Anni-Frid Lyngstad


Before ABBA

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad, born in Narvik, Norway on November 15th 1945, has possibly one of the saddest starts to her life of anyone involved with Abba.

This is because she was the daughter of a German Soldier, which due to the occupation of Norway during World War II bought a lot of scorn upon Frida's mother, Synni Lyngstad.  People in her village would spit at her or shout abuse because of going out with a German soldier and having his child. This lead to Synni's very premature death at the age of 21. I would like to think that in our times now, that attitudes have changed for the better.

Frida's grandmother then took her to Sweden in 1947, and it was her who encouraged Frida to sing. She first sang in public, aged ten at a Red Cross Soiree and by the age of 13 was singing professionally with a dance band at a restuarant in Eskilstuna , though she had to lie about her
age - she said that she was 16!

Later, she started singing with a big band lead by Bengt Sardlind, and Frida fell in love with another member, Ragnar Frederiksson, who with Frida went on to form the Anni-Frid 4. They also married and had two children, Hans and Liselotte. However she still wasn't satisfied and entered many local talent competitions and won.  One was the equivalent of ITV's New Faces which lead her to compete on a talent contest on SVT's Hyland's Corner. She won, and signed a contract with EMI.

Despite this, she still didn't have much success, until she met Benny Andersson in 1969 who then became both her fiance and her producer! Her first hits came in 1971 and she then had solo sucesses even during Abba's first few years (as with Agnetha) up until 1975.

After ABBA

It was in 1982 when Frida decided to start solo recording and she chose Phil Collins as producer. By the end of 1982 Frida's first solo album called “Something's Going On”, was released. It sold fairly well in the UK peaking at number 18 in the Top 20 albums, though Frida was a little disappointed. The main single taken from the album “I Know There's Something Going On”, did not do very well and only reached #44 in the UK.

Frida's second, and so far final, English Language solo album called “Shine” was released in 1984. However it did not sell very well, as it was said to be too modern for its time and peaked at number 68 in the UK Album Charts for only 1 week. 

Frida continued to release her own material in Scandinavia and held a reputable listing as one of Sweden’s biggest solo artists. She has contributed singles to environmental groups, to help “save the planet”. In January 1999 however Frida announced that she would no longer be a part of the Industry, and would not record or sign anything again. In effect Frida has now retired, to live in Switzerland with her husband, after a long and sucessful career within the music industry. She will be sadly missed by millions around the globe.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Here is a translation of a Dutch article that was published in a Dutchwomen magazine called Margriet.

Copyright Original Dutch text: Fred Tonnon and MarisaTarrau/Schrijfbedrijf Copyright translation: Gé

"Frida about her life after ABBA”.

"I want to be strong for women who aren't". 

She became world famous as the dark singer of ABBA: Annifrid Lyngstad or Frida. After the group fell apart, she hid herself away in the Swiss mountains, married a Prince and worked for a better environment. But now, after 12 years she has a new CD.

"The temptation became too strong".

Frida is 52 years old now. And after Tina Turner maybe the youngest looking grandmother of the pop scene. She changed the flashing red hair for a more sophisticated haircut. She is charmingly dressed and wears almost no make up.

Q: There is actually not much that reminds us of the Frida we know from the Abba-period !

Frida: "After ABBA I was a bit bored with my looks. I wanted to look totally different. That's why I drastically dyed my hair blond. But when the papers started to write that ABBA had two blond singers, I didn't know how quick to dye it dark again. In the meantime I have learned that real changes happen on the inside, not only on the outside. Nowadays I dress more sober. Quality became more important to me, not the decorations. What that accounts to is that my taste has become more simple. I don't have to attract attention that much anymore.

Q: Why did you start singing again after 12 years of silence?

Frida: The urge was too heavy. I had to give in to it. I slowly grew to it. After the hectic years with Abba I had no lust for music, especially with all the circus surrounding it. I couldn't bare my own music. I didn't sing a note for 12 years. Agnetha had the same reaction, only a bit later. She had a few successful solo albums, but suddenly she washed up with music. Especially the pressure that comes with being famous became too much for us. Because of all the fans and journalists hanging around my house every day I didn't have any privacy. I felt locked up in my own country. That's why I emigrated to England. There I couldn't find my rest either. After that I went to Switzerland to find myself again.  There I started to get interested in art and that's how I found my interest in music again.

Q: When did the moment come on which you thought, the time is right to come with a CD again?

Frida: The passion for singing came back slowly. But after the successful CD ABBA Gold, the record company came with the idea to make an ABBA BOX .Then all four of us had to listen to all the songs to make a choice. We thought it was great to do it and then I discovered that after all these years I finally was proud of what we had achieved. I suddenly saw that we had made a lot of good songs. After the successful release of the BOX and all the positive reactions we got, I felt I wanted to do something new. But I didn't want the hectic scenes anymore. That's why I really thought a long time about it before making a new CD.

Q: Did it have to do with the fact that you didn't feel confidant about yourself because of the lack of success of your solo albums after Abba?

Frida: No it has nothing to do with that. I feel pretty confidant about myself.I know what I can, what my qualities are, I'm a good singer. I've done other things the past years. I've learned a lot and broadened my horizons. I worked for causes I really can connect to. Good causes like the protection of the environment. But also the personal development of people. Before I knew it was a full-time job. But my friends from the music industry kept asking me: when are you going to sing again?  And when you are doubting about it too, the temptation gets too big to reject a good offer. But on one condition: it had to be a project on a small scale and only for Sweden. That's why I sing in Swedish. It isalso because I missed the language. It was 21 years ago that I had sung in my own language. That makes it special. And because it is in my own language, it is easier to express my thoughts and my feelings. It comes directly from my heart.

Q: Agnetha wrote a biography. What did you think of her remembrances of ABBA?

Frida: Of course I read it and I recognised a lot. We experienced the same things, only as a human you react different to certain things. Agnetha wrote her book because there had been false stories written about her over the past years and she wanted to straighten them out. She wanted to write down her own truth to show who she really is. I know that feeling. If you are being haunted by the press constantly and read nonsense about yourself and people around you weekly, then there is a moment that you have to stop it.  Agnetha decided to withdraw from publicity.  For me it works different. I suffered less. Maybe I can handle publicity better. Nowadays I live in Switzerland so they can't trace me and people leave me alone. 

Q: What does Agnetha mean with the competition there was on stage?

Frida: For years there have been stories in the press telling that Agnetha andI were rivals. This is not true. During tours there were tensions, but not especially between Agnetha and me. Performing causes tensions and you are together day in day out. It would have been un-natural if there was never a quarrel. We had some fights, but never longer than a few days and never about our personalities or our talents.  Agnetha and I both can be hot-tempered. Sometimes things can clash, when you are under pressure. But I don't know what she means with the competition on stage. In my opinion we where totally equal and we treated each other with respect. No rivalry, no jealousy.

Q: Do you think Abba ever will get back together again?

Frida: I don't think so, and if we would, it wouldn't be as Abba. We had our chance, during the revival with Abba Gold, of which we sold more than 15million copies. If that is not a reason to get back together, what is? I think it had to happen then, but it didn't. 

Q: In 1980, when Abba's success was at a climax, Benny and you decided to break up. Wasn't that difficult?

Frida: Yes, it was horrible. Benny and I had been together for a long time. Finally we married, but after two years Benny fell in love with another woman. Of course that was terrible. I felt thrown away. And I couldn't fight this love. What could I do. Everything was said. Our relationshipwas over. There was no future left for us. A divorce was the only way we could go on with our lives. But as members of Abba we had to present ourselves as a happy couple.  We started to go out every night, so we didn't have to be at home together. When Benny left me, it was in every Swedish newspaper. I stayed inside for a week and couldn't stand it. I wanted to protect myself against all the gossip, but after all the commotion I actually felt relieved. We didn't have to pretend anymore. But after the divorce I got into a depression. Because I had been through a traumatic divorce before.  I got married at a young age and had children very quickly. When we broke up I moved from the countryside to Stockholm to work on my career as a singer. Because I had a irregular lifestyle I lost custody of my children. Without a steady income I didn't have a strong position as a mother. He had everything, I didn't have anything to offer. The children stayed with him because he had a steady income. At that time I agreed with this. Later on I realised that I missed them terribly. 

Q: Because of your marriage with Benny you got two more children !

Frida: Yes I have a good relationship with his children, Peter and Helen, who he had from a another relationship. I often meet them when I am in Sweden. Ruzzo Reuss, my husband, has two daughters and they are still young and they often stay with us. We are a nice family and have a lot of fun together. The children are very important in my life. They make me very happy.

Q: You didn't have an easy childhood?

Frida: No. I felt lonely very often. I wasn't raised by my parents. My mother got pregnant from a German soldier, who left for Germany before I was born. My mother died when I was two years old. From that moment my grandmother took care of me. That was very difficult. Although she was a modern woman, the generation gap was too big. She didn't know what kept me going. But on the other hand she did her best. She taught me to be strong, to take care of myself. Sad to say that she died before I became successful with Abba. I wished she could have seen it all. 

Q: Is it because of your upbringing that you are involved with womens causes?

Frida: Maybe. I am a strong woman and that is because I was raised like that. But I don't only feel connected with strong women. I especially want to make myself strong for women who aren't. With my music I want to give them strength to let things go. Things that make you unhappy, that hold up your development. And which prevent you from leading your own life. On my new CD I sing about the instinct to survive. That instinct is buried in us, it might be deep inside of you. My message is especially aimed at the ones who would like to, but don't dare. I would say, make something of it. You can do it, I'm sure you can. 

Q: But there are things in you life you feel passionate about. You founded two environment-organisations: The Natural Step and the Annifrid Lyngstad Miljofond. Of which Princess Victoria of Sweden in the President. Where did this interest for the environment come from?

Frida: I am an active person and love the environment.  I have tried to live a healthy lifestyle for years. That's why I haven't eaten meat for years. Lately I have been eating some fish, so I am not a vegan, but it is more a way of life.   It gives me what I need. I love nature and sport. I love walking in the mountains. It is one of my biggest passions. In this way I stay in a healthy condition in a way that suits me. Because of Abba and later my solo career, I saw the whole world. Then I learned to appreciate the beauty of my own country. And it has to stay that way. There are so many things that threaten the environment. Because of my reputation I got the chance to do something about that.   I can use it to open doors and eyes. I focus mainly on Sweden, but the work of The Natural Step goes further than Scandinavia. We have activities all over the world. It is an organisation which asks attention for the environment in a positive way. With my own organisation I want to involve children and adolescents in the environment. We give them the possibility to learn them how they can live with the environment in harmony. Children are the basis of our existence. To invest in them isto invest in our future. The environment always must have our attention. We are dependent on this world on which we live. We are responsible. You have to take you responsibility as a human, as a company, as a community and as a government. We have to work together.

Q: Do you still have dreams to fulfil?

Frida: I don't dream of success anymore. That's not how I think. There are things that keep me busy, but they are not dreams that in way that I want to do this or that. I let life come to me and do the things I want to do. That's how I have always been. My husband Ruzzo even makes this quality even stronger. He is an architect in Switzerland and comes from a noble family. He is a Prince, and because of our marriage I became a Princess. Ruzzo has a lot of knowledge of life and humans. He supports me in everything I do.

Q: You are 52 know. Is this the best time of your life?

Frida: I don't think I could say that. That would do an injustice to the times that lay behind me.  All times where good times. This might be a good time for me, but maybe in ten years time it will even be better. Who can say?  I live a good life now and I enjoy it. I live in harmony and I am surrounded by a lot of love. I am a happy person. 

“End Of Article”

After this interview, just before this MARGRIET was pressed, it was announced that Frida's doughter Liselotte died in a car accident in NewYork.

Translation courtesy of:  UNKNOWN ORIGIN