Latest news with #AnniFridLyngstad
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bjorn Ulvaeus uncertain if Abba Voyage will continue if bandmate dies
Abba member Björn Ulvaeus has said he doesn't know if the Abba Voyage virtual concerts will continue if one of his bandmates dies. The musician and composer, 80, became an international star alongside Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, Agnetha Faltskog, 75, and Benny Andersson, 78, after the group swept to victory as the first Swedish winners of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. Since May 2022, Abba Voyage has seen the band represented on stage by digital avatars, or 'Abbatars', performing all their classic hits such as 'Dancing Queen' and 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' alongside a live band at the purpose-built Abba Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. Asked on Times Radio if the concerts will continue after a band member has died, Ulvaeus replied: 'That's a question I've never had before… I honestly don't know, hadn't thought about that. 'It's good you raise that question – I'll talk to the others about that as we need to decide beforehand between us if it's OK for all four of us to go on after we're gone.' The 2022 opening night of Abba Voyage saw Fältskog, Ulvaeus, Andersson and Lyngstad make their first public appearance together in 14 years. Voyage was also the name of the band's first album in almost four decades, which they announced at the time with two comeback singles: 'I Still Have Faith in You' and 'Don't Shut Me Down'. The album broke the record for most pre-orders ever and topped the UK charts. In her five star review on the Abba Voyage concert, The Independent's Jessie Thompson wrote: 'The set-list is mostly crowd-pleasing: 'Dancing Queen', 'SOS' and 'Waterloo' are all here, with a restrained number of songs from the new album. The naff costumes have had a glow up from Dolce & Gabbana, and choreographer Wayne McGregor has helped to recreate the band's original moves, which are endearingly low-energy. 'Abba Voyage preserves their achievement as the world's greatest pop band forever, and fans will be able to take leave of their senses to the chorus of 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' for as long as they still want to.' You can buy Abba Voyage tickets from the production's official website, with availability dates currently showing until January 2026. Seated ticket prices start at £38.50, with standing entry access from £55.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bjorn Ulvaeus unsure if Abba Voyage will continue if a bandmate dies
Bjorn Ulvaeus said he does not know if the Abba Voyage virtual concerts will continue if one of his band members dies. Since opening in May 2022, more than three million people have seen the show that brings to life younger versions of the Abba members through digital 'Abba-tars' and a 10-piece live band in a purpose-built arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. The influential pop group, also made up of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Benny Andersson, were the first Swedish winners of the Eurovision Song Contest with their hit Waterloo in Brighton in 1974. Asked on Times Radio if the virtual concerts will continue if a member of Abba dies, Ulvaeus told the station: 'That's a question I've never had before… I honestly don't know, hadn't thought about that. 'It's good you raise that question – I'll talk to the others about that as we need to decide beforehand between us if it's OK for all four of us to go on after we're gone.' Faltskog and Ulvaeus married in 1971 before splitting almost a decade later, while Andersson and Lyngstad also married and divorced in 1981, a year before the band broke up. Abba had a string of chart-toppers including Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All and Mamma Mia! The group reunited and released their first new music in almost 40 years with Voyage, their ninth studio album, which topped the UK album charts. Their songs also inspired the musical Mamma Mia!, which began in London in 1999, and became a hit worldwide sensation. It spun off two movies, 2008's Mamma Mia! and 2018's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
ABBA Charts A New Hit Album As Several Huge Singles Debut
ABBA charts three albums and four singles on multiple U.K. rankings, with ABBA – The Singles ... More debuting on several tallies thanks to a special re-release. COPENHAGEN, DENMARK: Pop group Abba pose for a group shot, (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog (Agnetha Faltskog) (front) and Björn Ulvaeus (Bjorn Ulvaeus), in May 1975 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns) In the United Kingdom, it's not unusual for more than one project dedicated to ABBA's biggest singles to find space on the albums chart. While it's common for artists with older hits to keep a compilation on weekly rankings, earning several such titles charting at once is rare. Typically, one such collection of smash singles is enough, as the public continues to head to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music to hear the tunes it loves from a musical act. ABBA stands out in this regard. It's not uncommon for the Swedish pop band to secure multiple placements at once with decades-old albums and newer compilations, and this week, the musicians do it again as they score another charting win. ABBA – The Singles Debuts on Multiple Charts ABBA – The Singles debuts on two tallies in the U.K. The compilation opens at No. 48 on the Official Physical Albums chart and No. 59 on the Official Albums Sales roster. The group has now landed 22 placements on the ranking that looks only at physical products like CDs, cassettes, and vinyl, and 18 appearances on the general list of the top-selling titles in the country, including this latest arrival. ABBA's Gold Rises Again Gold: Greatest Hits — another one of ABBA's hugely successful compilations — joins ABBA – The Singles on the Official Albums Sales chart, while also finding space on several other tallies. Gold, one of the longest-running and longest-charting titles in U.K. history, rises to No. 13 on the Official Albums list. At the same time, it appears on both the Official Albums Streaming and Official Album Downloads rosters. ABBA's Trio of Charting Albums ABBA scores a third successful title as its 1975 third full-length, a self-titled affair, reenters a trio of tallies. ABBA breaks back onto the Official Vinyl Albums, Official Physical Albums, and Official Albums Sales charts at Nos. 22, 45, and 51, respectively, following a special vinyl re-release. ABBA's Multiple Hit Songs The Swedish superstars land a trio of popular albums in the U.K. at the moment, but even more hit songs. Four of the group's beloved singles, all from the band's self-titled album, debut across a variety of charts after being re-released on vinyl alongside the full-length itself. 'Mamma Mia,' 'So Long,' 'SOS,' and 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' all appear on a trio of tallies and even manage to start inside the top 10 on most of them.
