Overcoming a less-than-ideal childhood, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, better known to millions of music fans worldwide simply as Frida, found fame and fortune as a member of ABBA.
She was born on November 15, 1945, in Narvik, Norway, without ever
knowing her father who had been a German soldier posted there during the
German occupation. When her mother died at a young age, Frida was left in the care of her grandmother and they settled outside of Stockholm. It was there that young Frida
discovered her love of music and she was soon performing at every
opportunity. At the age of 22, she won a song competition and was
offered a recording contract. Not long after releasing her first single
and album, she met fellow musician Benny Andersson and the two would be engaged in 1969. The following year, Andersson would record an album with Björn Ulvaeus, providing Frida the opportunity to sing backup with Ulvaeus' fiancée, Agnetha Faltskog.
By 1974, the four would form ABBA, win the Eurovision song contest, and score the first of numerous international hits with "Waterloo." For nearly a decade, few acts in the world would achieve the success of ABBA and the band would outlast the marriages of the two couples (Frida would be divorced from Andersson in 1981). In 1982, Frida released her first solo album. With Phil Collins having produced it, Something's Going On was a bit of a departure, but a very successful departure. "I Know There's Something Going On," the lead single, was on the U.S. charts for seven months, peaking at number 13 (bettering the showing of ABBA's last four singles) and is still an airplay favorite on AOR stations ever since. A year later, Frida would release Shine, but it would fail to attract much interest and the singer's output would diminish from that point.
By 1974, the four would form ABBA, win the Eurovision song contest, and score the first of numerous international hits with "Waterloo." For nearly a decade, few acts in the world would achieve the success of ABBA and the band would outlast the marriages of the two couples (Frida would be divorced from Andersson in 1981). In 1982, Frida released her first solo album. With Phil Collins having produced it, Something's Going On was a bit of a departure, but a very successful departure. "I Know There's Something Going On," the lead single, was on the U.S. charts for seven months, peaking at number 13 (bettering the showing of ABBA's last four singles) and is still an airplay favorite on AOR stations ever since. A year later, Frida would release Shine, but it would fail to attract much interest and the singer's output would diminish from that point.
