ABBA: Last News

Zara Larsson has covered ABBA‘s ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’, as well as telling NME what the band mean to her and revealing that work is progressing well on a “dark” and “vulnerable” new album. Watch our interview with Larsson above.Today sees Larsson release her cover of the Swedish pop giants’ 1981 track for the Spotify Singles series, just after the premiere of the band’s ambitious new ABBA Voyage show in London.Speaking to NME on the red carpet of the event, Larsson admitted being a little starstruck to have pop royalty nearby.“They were like, ‘Oh, can you believe the Swedish Royal Family is here?’ and I was like, ‘I know, ABBA are right there’,” she said.

ABBA premiered their highly-anticipated digital concert tour, ‘Voyage’ today (May 26). View official photos from the event below.The concert, which took place today (May 26) at ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, marked the first time in 36 years Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus were seen as a group together in public.Speaking to NME on the red carpet during the opening night of their ‘Voyage’ residency, Lyngstad told NME “It feels fantastic” to be at the premiere. “Really looking forward to seeing the show again.

Penny Lancaster caused heads to turn this evening as she took to the red carpet in a leopard-print mini dress and a pair of thigh-high black boots.The wife of rocker Rod Stewart, 51, dazzled as she attended the first performance of ABBA Voyage.Penny was all smiles as she struck a pose on the red carpet of the glitzy event, which marked 40 years since ABBA's last performance in the UK.The mother of two dazzled in a leopard-print mini dress which hugged her curves in all the right places.Penny cinched in her tiny waist with a black belt and accessorised with a black scarf tied fashionably around her neck.But it was her over-the-knee black boots which garnered the most attention as they added inches to the supermodel's height.Showcasing her long limbs, Penny grinned as she clasped her black and gold handbag close to her.She wore her blonde dresses in big curls which fell down her shoulders.The model appeared on the red carpet on her own and without her rock husband, Rod Stewart.

NME on the red carpet during the opening night of their ‘Voyage’ concert residency, ABBA told us what fans can expect after their digital tour. Watch our full video interview with the Swedish pop band above.The event, which took place today (May 26) at ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, marked the first time in 36 years Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus were seen as a group together in public.“It feels fantastic,” Lyngstad told NME when asked what it was like to be at the premiere.

Abba finally reunited in London in full for the first time in 40 years for the Abba Voyage red carpet on Thursday night.Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus smiled for cameras as they posed altogether ahead of kicking off their hotly anticipated hologram tour.The Swedish pop superstars were last together in the capital for an appearance on The Late Late Breakfast show hosted with Noel Edmonds in 1982.Speaking on the red carpet outside a purpose-built stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, Agnetha enthused: ‘It’s amazing to see all the English fans.’The group’s highly anticipated concert features younger ‘Abba-tars’ of the foursome performing songs from their back catalogue with a live 10-piece band.Benny admitted he expected himself to cry during the concert, saying: ‘Oh definitely, all the time.’Speaking about why she had enjoyed the project so much, Anni-Frid said: ‘I think the most exciting thing about this project was to come together as a group again after so many years not doing anything as a band together.’Abba was catapulted to worldwide success after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo when the event was held in Brighton in 1974.They have since sold more than 400 million albums and singles.The popular quartet parted ways after last performing together in 1982 following a successful 10-year stint.In 2018 they announced they had recorded new material and it arrived in November.Abba Voyage shows begin in London on Friday, May 27and are running until December 2022.It’s then expected that the show will hit the road, on a world tour lasting until the year 2026.The lengthy run is possible all thanks to ‘Abbatars’ – aka the four holograms which

ABBA‘s upcoming ‘Voyage’ digital tour have been shared.Fashion house designers, including Dolce & Gabbana, have worked on making outfits for the shows that will see avatar versions of ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson perform to fans as part of the “revolutionary” concerts.The tour opens at London’s brand new ABBA Arena on May 27, with the world premiere taking place the previous day (May 26).‘Voyage’ costume designer B. Åkerlund, who is best known for her work with the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, collaborated with leading designers and studios from the worlds of fashion and entertainment including Manish Arora, Erevos Aether and Michael Schmidt to create looks for the band.Concert producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson said in a statement: “Rather than recreating a ‘nostalgic’ 1970s look for ABBA Voyage, our vision, along with director Baillie Walsh, was to dress the band as the contemporary pop stars they are.

ABBA have previewed their upcoming ‘Voyage’ shows by sharing a series of official images – check them out below.The Swedish pop icons returned with their first album in 40 years, ‘Voyage’, last November and are due to host a string of “revolutionary” concerts at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from May 27.After sharing a dazzling first trailer for the production late last year, ABBA have now revealed four new photos – one for each “digital” member of the band: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.You can see the impressively lifelike avatars here:Last September, the ‘Voyage’ show producers spoke to NME about what to expect from what they described as a “magical space circus”.“It’s a concert on steroids, basically,” explained Ludwig Andersson. “However technically advanced these avatars are, this can never only be about technology.

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus has said that he thinks the legendary group’s comeback is an “immense risk”.The Swedish pop icons returned with their first album in 40 years, ‘Voyage’, last November and are due to present a string of “revolutionary” concerts at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from May 27.‘Voyage’ went Platinum within just the first month of its release, while ABBA also received their first-ever Grammy nomination; their single ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ was up for this year’s ‘Record Of The Year’ prize.Additionally, the long-awaited album reached Number One in the UK and became the fastest-selling vinyl of the century.Despite this success, Ulvaeus explained in a new interview with The Sunday Times that he does have some concerns about the group making a comeback after such a long absence from music.“It’s an immense risk and most people I talk to don’t appreciate that,” he said “They say, ‘Oh, it’ll be fine.’ Sometimes I wake up at four in the morning and think, ‘What the hell have we done?'”The upcoming ‘Voyage’ concerts will see a “digital” version of ABBA performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton and featuring Little Boots) at the new purpose-built 3,000-capacity venue called ABBA Arena.Last September, the event’s producers spoke to NME about what to expect from the “magical space circus” before the release of a dazzling official trailer.Ulvaeus told The Sunday Times that he expected other musicians to be watching closely. “Lots of artists are going to be studying us, definitely, he said.

Klaxons member James Righton has shared a new collaboration with ABBA‘s Benny Andersson – listen to ‘Empty Rooms’ below.The track is the latest preview of Righton’s new solo album, ‘Jim, I’m Still Here’, which was announced this month and will land on July 8 via Soulwax‘s label DEEWEE and made in collaboration with David and Stephen Dewaele.Righton met Andersson when putting together the live band for ABBA’s forthcoming Voyage live residency in London, which begins next month.“He’s never done anything like this before,” Righton said of Andersson’s contribution to the track. “I nervously sent him the track and a couple of days later he sent back this keyboard line which was perfect“’Empty Rooms’ is about silent conflicts,” he added.

ABBA have announced details of a new career-spanning box set which will celebrate their nine studio albums.The Swedish pop group returned in November with their ninth studio album ‘Voyage’, marking their first LP since 1981’s ‘The Visitors’.ABBA have now shared details of ‘The ABBA Album Box Set’, which will celebrate their nine studio albums to date and be completed by ‘ABBA Tracks’ – a special record featuring non-album singles such as ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ and ‘Fernando’.The collection, which is set for release on May 27 via POLAR/Universal Music, will be available in both 10xLP or 10xCD formats. Pre-order is available from here.A post shared by ABBA (@abba)The albums in the 10xLP box set will be pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl, while the 10xCD collection will be accompanied by a 40-page booklet featuring album information and classic photographs from throughout the group’s career.They’re are also set to release ‘ABBA’s Studio Album Picture Discs’, a strictly limited pair of LP bundles.The 8xLP collection features the the group’s original run of albums (from 1973-1981), while the 9xLP bundle includes 2021’s ‘Voyage’ in the collection.Pre-order is available here ahead of release on June 10.

Swedish House Mafia have sold their master recordings and publishing rights to Pophouse Entertainment.The Swedish trio have struck a deal with the Stockholm-based entertainment company, which was co-founded in 2014 by ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus, over the rights to their back catalogue for an undisclosed fee.The deal also includes a full acquisition of the masters and publishing of Axwell & Ingrosso, the duo formed by SHM’s Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso.SHM and Pophouse will now form “a joint venture… to develop and amplify the Swedish House Mafia brand worldwide”.”Swedish House Mafia is a ground-breaking trio that brought club music to stadiums around the world, and they continue to pave the way in contemporary electronic and dance music,” Pophouse said in a statement. “We are so excited to be partnering with them to tell that story for generations to come.“While our landmark agreement with them involves the acquisition of the recordings and publishing of their back catalogue, it is our first-of-its-kind joint venture with the band’s members that exemplifies the types of partnerships we are pursuing in our targeted expansion.”SHM added in a statement: “It feels great for us to partner up with a company like Pophouse that will do much more than simply acquire our creative work.

Abba star Björn Ulvaeus and his wife Lena have split after 41 years of marriage.The pair announced the news in a joint statement, explaining that they have remained close friends.‘After many fine and eventful years, we have decided to divorce,’ they said.‘We remain close and good friends and will continue to celebrate our grandchildren’s birthdays and other family celebrations together.’Björn, 76, and Lena first started dating after the star’s split from Agnetha Fältskog, who he married in 1971. Björn and Agnetha split eight years later, in 1979.The singer then met journalist Lena at a party thrown by Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.They later tied the knot in 1981 and share two children – Emma, 40, and Anna, 35.Björn also has two children from his marriage to Agnetha, Linda, 48, and Peter, 44.The star previously said about his wife: ‘We really fell in love with lightning.‘So strange that you are a bachelor for a week and then just fall there right away.’Last year, Abba reunited for their first album in 40 years.Abba Voyage had fans obsessed, and secured the band their first ever Grammy Award nomination.

ABBA star Björn Ulvaeus and his wife, Lena Kallersjo, have separated after 41 years of marriage.The former couple, who share two children, have parted ways but “remain good friends.”They released a joint statement confirming the news.They said: “After many fine and eventful years, we have decided to divorce.“We remain close and good friends and will continue to celebrate our grandchildren’s birthdays and other family celebrations together.”Björn shared daughters Emma, 40, and Anna, 35, with his second wife Lena.He also has two children - Linda, 48, and Peter, 44 - from his first marriage to bandmate Agnetha Fältskog, 71.

ABBA have settled their lawsuit against the UK tribute act ABBA MANIA, who they’d initially targeted last month for trademark infringement.In a suit filed on December 3, the Swedish icons described the cover band’s behaviour as “parasitic and bad-faith”, claiming that ABBA MANIA were intentionally misleading fans into believing they’re endorsed by the real group. It was said in the lawsuit that ABBA gave ABBA MANIA an opportunity to change their name, but ABBA MANIA refused.As reported by Billboard, the two groups have now reached a formal settlement.

ABBA’s new album, ‘Voyage’, has already gone Platinum.The album, which debuted at number one on album charts in 18 countries – including the UK – broke multiple chart records and sold over one million copies during its first week. To date, the album has already received over 275 million combined streams.The album has now earned Platinum status within just the first month of its release.Speaking on the early success of Voyage, the group said: “We are so happy that our fans seem to have enjoyed our new album as much as we enjoyed making it! We are absolutely over the moon to have an album at the top of the charts again”.Last week, ABBA released the video for their first-ever Christmas song, ‘Little Things’.

ABBA have sued the UK tribute act ABBA MANIA for trademark infringement.In a suit filed on Friday (December 3), the Swedish icons described the cover band’s behaviour as “parasitic and bad-faith”.

ABBA have released the video for their first-ever Christmas song, ‘Little Things’ – watch it below.Taken from the group’s new album, ‘Voyage’, the festive single is described as “a gentle reflection on the joy of Christmas morning and family time around this special time of year.”Speaking about the new track, all the proceeds of which are going to Unicef’s Global Child Protection Fund, ABBA said: “We think it is impossible to eradicate poverty without the empowerment of women.

ABBA have previewed the official video for their recent Christmas single, ‘Little Things’ – check out the post below.The festive track, which appears on the Swedish icons’ new album ‘Voyage’, will be available on a special CD from tomorrow (December 3). You can buy your copy from here.Taking to social media this morning (December 2), the group teased that “something special is coming” to mark the physical release.

Ian McKellen and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus have collaborated for a bizarre Christmas video.Shared on the McKellen’s Instagram page on Sunday (November 21), the video shows the pair knitting ABBA-branded Christmas jumpers surrounded by sewing material.As the camera pans out, the duo are shown to be sat under a massive ABBA banner, before the closing text reads: “Merry Christmas from ABBA and Ian McKellen.”McKellen captioned the clip: “The most exciting (mostly) silent clip you’ll see this season.”A post shared by Ian McKellen (@ianmckellen)Actor Pierce Brosnan replied to the post, writing: “Now that just makes me chuckle.”Another commenter wrote: “ABBA and Ian McKellen, together, knitting, was not my card for the 2021 holiday season.

ABBA have announced that their first Christmas single, ‘Little Things’, will arrive as a special CD release next month.The festive track, which appears on the Swedish icons’ new album ‘Voyage’, will be available physically from December 3.

Maneskin aren’t too bothered about Abba star Anni-Frid Lyngstad admitting she’s no longer a fan of Eurovision. The Italian rock band won the European song contest earlier this year with their hit single Zitti e buoni. Fronted by Damiano David, Maneskin have become one of the most popular Eurovision contestants in recent years, with their success extending beyond the competition and turning the band into bonafide rockers.However, Abba singer Anna-Frid recently said she feels the competition has changed since her legendary pop group were propelled to superstardom on Eurovision in 1974.Reacting to the singer’s comments, Damiano told Metro.co.uk at the MTV EMAs 2021 in Budapest, Hungary: ‘I think that everything changes with time so we have to