1988: The new Agnetha – Beautiful like Madonna

The blonde hair cut short, bare shoulders, the arms under her chin: Agnetha Fältskog is looking sexier than ever with her 37 years. “I really like the new look, although I was sceptical at first,” she says herself. With her new album, the once somewhat plain looking lead singer of the Swedish mega quartet ABBA, presents herself with a brand new look!
For that matter, behind the new Agnetha are the men that look after Madonna as well:
Alberto Tolot, Madonna’s official and personal photographer. Now he photographed Agnetha for the album cover. Beautiful and sensual.
Peter Zavic, Madonna’s make-up artist and hairdresser. He created the new look and hairdo.
Bruce Gaitsch, he wrote the hit ‘La Isla Bonita’ for Madonna. He worked for Agnetha as a co-producer, guitarist, keyboard and synthesizer player.
But the most important man behind the new album ‘I Stand Alone’ is without a doubt the former Chicago musician Peter Cetera, who enjoyed enormous successes as a solo artist recently (‘Glory Of Love’, ‘The Next Time I Fall’). Peter first met Agnetha in Stockholm two years ago, when both of them performed at a benefit concert for the Red Cross. They got along with each other instantly.
Peter Cetera at the time: “I’ve always wanted to produce a record with you!” Up till then, Agnetha had sold more than 100 million records with ABBA and her two solo albums. Agnetha Fältskog: “I don’t think highly of these long range plans and ramblings about ‘we should do something at some point’. That’s why I was really surprised when Peter called me from the USA and we kept talking about a new album on the phone over and over again.”
It took three months and hundreds of dollars spent on phone calls, before Peter came up with a couple of concrete song suggestions, that he brought to Stockholm. Subsequently, both of them went to David Foster’s studio in California, where Peter’s talent to find hits and Agnetha’s unmistakable feeling for the best songs caused for creative sparks to fly.
Agnetha: “I was finally able to bring my interest in Latin music to the table.” The songwriters – apart from Peter and Bruce Gaitsch – are all top-class: Albert Hammond, Peter Brown. For ‘I Wasn’t The One (Who Said Goodbye)’, Agnetha and Peter Cetera were both sharing the studio microphone.
Agnetha Fältskog: “Working with Peter was truly wonderful. He polished the vocals carefully, very insightful and always with incorruptible ears. It has been a big challenge for me, especially because he has always liked my music and I wanted to live up to his standards. For the future, I can only wish for more challenges like this.”