Benny Andersson: Last News

ABBA have responded to rumours that they are planning to reunite for next year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in their native Sweden.After previous victor Loreen won the competition with her song ‘Tattoo’ earlier this month, rumour spread online that it was all part of a plan to have ABBA reform to mark 50 years of their own Eurovision win as the contest returns to their home country as the 2024 host nation. Now, they have shot down the chances of it happening – even just for one evening.“I don’t want to,” Benny Andersson told the BBC, “and if I don’t want to, the others won’t.

ABBA has issued a rare message to their fans as they mark the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision Song Contest win.

ABBA fans the world over yesterday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Swedish supergroup’s Eurovision victory in 1974, and one crowd were treated to a surprise appearance by band member Bjorn Ulvaeus.

ABBA have marked the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision win with ‘Waterloo’ in a new statement today (April 6).50 years ago today, the Swedish icons, made up of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, won Eurovision after performing in the final of the competition at the Brighton Dome. In 2005, the track was chosen as the best song in Eurovision’s history as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the contest.In a new statement marking the historic occasion, the band said: “It’s slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several.“We see evidence of that every time one of us visits ABBA Voyage in London and it’s because of this we can celebrate the 50th Anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world.”To further mark the occasion, Andersson has recorded a short piano piece called the ‘Piano Moment’ that will be experienced as if he were at the competition and playing live.

ABBA have announced details of a 50th-anniversary reissue of their iconic album ‘Waterloo’. Find more information below.The reissue of the band’s sophomore album comes to mark 50 years after the now-legendary Swedish band had their international breakthrough in the Eurovision Song Contest.The moment saw the members – Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad – change the world of pop music forever, when they entered the stage at The Dome in Brighton on April 6, 1974, dressed in their shiny glam-rock costumes.Set for release on April 5 via Polar Music International, the ‘Waterloo’ anniversary reissue arrives as a half-speed mastered 45RPM 2LP Vinyl, along with a limited edition box set of the three vinyl singles originally released in 1974.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Few artists have ever fused pop and dance music as fluidly as ABBA, and their influence is writ subtly but large on Dua Lipa’s new single “Training Season” — previewed during her performance at the Grammy Awards earlier this month — the second from her still untitled forthcoming third album. Driving but not as in-your-face as its predecessor “Houdini,” the song struts along on a powerful disco beat, with a melody that swerves into almost Middle-Eastern scales, reminiscent of ABBA’s biggest disco hit, 1978’s “Voulez-Vous.” While the influence there is subtle, it’s unmistakable, and is driven home later in the song with piano flourishes that recalls ABBA keyboardist Benny Andersson’s on many of the group’s hits, most famously “Dancing Queen.” It’s the best kind of tribute: nothing overt, but a sly, fun wink for fans who notice it.

Annika Pham Hot Swedish helmer of Georgian descent Levan Akin is due to kickstart Berlin’s Panorama Feb. 15 with his feature drama “Crossing.” Nine years earlier, he walked the Berlinale red carpet with his youth sci-fi “The Circle,” showcased at Generation. Next to him were his Swedish producers of RMV Film – ABBA’s Benny Andersson and his son Ludvig Andersson.

ABBA reunion ahead of one of the band’s upcoming milestones.The singer was speaking in an interview when she seemed to hint that there may be some potential ABBA announcements on the horizon – particularly with the group celebrating the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision win.Reflecting on her time in the band alongside Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad during a discussion with The Sun (via Daily Mail), it seemed as if something may be in the works to bring their concerts back.“You never know anything about ABBA and when we’re going to…’ Fältskog said, trailing off and quickly adding: ‘Well, I won’t say anything about that. I’d rather be quiet.”The comments also arose after the band were rumoured to be planning to perform at next year’s instalment of Eurovision, when the contest will return to their native country following the win of returning Swedish contestant Loreen earlier this year.The hints dropped by Fältskog also come on the heels of her recent single ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’, her first new solo music in 10 years.The single is taken from her upcoming album ‘A+’, a revisited version of 2013’s record, ‘A’.Set for release on October 13, the singer explained her reasons for revisiting the record in a letter to fans, writing: “I have lots of fond memories from making that album, so I couldn’t help but smile, time flies…”“Suddenly it hit me, what would the album sound like if we had made it today…? I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she added.

ABBA: The Movie – Fan Event is set to return to cinemas for two nights only on September 17 and 19.Directed by the Swedish director Lasse Hallström and starring Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, the film goes behind the scenes of the band’s highly successful tour of Australia in 1977. An official description reads: “The film weaves a captivating mockumentary-style subplot into the narrative.

In June 1999, Dutch pop purveyors Vengaboys scored their first Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart with Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!

ABBA have denied rumours that they will reunite for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in their native Sweden, on what would be the 50th anniversary of them winning the contest with Waterloo.

Scots singer Susan Boyle has reunited with Peter Kay, 12 years after their collaboration for Comic Relief. The 62-year-old met up with her old pal after the comedian's performance at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday night.

Thania Garcia Lasse Wellander, ABBA’s go-to guitarist across decades of hits, died at age 70 on April 7 due to cancer. He was 70. The news was confirmed in a statement on Wellander’s official Facebook page over the weekend. “It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep. Lasse recently fell ill in what turned out to be spread cancer and early on Good Friday he passed away, surrounded by his loved ones,” the message read. “You were an amazing musician and humble as few, but above all you were a wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather. Kind, safe, caring and loving … and so much more, that cannot be described in words. A hub in our lives, and it’s unbelievable that we now have to live on without you.”

Swedish pop group ABBA have paid tribute to the “musical brilliance” of their long-standing guitarist, Lasse Wellander, following his death at the age of 70.The musician, who played on the band’s biggest albums and toured with them between 1975 and 1980, died early on Good Friday following a cancer diagnosis, a statement from his family said. Raised in the small village of Skrekarhyttan in Sweden, Lasse had his first recording session with Abba in October 1974 and continued to play on their respective solo albums following their split.

Abba have paid loving tribute to their longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, crediting his “musical brilliance” and saying he played “an integral part in the Abba story.”

Swedish pop group ABBA is mourning the death of one of their own. The group announced to their social media that longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander had passed away. He was 70 years old.

ABBA‘s Voyage virtual concert experience could be making its way around the world.Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge revealed in a company earnings call per Variety on Thursday (March 2): “Plans are now in development to take ‘ABBA Voyage’ around the world”. No other information – including targetted cities, venues and dates – has been announced.ABBA’s Voyage experience debuted at the ABBA Arena in London in May 2022.

ABBA’s heading across the world!

Rina Sawayama has revealed that Elton John has offered her some “great advice” regarding some as-yet-unreleased music.The British-Japanese artist, who released her second album ‘Hold The Girl’ today (September 16), collaborated with the legendary musician on a reworking of her song ‘Chosen Family’ last year.It came after the pair struck up a friendship, with John having praised Sawayama’s debut studio record on his Rocket Hour radio show in 2020. He’s since been avid fan and supporter of her work.Speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read cover feature, Sawayama spoke further about John assisting her with clearing a guitar riff on her single ‘This Hell’, which bears similarities to the ABBA‘s ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’.“I was stressed as fuck because I was like: ‘this is our first single, this is our lead single, and I can’t use the guitar riff that I want’,” she recalled, adding that John ended up putting her in contact with the Swedish pop icons.ABBA’s Benny Andersson subsequently gave Sawayama his blessing to keep the original part in the finished track.“Elton is always willing to help.

Rina Sawayama has claimed that her single ‘This Hell’ received “the blessing of ABBA“, following concerns it too closely mirrored one of the latter band’s biggest hits.In a new interview with the BBC, Sawayama revealed that while she was recording the song, she noticed a distinct similarity between it and the guitar riff to ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’. She claimed to have “freaked out” when she discovers the parallels, given ABBA’s notoriety for turning down samples of their work – a sentiment shared by her publishers when she informed them.“They were like, ‘ABBA are absolutely going to say no to this, and you have to change it’,” she said. Sawayama did so, but still found herself drawn to the first version she had recorded.

ABBA have paid tribute to Dame Olivia Newton-John as the “nicest, kindest and most loving woman” and hailed her “brave fight” against an “invincible enemy” following her death from cancer.The British-born singer and actress died “peacefully” at her ranch in Southern California on Monday morning at the age of 73, with her husband John Easterling confirming the news on social media.Dame Olivia, who grew up in Australia, was best known for her starring role as Sandy in the 1978 film Grease, in which she appeared opposite John Travolta, who played Danny Zuko.READ MORE:Olivia Newton-John dies aged 73 after 30-year battle with breast cancerShe came fourth at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 in Brighton, where Swedish pop outfit Abba triumphed with Waterloo, launching their careers.Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog, who performed alongside Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in the group, paid tribute in statements shared on the official Twitter page for the Super Swedes.Lyngstad, known as Frida, said: “What do you feel, what do you say when the nicest, kindest and most loving woman leaves us to travel somewhere else? The heart aches to know Olivia’s brave fight against an, in her case, invincible enemy.“That she never gave up or complained about her situation, but instead told us her story so that we would understand and want to help others affected."I am grateful to have known a person like you, Olivia, and you will always be in my heart.