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Depending on which ABBA fans you ask, Frida is either the star of ABBA or like a bastard stepchild who occasionally steals the limelight away from Agnetha. Regardless of what you think of Frida, she's always been the one who's just a little bit different from the other members of ABBA. Differences that make Frida unique include being the only Norwegian member of the group, not really being a songwriter, coming from a more Jazz type background, and having previously been married with children and divorced before ABBA even began.

Bright Lights. Dark Shadows by Carl Magnus Palm recounts that the moderate success of her recording efforts left her with an inferiority complex comparing her level of success to that of Agnetha, as well as the guys in their respective bands, the Hootenanny Singers and the Hep Stars. It seems audiences weren't paying as much attention to Frida on her own and understandably she was concerned about her contribution to ABBA.

Adding insult to injury, the media always seemed to be drawn to Agnetha, even to the point of awarding her the so called title of "best bottom" in all of Europe. Even Frida's dark glasses can't hide the rolling of her eyes during the scene of ABBA: The Movie where the article about Agnetha's rear end being the highlight of the show during their Australian tour. Parody sketches have even gone so far as to refer to Frida as the "ugly one" and rarely does it seem like she can shake much attention away from the blonde one.

Perhaps being in the shadow of the blonde one is really a blessing in disguise in that Frida hasn't had to deal with some of the same problems that Agnetha has had over the years with the media and crazed stalker fans. It seems like Agnetha's every move outside of her home is documented and reported in the tabloid press in Sweden as if Agnetha is the latest incarnation of Greta Garbo. Whether she makes a midnight run to her equivalent of a 7-11 or attends a Rolling Stones concert, the press is there to make sure the world knows about it. In addition Agnetha's had issues with a Dutch stalker who just doesn't get the hint that, despite Agnetha's restraining orders and court appearances and numerous deportations from Sweden, his attention isn't wanted.

And it became a big media sensation when Agnetha broke her silence of seventeen years to release a new album in 2004. Not as much fanfare arose from Frida's first album after 12 years of silence (with the occasional appearance along the way for charity or as a guest artist), granted that album was recorded in Swedish and came out while the Internet as we know it today was still in a rather primitive state. Agnetha's recent album took advantage of the small world that the Internet has made of the rest of the world - people around the globe were able to take part in the celebration of the return of her voice in all-new recordings.

But despite the heightened attention towards Agnetha, Frida seems to finally be getting her due as an individual. When plans were announced that the solo albums of both Agnetha and Frida were going to be remastered and released, Frida's albums were released first. And shortly after the release of Agnetha's set of albums, Frida's albums got combined into a box set including a remaster of her 1996 Djupa Andetag album with the inclusion of a wonderful archive DVD featuring many videos and television appearances Frida has made through her illustrious career, even dating back to her very first television appearance in the late sixties. Frida also took part to record comments about each clip as well as talk about events in her life, it seemed some attention to the brunette one was finally being made.

And not to be outdone, the latest tribute to Frida as an individual is the coffee table photo book, "A Tribute To Frida" by Phillippe Elan and Jean-Marie Potiez which marks the first time a single member of ABBA was selected to be the subject of a large scale photo book that wasn't a glossed up photo autobiography as Agnetha had done for herself. For the first time in a hardbound print book, the other three members of ABBA take a backseat to the radiant shining beauty that is Frida covering the gambit of eras, all the way to a few select photos of Frida in her childhood to her performances with John Lord where she shares with the world that "The Sun Will Shine Again"

While much of the world thinks of the blonde one when they think of ABBA, there's a large and strong base of fans who generally prefer Frida over Agnetha. And through the ABBA years and beyond it seemed like Frida had much in common with Rodney Dangerfield's comedy routine about never seeming to get the kind of respect that is deserved, it's nice to know in 2006 Frida fans can purchase quality products like the coffee table photo book and the box set with the DVD of clips spanning her entire career. Congratulations Frida on finally getting her due respect.

Ryan