Do we like them?

Do we like Agnetha Fältskog?

Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful found and a warm history with LGBTQ+ fans, but she says little in public, so there isn't much to score.

Agnetha is half of the voices that made ABBA a global act, and she has long been known as the private one. In a 2004 interview, reported by The Local, she pushed back on the idea that she was a Garbo-style recluse. She returned that year with a solo album after years out of the spotlight, and she has kept her public life small ever since.

On the scandal front, I came up empty. I found no lawsuits against her, no allegations from colleagues or staff, and no tabloid feuds that stood up to scrutiny. That is a short list, but it is honestly the whole list.

Now the harm check. I found no statements from her against LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet, and no record of her backing anyone who does that. She also doesn't seem to make a habit of political commentary at all. Queerty calls her a longtime ally of LGBTQ+ people, which is the outlet's own description rather than a quote from her. Her chosen comeback venue in 2013 was London's G-A-Y club, where fans queued for hours.

Nothing new on her lately that I could verify. The most recent solid reporting I found is her 2023 solo return, a reworked version of her 2013 album. Plenty of junk sites are pushing rumours about her, none confirmed by a mainstream outlet, so I won't repeat them.

The good stuff is mostly what she means to people. Out reported that ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus credited the gay community with a large part in the band's return after nearly 40 years. That says a lot about who has kept her music alive. I couldn't verify any specific charity work, so I'm not claiming any.

Put together, she's a private person with a clean sheet on both tests and a long, warm connection with queer fans. The caveat is that a quiet public life gives us little to judge. Where there's nothing nasty and some real affection, I'm happy to back her.