Singer Agnetha Faltskog of Abba says fame in the 1970s and 1980s was so overwhelming it drove her to become a recluse on a Swedish island.
Faltskog said that when the band became popular and the toll of fame became so great, she was unable to sing and developed a range of phobias -- including the fears of flying, open spaces and crowds, which she has never been able to shake off, the Daily Telegraph reported.
"I didn't sing at all for 13 years. I didn't even have a hi-fi at home," she said. "I never wanted to play another record again. I developed a microphone phobia."
Faltskog said she had visions that fans grabbed her or the shear volume of fans would suffocate her.
Abba had its first taste of fame in 1974 after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo." The group sold some 350 million records before disbanding in 1982.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
