ABBA: Last News

ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus, and Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash‘s daughter, are set to work with YouTube and Universal Music on a new AI project.According to a statement regarding the project, Ulvaeus said: “While some may find my decision controversial, I’ve joined this group with an open mind and purely out of curiosity about how an AI model works and what it could be capable of in a creative process.”He continued: “I believe that the more I understand, the better equipped I’ll be to advocate for and to help protect the rights of my fellow human creators.”Other musicians that are attached to the project are One Republic‘s Ryan Tedder, composer Max Richter, record producer Louis Bell, Anitta, D4vd, American musician Don Was, Colombian musician Juanes, Rodney Jerkins,Yo Gotti and the estate of Frank Sinatra.Richter said: “Like every new technology, AI brings with it opportunities, but it also raises profound challenges for the creative community.

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.

ABBA Voyage celebrates one year since its premiere this weekend (May 25-27) and organisers have marked the anniversary by releasing new images of the production.ABBA Voyage, which takes place at a purpose-built venue in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and has welcomed more than one million fans since it launched last year, sees the Swedish pop outfit perform their many hits as digital avatars. The show has been critically acclaimed, with NME describing it as a “feel-good sensory overload” where “digital sorcery meets pure pop bangers” in a five-star review.The new images, which you can see below, feature ABBA members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s virtual selves mid-performance. In the same press release, it was announced that ABBA Voyage has also extended its booking period, with tickets now on sale until May 2024.Speaking about the creation of the show, Ulvaeus said: “If you build the right machine, and you build it well, then it exceeds the sum of its parts.

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.

Loreen won the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus addressed viewers at home with a special message on the annual show’s impact.“The lives of some of the acts that you’ve seen tonight could be about to change forever,” Ulvaeus said in a video filmed remotely, aired while votes for this year’s grand finalists were being counted. “When ABBA walked onto that stage, we couldn’t even have imagined, 50 years later, we would have a museum about us, and that we would perform as avatars in ABBA Voyage.“Our international success all began with Eurovision.

Eurovision has officially ended for another year, and of course, fans on social media had no shortage of hot takes, conspiracy theories and memes.The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest was hosted last night (May 13) at Liverpool Arena; Sweden came in first place with 583 points, followed by Finland and Israel. Viewers seemed to be divided on the final ranking, with some opining that Finnish artist Käärijä should have won for his campy and unusual ‘Cha Cha Cha’, while others found Loreen‘s ‘Tattoo’ to be a fitting winner. “Massive congrats to [Loreen], who lit up the [Eurovision 2023] stage for [Sweden] (for the second time!) with her current stunning song ‘Tattoo’!” wrote Erik Ramanathan, the US’ official Ambassador to the kingdom of Sweden.

ABBA have welcomed the one millionth visitor to their Voyage show, with Björn Ulvaeus telling NME about what the future has in store for the ambitious live experience. Watch our video interview with Ulvaeus above.Last night (Monday April 17) saw young ABBA fan Josie Felix chosen as the winner to the one millionth visitor to see the show at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in London.

ABBA’s longterm guitarist Lasse Wellander has died at the age of 70.Wellander played guitar on many of ABBA’s most well-known tracks, toured with the band for years and helped to create the Mamma Mia! soundtrack.The musician passed away on Friday (April 7) after being recently diagnosed with cancer according to a statement from his family on Facebook.“It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep,” the statement read. “Lasse recently fell ill in what turned out to be disseminated cancer and early on Good Friday he passed away, surrounded by his loved ones.”Calling him an “amazing” and “humble” musician, the statement also remembered Wellander as a “wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather.” They went on to describe him as “hub in our lives, and it’s unbelievable that we now have to live on without you.”ABBA have also shared a tribute to Wellander on their social media pages.“Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist.

ABBA guitarist Lasse Wellander has died at 70 years old, the musician's family announced. The Sweden native died on Friday, April 7 after a battle with cancer. Taking to Wellander's official Facebook page, his family wrote, «It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep.

Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has weighed in on the idea of the punk band doing an ‘ABBA Voyage’ style hologram show with late member Sid Vicious.Matlock said in a recent interview with The Mirror that he thinks that the concept of hologram shows can’t live up to the real thing. “There’s nothing better than a band playing with passion, vim and vigour in front of a live audience – in tune, with a couple of beers inside them, or a coffee, going for it,” he said.He continued: “If they can dig up some 3D imagery of Sid at this stage, that would be an achievement in itself.”Sid Vicious passed away from a drug overdose in 1979 at the age of 21.In another interview with PA, Matlock said he feels punk music can be a “small brick in the wall of change” during politically turbulent times.“In England back then there was a lot going on and there’s a direct parallel to what’s going on now,” he explained.

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.

Avicii have announced that they have sold 75 per cent of the late musician’s recording and publishing rights to the Swedish company Pophouse.Avicii, real name Tim Bergling, died by suicide in 2018. Subsequently, his parents Klas Bergling and Anki Lidén have overseen his estate as well as a charitable foundation set up in his name.Klas Bergling said in a statement today (September 28): “My wife and I feel that as we are getting older, we do not have the right energy level or required skills to fully keep ahead of the new streaming and digital developments vital for such a big, international artist as Tim.”“Through this deal, we are also securing the Tim Bergling Foundation’s long-term finances, creating opportunity to act decisively on the foundation’s commitments to supporting such important issues as mental health and well-being of young people.”He went on to argue that the deal would bring Avicii’s music “to the widest possible audience” and “take care” of his international fanbase.“Since Tim took his life, as a family, we have not had sufficient time for his fans that they so deserve, and have lacked the ability to follow up on their correspondence and other contact with us.”“We leave neither Tim nor his contribution to the world.

ABBA‘s Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a surprise appearance at last night’s ABBA Voyage show in east London.The “revolutionary” concert series began in May at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It sees digital versions of the Swedish pop icons perform a hits-filled set, backed by a 10-piece live band.Following the finale of yesterday’s edition (September 15), an announcer made an unexpected revelation over the PA.

vinyl collecting capital of the UK, according to a new study.Up to 32 per cent of the UK’s vinyl collectors live in the Scottish city, The Royal Mint found via DJ Mag.The study also discovered that Glasgow was followed closely by the North East of England in boasting the most record collectors in the nation, with 25 per cent of vinyl collectors living there.It comes after vinyl record sales in 2021 were at the highest they’ve been in 30 years, despite widely publicised issues with backlogs and delays.According to figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), more than five million vinyl records were sold last year, an 8 per cent increase on 2020. It marked the 14th year in a row that the format has increased sales, with vinyl records making up 23 per cent of all albums sold.The biggest-selling vinyl album of 2021 was ABBA‘s comeback record ‘Voyage’, while Adele‘s huge ’30’ and Sam Fender‘s ‘Seventeen Going Under’ – NME’s Album Of The Year – also sold big on wax.Campaigns such as LoveRecordStores, Record Store Day and National Album Day also helped rally sales for independent record shops and specialist chains.Earlier this year, it was also reported that vinyl sales in the UK look set to overtake CDs.Vinyl albums brought in £135.6million in 2021 (up 23.2 per cent year-on-year) compared to £150.1million in CD sales (down 3.9 per cent year-on-year).

ABBA have paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John who died yesterday (August 8) aged 73.The Australian singer and Grease actor passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California, as confirmed by her husband John Easterling in a statement.“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” the message read.Today (August 9), ABBA’s Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (aka Frida) both paid their respects to Newton-John in a post on the Swedish group’s official social media pages.The pair crossed paths with the late star in 1974 when both she and ABBA competed in that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton.Newton-John, who was representing the United Kingdom, came in fourth place with her track ‘Long Live Love’. ABBA were crowned overall winners that evening with their hit ‘Waterloo’.Alongside a photo of ABBA and Newton-John on-stage together, Frida wrote: “What do you feel, what do you say when the nice, 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.

ABBA have announced a new 30th anniversary version of their greatest hits collection ‘ABBA Gold’.The collection is one of the most successful releases in recorded music history, with more than 32 million sales worldwide.It’s the second highest selling album of all time in the UK, spending more than 1,055 weeks on the Official UK Albums Chart, making it the longest running album in the Official Albums Chart Top 100 ever.Released on September 21, 1992, ‘ABBA Gold’ contains some of the Swedish pop legends’ biggest hits including ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, ‘Take A Chance On Me’, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘The Winner Takes It All’.To mark 30 years since it was released, a version in new formats is being released on September 23 [available to pre-order here].The formats are as follows: new 2LP Picture Disc in heavyweight vinyl, housed in die-cut gatefold sleeve; new gold cassette – also available in black; and gold 2LP – gold 2 x 180g vinyl. Brand new limited edition ABBA merch will also be available to pre-order soon.It follows the recent news that ABBA’s Benny Anderson and Elton John worked together on a new song mash-up for TikTok – watch it here.The pair remotely performed a live rendition of each of their songs before they were blended in the TikTok audio app.

ABBA’s Benny Anderson and Elton John have worked together on a new song mash-up for TikTok.The pair remotely performed a live rendition of each of their songs before they were blended in the TikTok audio app.Anderson played ABBA’s 1979 hit ‘Chiquitita’ while John played his 1973 smash, ‘Bennie And The Jets’.Anderson can be seen sat at his piano playing the opening bars to ‘Chiquitita’ before it later pans to John who is sat at his piano playing ‘Benny And The Jets’.“Heard that ‘Chiquitita’ was trending again… with Elton John!” the caption on the official ABBA TikTok account reads.The TikTok user captioned the source video: “For all your gorgeous summer transitions.” The audio has since been used in over 54,000 videos on the app.Check the video out here:Heard that ’Chiquitita’ was trending again…with @Elton John! #ABBA #pop #piano ♬ Benny and Chiquitita – reymifasol  John recently began the UK leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Norwich on June 15. Having first announced the first UK dates for his final ever run of shows in 2018, he had been set to play a run of rescheduled UK headline dates between October and December 2021.

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus has shared a message of support for the English women’s football team (aka the Lionesses) after they celebrated a 4-0 win over Sweden earlier this week.The Lionesses dominated Sweden, where ABBA hail from, in the semi-final match of the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro Championship. The game took place at Milton Keyes’ Stadium MK on Wednesday (July 27) and is to be followed by the final match this Sunday (August 31).There, the Lionesses – who are currently eighth in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings – will face off against Germany at London’s Wembley Stadium.As reported by the Evening Standard, the Lionesses celebrated their semi-final victory with a singalong to ABBA, who feature prominently in the team’s dressing room playlist.When asked what she and her team listened to after scoring the final goal, forward Alessia Russo told journalists: “It was a little bit of ABBA – there’s always ABBA – but also Proud, West Virginia, a couple of old songs.”Leaning into the irony that the Lionesses marked their win over Sweden by singing along to Swedish music, Björn took to Instagram with a message of congratulations the team, which he delivered wearing the jersey of Sweden’s own football team.In the message, he said: “I understand that you celebrated your well-earned victory the other day with ABBA music, and I have to say, that makes the defeat a little easier to bear.

Hugh Jackman well after the actor tested positive for COVID-19, with a montage of their friendship soundtracked by ABBA.On Monday (June 13), Jackman announced on Twitter he had tested positive for a second time. The news came a day after his performance at the Tony Awards.

ABBA Voyage digital concerts have spoken to NME about the experience of recreating the magic of the pop legends, and how long they expect to be playing for. Watch our video interview with some of the band above.Premiering earlier this week at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in Stratford, East London, to a delighted response from fans, the ambitious production sees a “digital” version of ABBA (or ‘ABBAtars’) performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton).Speaking to NME on the red carpet ahead of the performance, guitarist Dom John said that they were “buzzing, locked in and ready.”John recalled the first time he met ABBA in rehearsals – when he looked up to find Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson watching him play. “We played one of their songs, and I was playing both guitar parts and then looked up and realised that Benny and Bjorn were standing right in front of me!” he said.

ABBA Voyage live experience have spoken to NME about how it was made, as well as what could be next for both the show and the band. Watch our video interview above.Premiering earlier this week at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in Stratford, East London, to a delighted response from fans, the ambitious production sees a “digital” version of ABBA (or ‘ABBAtars’) performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton).Working on the show with ABBA were Svana Gisla (who produced Jay-Z and Beyoncé‘s On the Run Tour), choreographer Wayne McGregor, Johan Renck (who directed David Bowie‘s videos for ‘Blackstar’ and ‘Lazarus’), Baillie Walsh (who has directed for Massive Attack and Bruce Springsteen) and producer Ludvig Andersson (son of ABBA’s Benny Andersson and producer of And Then We Danced, Yung Lean‘s ‘In My Head’ and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again).“We did an awful lot of research and development on this, as you can imagine,” Gisla told NME from the red carpet.