artists in Sweden. I
remember meeting B&B in Malmö. I think Björn and Agnetha met around the same
time. They both participated in the same television show. A show about old
folklore music. They became a couple. the same thing happened to Benny and me.
And because Benny and Björn were friends, we all began to work together.
That's how it all started. "
Q : Alain Boublil, you were the distributor for ABBA in France, and even before
they became stars. How did you become connected ?
Alain Boublil: 'It was around 1973. I was very close to their manager
Stig Anderson. One day he happened to like a few of my songs and he asked me if
he could write Swedish lyrics and release them in Sweden. I agreed and those
songs, as I remember, became popular in Sweden. One day he told me about this
group he was working with and who were recording songs in English. their first
song would be called Ring Ring. This song was presented in a festival in Sweden,
but was not chosen for the ESC. Stig made me listen to that song in Paris and
asked me what I thought of it. I said I liked it very much. I released the song
in France on the VOGUE label. the song became a small success in France, even a
bit more successful then we had anticipated. So when they released Waterloo and
were selected to represent Sweden in the ESC, I was the first person Stig
called. It was a friendly deal. there was only a handshake, not even a contract.
It was normal that I would represent them for this second song too."
Q : Is it true that you listened to ABBA's songs over the telephone ?
Alain Boublil: "We became friends very quickly. Not just with Stig,
but also with B&B, and with Frida too of course. So it happened for instance
that Stig would call me, play me Money Money Money and asked me ' do you think
this would be a good choice for the next single ?"
Q :Frida, when I hear what Alain has to say, it appears that France was an
important country in the start of ABBA' s career ? "Absolutely. It
is really wonderful that this friendship with Alain happened. And now, even if
we have not had so much contact as back then, it is wonderful that this
friendship is still so intact.'
Q: The whole of Europe got to know ABBA through the ESC and Waterloo. What
memories do you have of the weeks preceding this big event ? What happened
afterwards backstage ?
" It was of course totally exciting. We arrived there, 4 people from Sweden,
and we had no idea what was gonna happen. I also remember that particular year
being one with a very strong field of contestants. The competition was of course
very hard. I remember us really giving everything we had in us. And of course we
had very extravagant stage-outfits. In only a few hours our lives had completely
changed. After that the future was wide open. I think one could easily say that
Waterloo had conquered the whole world."
Q: One of the biggest hits was Fernando. I have read somewhere that you said
from the first moment you heard it, you were in love with it ? And you recorded
the song first in Swedish ?
"B&B had written this song for my Swedish solo album, that was a big success
in Sweden and elsewhere. At the same time we were also busy preparing a new
album for ABBA. We simply decided to translate the song in English and record it
with ABBA."
Q: Is Fernando one of your favourites ?
"Yes, among my favourites. We have recorded so many beautiful songs. But it's
true that Fernando is of course a special song for me"
Q: Agnetha has very often stated that she loved the studio-work. that she
almost preferred it to the live performances. Is it the same for you ?
" No, I love both. The creative process in the studio was fantastic. We
would sometimes spend hours in the studio creating something. We spent much time
on the harmonies, the backing-vocals, and so on. Almost everything was born in
the studio. We were very productive in the studio. But I also loved being on
stage, the contact with the audience. I have really really loved that"
Q: Can you tell me how it was back then on the island where each couple had a
house and where the first ABBA-hits were created ?
" Well you know outside of Stockholm there is this fantastic archipelago
with many islands. Stig Anderson had bought a small cottage for his family on
one of those islands. Björn, Agnetha, Benny and I we did the same, and bought
small summer-houses. It is a very common thing to do in Sweden, to buy a little
house and spend the summer over there. Benny and Björn spent a lot of time there
writing the songs for our albums. Björn had this small chalet where there was
nothing but a piano, and Benny and him would be sitting there for hours playing
the guitar and the piano and coming up with new songs."
Q: Is there a song that was a clear hit single to you from the beginning ?
Maybe dancing Queen ?
"The first time I heard it, when Benny brought the demo home, I started to
cry because it was so gorgeous. I knew it would become a very big hit single."
Q: The success came very fast. You had hit singles all over the globe. And
then there was this first big live-tour. You played a.o. in Australia. That is a
very special memory isn't it ?
" Yes, and even to this day, I still don't know how we got so massive in
Australia; It was pure hysteria. before that tour we had done some promo and
some TV shows over there. before we went on tour, we had decided together with
Lasse Hällström that maybe it would be a good idea to do a documentary. And
gradually we decided to turn it into a full feature film. Australia is a fond
memory for many many reasons. It was very hard for us, because we had really
become massive superstars there and we were not able to walk on the streets. So
we had to move around with cars all the time. Only once were we able to escape
for a little while and we went to some park. And we also went on a little
cruise. But it was all amazing and those are wonderfull memories. I remember
that prior to our concert it had rained for weeks and that when we came on stage
and everyone in the audience had umbrellas. During our concert the rain stopped
as by miracle. But the stage had become very slippery and at one point I even
fell. Those are really memories that I will never forget, because it was all
just unique."
Q: Let's talk about the outfits, the very eccentric outfits. Who had the idea
for those ?
" Many people were busy with the outfits. But I must say that the outfits
were an integral part of our success in the beginning. It all started when we
participated with RING RING in the pre-selection for the ESC in 1973. Agnetha
was highly pregnant, and I was very good at making clothes. We decided that I
would do the clothes and I designed the outfits for Agnetha and me. Not the ones
for B&B. They had their own designer. I was very fond of creating costumes. I
had some extravagant ideas about how we needed to dress. In the end we found a
designer who created our clothes, but I kept very much a part of the creative
process."
Q : What happened to all those outfits ? I have heard that maybe there will
be an ABBA museum in Stockholm ?
" Yes, we kept all the outfits. They are now going to be exposed in a big
ABBA Museum in Stockholm, which will open in June 2009. But it's not just the
outfits, it will also be a lot of memorabilia and I think it will be very
interesting for the people, the fans, ... "
Q: Frida, tell me about the personalities, the temperaments of B & B.
"(laughs) They will kill me"
Q: You probably know more about Benny because you were married to him ?
" I don't know, because I have know Björn for a very long time too.
Especially after ABBA split, i have had more contact with Björn than with the
other two. They are both very kind people, I can't say anything else about them
really. They are both creators, but in a different way. Björn started to write
the lyrics for the ABBA songs of course, but he has developed this talent and
has become a wonderful lyricist, also for the musicals. he is a very intelligent
person. And I must say that I admire Benny a great deal too. He really is a
genius. The way he composes is amazing. I have lost the contact with him after
our separation, because I left Sweden. We only meet very rarely nowadays. It's
the same thing with Agnetha, I don't meet her very often. So it really is Björn
that I know best."
Q: You were 2 married couples, living and working together. was there never
any stress because of that ?
" No, not really. Of course we would have differences of opinion like any
other couples, but most of the time we all got along really well."
Q: Did you sometimes have moments of tension with Agnetha ?
"That probably happened. There was a sort of competition between us. We were
both women and we both wanted to present ourselves the best way possible. But
there was always diplomacy and respect between us and we got along well. Also
because we all always wanted the best for the group. So, we all found a way to
work together well. I think that most of the time we really liked each other.
Many times it was written that we hated each other. That was absolutely not
true. We may not have had so much contact outside of ABBA, even when we were on
the island, but the collaboration between us has always been very much in
harmony."
Q. At a certain point, when the group was splitting up, Agnetha said that
she did not want to tour anymore, that she wanted to be with her children. How
did all that happen ? Was it a sudden decision or was it all carefully
considered ?
"No, there was a very long period of reflection. Benny and Björn had
probably given all they had as far as ABBA was concerned. They had not as much
energy to give to ABBA anymore. And then so many things had changed for us
privately, Björn and Agnetha had separated. Benny and I, after 13 years we got
married and only 3 years later we divorced, because Benny had met another woman.
Of course all that had had a tremendous effect on us and at a certain point we
noticed it was time to move on, to make a change, to find new directions in our
lives. Benny and Björn had already been very keen with the idea of writing a
musical. It was a natural thing to do at that point to put an end to ABBA."
Q. Was it not painful for you to leave the scene, to leave all that
success behind ? Also considering ABBA did not have such a long career, merely
10 years.
"Yes, Michel, it was a very hard time. I cannot speak for the other
three, only for myself. I had started out in the music biz when I was 13 and I
had given a lot to reach that amount of success. And then all of a sudden ,
everything stopped. It was hard. because we had worked so hard, tours,
recording, living the life of a star, a celebrity ... and then suddenly complete
silence. I am not saying that I was depressed, but it took me 3 to 4 years to
give my life a positive direction again, to create my world without ABBA in it.
So yes, it was all ready hard."
Q. Alain Boublil, you have been tremendously successfull with "Les
Miserables", "Miss Saigon", .... Tell me about the musical "ABBACADABRA"
"I just heard the word ABBA in my head and I suddenly heard the word
ABBACADABRA, and I could not believe that I hadn't come up with this earlier. So
I decided to attempt and write a fairytale about a princess who was asleep in a
castle. Of course the beautiful princes could only be one person, Frida. (Frida
laughs) Frida accepted, in fact Stig and ABBA allowed me to rewrite the
lyrics for some ABBA songs, so that they would tell a story for children"
Q. Frida, so you played " La belle" (the beautiful one) and sang a duet with
Daniel Balavoine. How do you remember him ?
"I remember it very well because it was such a different and funny thing; I
was dressed up as a princess, a sleeping beauty. Daniel was dressed as a prince.
But what I remember most about Daniel was that he was such an adorable and
lovely person. We had a lot of fun together doing this project. "
Q. When you had separated, benny and Björn, and also Agnetha and you, you all
did your own projects. You made solo albums ?
"Yes, I did a couple of solo albums. For the first one I had Phil Collins as
a producer. And then I did another one with Steve Lillywhite. I even recorded
that album in Paris. I don't remember the name of the studio. The wonderful
Daniel Balavoine had written a song for it too, that was then translated into
English. I listened to that song again yesterday. On the first album there
was a big hit single called "I Know There's Something Going On". I remember that
it also became a big success in France. And then eventually I gave up my
career."
Q. Tell me what happened in the following years
"I can not really talk about that period in such a happy way. I lost my
daughter in an accident, and then I also lost my husband and it all took a very
long time to find a new direction. Earlier we talked about my life after
the split of ABBA, and here once again I had to start from scratch after the
death of two people I had loved so much. I remained very quiet for a
while, apart from the celebration of 30 years ABBA, and the 5 year "Mamma Mia!"
celebrations in London maybe. But apart from that I have lived a very very quiet
life, trying to find a good way of living again. And that takes time. It has to
take time actually, because it is not easy finding a way out."
Q. You have a grandson ?
"Yes and I am very happy and proud about that. In fact my first grandchild is
now 19 years old, he is the son of my daughter. And then I have little Elsa, who
is the daughter of my son. And she is only 16 months old."
Q. When we look back on your life it seems you have not only known happiness.
You have found your father again when you were 30. There was a reunion under the
weirdest of circumstances ?
" Yes, when you have lived your entire life believing that you had no father
and that there were secrets that your family just did not talk about. I had only
known that he had been a German soldier and that he had met my mother during the
war in Narvik. And that he had returned to Germany and had died during the trip
back to Germany. And then suddenly we got a phone call from someone who said
that he knew my father. And then a meeting was arranged in Stockholm. I met him
together with Benny and the children. It was very difficult, because he only
spoke German and we needed translators. It was very strange to suddenly meet a
father."
Thanks to Jürgen Parys c/o ABBAMAIL, the Mailing List for ABBA Fans