ABBA… The band was persuaded to return to the stage for almost 40 years. Promised $1 million for one 30-minute concert. Prices were raised and the most respected producers and directors were brought on board. But hits like Dancing Queen, Fernando, Voulez-Vous, Hasta Manana, Winner Takes It All and many others to this day bring the musicians a tidy sum.
Bearded keyboardist Benny Andersson is releasing albums with his Benny Andersson Band. He has switched to Scandinavian folk, a bit dreamy and sadly romantic, sometimes playing piano and accordion.
Blond Agneta Feltskog raises grandchildren and occasionally releases soulful solo albums. Guitarist Bjorn Ulvaeus writes musicals or works in Hollywood. And the brunette Anni-Fried Lingstad has moved to a castle with her new husband, in Switzerland.
In short, they are all “in good health,” still on the crest of fame. It seems that we can not strain …
And a million is not enough.
But late on the night of September 2nd ABBA announced their comeback! And even posted two new songs on the streaming services: I Still Have Faith in You and Don’t Shut Me Down! When you start listening to them, it seems as if those forty years never happened! After all, this is the good old favorite ABBA again. Maybe the only band in the world, apart from The Beatles, which was equally if not loved, then at least highly respected by fans of rock, pop, classical, jazz, folk and even rap – practically of all musical genres!
The news was overwhelming: AVBA, trying not to attract attention, has not only recorded two songs, but almost finished the album, which will be released November 5th and will be called Voyage. And these two songs, as well as the video, are the first signs from it.
Forty years down: this is what the avatars of the band look like. Photo: courtesy of Universal Music Russia
The single I Still Have Faith in You is especially good. It’s the Swedish quartet’s first music video in 19 years. It’s a vivid and dynamic snapshot of the day-to-day life of ABBA in the late ’70s and early ’80s. A bit nostalgic, but light and uplifting.
Certainly, the new single will cause even more interest in the new work of the Swedish quartet. After all, in terms of melody and sound, as well as compositional and performing talents – it’s “that AVVA” again…
Hear it at Tik Tok, too.
As soon as rumors about the possible revival of AVBA appeared, unknown enthusiasts immediately organized the #DancingQueenChallenge movement. Proving their love for this legendary band and hoping for its revival. And the musicians decided to start their own account in Tik Tok. Already his first video – an instrumental performance of a fragment of the song Dancing Queen by an unknown pianist – gathered more than 4 million views in a few hours.
How they’ll perform
AVBA has also decided to make their return bright and unusual, unexpected and on the verge of sensation. The album is expected to contain 10 new songs. Some of them will be played in a big ABBA Voyage show that will premiere on May 27, 2022 in London. It will be a holographic show. ABBA avatars will sing from the stage, they will look like Benny, Agneta, Annie-Fried and Bjorn in the late 70’s (they will not perform on stage).
But the avatars will be played by live modern musicians. And the lights and the show and the sound will be of the highest quality. As it has always been with AVVA.
No one has ever seen such a show. And it couldn’t have happened without the latest technology. Photo: Courtesy of Universal Music Russia
Going for the record again
Nobody has ever seen such a massive holographic show. Yes, holograms of Michael Jackson and rapper Tupac sang from the stage. But four holograms playing all at once, with modern musicians playing along with them – it had never been done before!
And this show was developed by British programmers, artists, and set designers for a record-breaking three years. In 2019 they did not succeed. And only now they managed to make everything of the highest quality.
How they met.
Bjorn Ulvaeus told reporters:
We hadn’t gotten together in a studio since the early eighties. And now we were standing in this familiar environment, looking at each other, and in 15 seconds it was back. It was amazing! One of the new songs has a pop melody, very danceable, the other one is more timeless, reflective. Such a Scandinavian sadness, but still happy…