Before ABBA: 30 Amazing Vintage Portraits of 18-Year-Old Agnetha Fältskog in 1968

Growing up the small Swedish town of Jönköping, Agnetha Fältskog must’ve thought her chances of becoming a world-renowned star were slim. But before joining ABBA and marrying future bandmate Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha already had a self-penned number one hit in her home country. In 1967 her song “Jag var så kär” made her a star in her home country, and she was even nearly the Swedish contestant for the Eurovision Song Contest the following year.

Her debut self-titled solo album indicated her songwriting prowess, being credited for a total of nine songs out of twelve tracks that featured. She even drew comparisons to her peers overseas such as Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black because of her 60s folk-pop sound.

But it was her gorgeous voice that set her apart, which suggested she could’ve been a huge success even if she hadn’t ever become a quarter of the world’s most famous pop group. Here are some amazing photographs of a very young Agnetha Fältskog when she was 18 in 1968: