Swedish pop group Abba tease fans with a major announcement for next week, as they await the band’s first new music in 39 years.
On Thursday morning, the band launched a new website, “Abba Voyage”, where they asked fans to register their interest in a new project.
It is expected that the news relates to a long awaited “hologram tour” that Abba first announced in 2016. The release of five new songs is also expected to accompany the show.
The quartet made up of Agnetha Faltskog, Anna-Frid Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson returned to the studio in 2018. At the time, they promised two new songs for release later that year. However, those tracks, I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down, have encountered repeated delays. To thank fans for their patience, the group now plan to release five new songs.
“It will happen”
Ulvaeus confirmed earlier this year that the music would “definitely” come out this year. He said it is no longer a case of “might happen, it will happen”.
The Abba Voyage website featured a cryptic image of four glowing planets, alongside the date 2 September.
According to reports from The Sun, the show will include “Abba-tars” of the stars performing hit singles like Mamma Mia, Waterloo and Dancing Queen. Holograms will beam onto the stage of purpose built east London theatre. Filming reportedly happened last year at London’s Ealing Studios. As well as the musical performances, fans will also view a documentary-style film about the band’s comeback.
Ulvaeus said the idea for the project came from Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, who visited Stockholm to pitch it to the band. It involved making identical digital copies of each member of the group at a certain age. These copies can then go on tour, singing the songs and lip syncing. Part way through production, Ulvaeus described it as “mind-boggling”.
A potted history
Abba formed in 1972 by songwriters Ulvaeus and Andersson and singers Faltskog and Lyngstad. They had all had previous success in the music industry, but this supergroup completely eclipsed their previous work. Following their win at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, with Waterloo, the band sold nearly 400 million singles and albums worldwide.
Meanwhile, the musical Mamma Mia!, which is based around their songs and produced by Ulvaeus and Andersson, has been seen by over 50 million people.
At the height of their fame and success, the band were able to survive two marriage break-ups, between Ulvaeus and Faltskog, and Lyngstad and Andersson. But they eventually called time on the group in 1983.
Three years later they appeared for their last public performance on the Swedish version of TV show This Is Your Life.
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