ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog is releasing her first new solo music for 10 years.
The 73-year-old Swedish pop legend has announced ‘A+’ – a reimagined version of her acclaimed 2013 solo album ‘A’ – which contains brand new song ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’, which is the first single from the LP.
The album was written specially for her by the acclaimed songwriter and producer Jorgen Elofsson and as the pair approached the 10 year anniversary of the record, Agnetha and Jorgen discussed what the record would sound like if it was created in 2023 and decided to explore the idea together.
The two artists worked alongside fellow producer Anton ‘Hybrid’ Martensson and reimagined the album in its entirety, stripping each song back, keeping the original vocals from 2013, throwing away all the old music and creating totally brand new productions for 2023, and in turn, a brand new tracklisting.
In a letter to fans in which she shares her inspiration for the LP, Agnetha said: “A couple of years ago I heard one of the songs from my last album ‘A’ on the radio. 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!’
“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!”
The record comes in the wake of ABBA’s 2021 release ‘Voyage’ which was Agnetha, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s first album of new material in 40 years. It preceded the opening of the ‘ABBA Voyage’ digital concert residency in London on May 2022.
Released in 2013, ‘A’ was Agnetha’s first solo LP since her 2004 cover album ‘My Colouring Book’, and her first original material since 1987’s ‘Stand Alone’.
The album features Take That’s Gary Barlow on ‘I Should’ve Followed You Home’, as well as Agnetha’s first self-penned track in nearly 30 years, ‘I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed’.
Agnetha admits she was nervous about recording new song ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ but Jorgen – who has previously written for Britney Spears, Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson among others – gave her the confidence to go into the studio to reimagine the track which he had originally written with young Swedish artist Kamilla Bayrak.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: “He played me the demo, and the demo was very good.
“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.
“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.”
Album ‘A+’ will be available via BMG on October 13, 2023 and is available to pre-order.
Single ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ is out now.
‘A+’ tracklisting:
Where Do We Go From Here?
Back On Your Radio (A+)
I Should’ve Followed You Home (feat. Gary Barlow) (A+)
Dance Your Pain Away (A+)
I Was A Flower (A+)
Perfume In The Breeze (A+)
Past Forever (A+)
The One Who Loves You Now (A+)
Bubble (A+)
When You Really Loved Someone (A+)
I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed (A+)