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 ?

Frida:  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 ?

Frida: Björn & Benny 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 ?

Frida: 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 ?

Frida: 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 ?

Frida: Well you know outside of Stockholm there is this fantastic archipelago with many islands. Stig Andersson 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 ?

Frida: 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 ?

Frida: 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 wonderful 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 ?

Frida: 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 preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 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 Björn & Benny. 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 ?

Frida: 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 Björn & Benny.

Frida: (laughs) They will kill me

Q: You probably know more about Benny because you were married to him ?

Frida: 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 ?

Frida: 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 ?

Frida: 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.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Jurgen Parys, Antwerp, Belgium