Former Abba member Agnetha Faeltskog is to return with her first album in almost a decade, the announcement somewhat surprising for a singer who largely has a reputation in the media for being a bit of a recluse.

As Faeltskog said herself in a statement, reported by Sky News, "I never thought I would sing again.” She hasn’t put out a record in nine years, however she said that the quality of the songs she’d recorded was too high for her to turn down. “When I heard the first three songs I couldn't say no," she said. "I hadn't written music in a very long time, but when I sat down at the piano it came to me very naturally."

The single ‘When You Really Love Someone’ is already out digitally, while her album – simply titled A – is out on May 19th and features a duet with Take That man Gary Barlow as well as her first self-penned song in years. She recorded the LP with Swedish producer Joergen Elofsson, a man who has recorded tracks with the likes of Britney Spears, Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson. He provided further evidence that the former Abba star was a musician reborn, saying "She's a musician, a songwriter and singer who hasn't done that for a while. We saw her open up, become much happier with music again in her life.” Does this mean an Abba reunion around the corner? Probably not, the band’s Bjoern Ulvaeus has stated that they’ll never perform together again. Still, good to have one of them back eh.

Abba classic Take A Chance On Me