Agnetha Fältskog biography

That same year, Fältskog married Ulvaeus in a small church in southern Sweden.

In 1972, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were approached to write a song for Sweden's submission into the upcoming 1973 Eurovision song contest. They chose to enter a song called "Ring, Ring," which did not win, and failed to make much of a name for ABBA at the time. The band was still relatively unknown in 1973,

when Fältskog gave birth to her and Ulvaeus' first child, Elin Linda Ulvaeus.

Internatiol Fame

Despite their lack of success the year before, ABBA was again chosen to submit a song to Eurovision in 1974. Their entry this time was "Waterloo," and it hit the mark. The song not only won the Eurovision contest, but even reached No. 1 on the charts in many European countries. Riding the wave of this newfound fame, ABBA began an international tour that included a stop at The Merv Griffin Show in the United States.

ABBA had made its name as a one-hit wonder, but the band managed to shake that reputation by releasing another album with hit songs like "S.O.S." and "Mamma Mia." At the peak of their powers, Fältskog and her fellow ABBA members were selling hundreds of thousands of albums and playing sold-out shows around the world.

Around this time, Agnetha Fältskog was becoming increasingly concerned about how little time she was able to spend caring for her child due to her ABBA responsibilities. She also developed tonsillitis, and had to take time over the Christmas holidays to have her tonsils removed. Still, despite these worries, Fältskog was determined to keep ABBA moving forward. The band continued to tour, and churned out signature hits such as "Fernando" and "Dancing Queen."

The End of ABBA

The 1970s were a time of fantastic popularity and prosperity for ABBA, but the band's success did not translate into success for the couples that made up the group. Fältskog gave birth to a son, Peter Christian Ulvaeus, in 1977; in 1979, Fältskog and Ulvaeus were divorced.

Fältskog recounts: "The breakup had been coming for quite sometime. We just drifted apart, it's as simple as that. When you talk about everything and you still don't get through to one another, then it's a sign that there's really nothing left between you." The two agreed to stay in the band, however, and the group stayed together until 1983. By that time, Andersson and Lyngstad had also ended their marriage.

Solo Career

After ABBA broke up, Agnetha Fältskog went on to once again actively pursue her solo career. She lives in Sweden, and has kept a relatively low profile in recent years. Her solo albums have not gained the popularity of ABBA's records, but, she says, "I am now doing what I always wanted to do, writing songs, singing and recording, and being a little star. I like being a little star, being a big star is too much pressure and I don't like pressure at all. I don't really miss all the fame and success of ABBA."

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.