Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Born on November 15, 1945, in Bjørkåsen, Norway, to a Norwegian mother and a German soldier, Anni-Frid Lyngstad grew up in Torshälla, Sweden, raised by her devoted grandmother after her mother passed away during her infancy. Beginning her musical career as a jazz singer at age 13, Frida won a nationwide Swedish talent competition in 1967, performing live on television on the historic day Sweden switched to right-hand traffic (Dagen H). In 1969, she met musician and composer Benny Andersson, and in 1972 they joined Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog to form ABBA. In 1974, ABBA conquered the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with 'Waterloo', launching an unprecedented global pop phenomenon. With her smoky, expressive mezzo-soprano register, Frida sang lead vocals on many of ABBA's biggest international anthems, including 'Fernando' (which sold over 10 million copies), 'Money, Money, Money', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', and shared lead on the iconic 'Dancing Queen'. Following ABBA's hiatus in 1982, Frida achieved global solo success with the Phil Collins-produced album 'Something's Going On' and its hit single 'I Know There's Something Going On'. In 1992, she married Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss of Plauen. In her later years, Princess Anni-Frid became an active environmental philanthropist, supporting Swedish conservation initiatives and the Mentor Foundation. In 2021, ABBA reunited to global fanfare, releasing the chart-topping album 'Voyage' and launching the groundbreaking 'ABBA Voyage' digital avatar concert residency in London.