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Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Abba legend Bjorn teases secret new band project after Voyage success
Turning 80 may slow most people down, but not Bjorn Ulvaeus - as he speaks to the Mirror about ABBA'S new project, while also toasting the continued success of the ABBA Voyage Not many people are seen as innovators when they hit 80. Fewer still can claim the title of musical genius - at any age. But, after helping his band sell more than 400 million records, as he celebrates the third anniversary of the ground breaking ABBA Voyage avatar show, 80-year-old Bjorn Ulvaeus is still seen as both. For this irrepressible man, becoming an octogenarian simply means gathering more wisdom and experience. Excitedly hinting at a new, secret ABBA project, Bjorn tells The Mirror: 'There will be something. It is just not crystalised yet exactly what that is. Something new. Yes, I am 80 - but I wake up curious every morning." Bjorn spoke frankly about his life in music as two of his bandmates, Benny Andersson, 78, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, joined him in the UK to toast the continued success of ABBA Voyage, which has contributed more than £1billion to the UK economy since opening in May, 2022. More than two million fans have enjoyed the 90-minute shows at the immersive ABBA Arena, which features the group - including Agnetha Faltskog, 75 - as lifelike holographic images, churning out hits including Waterloo, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Take A Chance on Me. And, like their 1976 smash hit Money, Money, Money, it is an absolute goldmine. More thrilled by its creative success, Bjorn says: "When I first went to Voyage I saw myself as a young man on stage. But the strangest thing is how emotional it is. "It is amazing how people so quickly forget that they are looking at screens. I was amazed and we had no idea that it would happen. It is almost a spiritual feeling. There is something strange in the room which is amazing.' The digital avatar show is produced by Pophouse Entertainment, a music investment firm and production company founded by Bjorn and Swedish billionaire businessman Conni Jonsson. The company is currently looking to use the same cutting edge Voyage technology to bring other avatar shows to life, including the work of US singer Cyndi Lauper and the flamboyant American rockers Kiss. And Bjorn, who is close friends with Sir Elton John, says other musical avatar extravaganzas are on the horizon. He says: "I like to work. Working is fun. Our company Pophouse Entertainment has happened out of curiosity and wanting to try new things. "I like to create new things like the avatars. The ABBA-tars. It was like a playground and to be able to help other people. I see Pophouse as a creative hub with fun attached to it, so you can do fun things. 'We are working with Cyndi Lauper, she has a very diverse catalogue. We are also working with Kiss. We believe it could be a very interesting avatar experience in the trans Marvel universe. "They wanted cartoons and now they have ascended into the digital world. So that is very exciting for what they stand for. Cyndi is something completely different. "There are lots of things we could do, too. We could work on documentaries, but there is so much else to do like the gaming world - and who knows what happens around the corner? We are at the forefront. I am so grateful." Rumours are already circulating that David Bowie could be brought back to life as an avatar and that The Rolling Stones could soon be launching their own avatar shows. But Bjorn won't name any more names. He says: 'It is very exciting. We are looking for a story to tell. We have not seen anything it is coming. Our show Mamma Mia at the O2 in London took four or five years and Voyage the same, to opening night. These things take time. I want to help people's legacies." Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their breakout hit Waterloo, ABBA have won countless awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2010. Bjorn says the secret to the Swedish sensations' success is having great songs. 'What advice can I give younger artists other than to write better songs?' he says. 'It is still true. This industry starts with a song. "Whatever it is, it is a song that does it. I say just write a song and record it. If it is good enough then it will work. But you have to be prepared to have people say no to you 10 times, then one will say yes. You have to be prepared to wait and not lose hope. I remember rejection." Growing up in Gothenburg, Sweden, Bjorn says it was The Beatles who inspired him to write, but admits he was always jealous of natural storytellers like The Bee Gees. He says: "I used to listen to The Beatles and that is the reason why Benny and I started writing. Before then, the song writing had been very anonymous, like the people behind Elvis Presley. "The Beatles were a big inspiration and The Beach Boys as well. But during the 1970s I used to envy people who could write commercial pop lyrics like The Bee Gees. I could not write commercial lyrics. Whatever you are doing you have to tell the story." Today, Bjorn says not enough emphasis is put on crafting a song which can go on and help sustain a career for generations. He says: "Once we won Eurovision we could say no to things. During that process we learned. We only wrote like 14 songs a year. "People now say they have written 200 songs a year, but I don't think they have. I would keep 10%. We could go for weeks writing full time and had very little to show for it. "We would spend a long time in the studio and there is a very special satisfaction when you can listen to something and you think 'Yeah, this is just how it should be' It happened many times with ABBA. That is very special. A lot of people walk away thinking it is good enough but it is not. You have to add a few more inches." Bjorn's current project is a secret musical he is writing with the help of AI, which he says helps him to come up with ideas when he gets stuck. And although working with the International Confederation of Songwriters and Composers, which seeks to protect songwriters from having their works copied by AI technology, Bjorn says AI is a tool that should be embraced for the future. He says: "Pop music has always been very tech driven. I remember when Benny and I started writing together, we always wanted the latest thing. You would hear a sound and ask how that was done. "Benny had the first Mini Moog, which was the first synth. When we built our own studio we had digital machines. Tech and music go hand in hand and that is how it continues.' Laughing at how working with AI is faster than writing with human beings like his co-writer Benny, he adds: "It is quicker writing with a machine, as you get an instant reply and it does exactly what you tell it. "AI is fantastic and such a great tool. It can give you ideas to go in various different directions. "There are songwriters using it all around the world as we speak. 'The music industry will come to some sort of agreement with the tech industry to work together, as these AI bots would not exist without the song that we wrote." But Bjorn believes AI should not be feared, as when it comes to writing ABBA hits, he says: "When you prompt AI with ABBA it says 'No, it can't do that.' There is a misconception that AI can write a whole song. It is lousy at that. Thank God it is very bad at lyrics as well, but it can give you ideas.' So, ABBA looks set to be made-up of human members, merely enhanced by innovative technology, for the foreseeable future. Looking back on his extensive back catalogue, he merely smiles and says: "What is the key to longevity? You have to have that curiosity that I talked about and something that drives you. "Once you are a songwriter and have an experience of what it is like and see how people react to something you have written, that never goes away. 'I think you can do that your whole life. I enjoy it just as much today as I did before."
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
ABBA legend reveals new offering from Swedish supergroup after £1bn 'gift' to UK
AS Bjorn Ulvaues turns 80 and celebrates the third anniversary of smash hit ABBA Voyage, he reveals new surprise Not many people are seen as innovators when they hit 80. Fewer still can claim the title of musical genius - at any age. But, after helping his band sell more than 400 million records, as he celebrates the third anniversary of the groundbreaking ABBA Voyage avatar show, 80-year-old Bjorn Ulvaeus is still seen as both. For this irrepressible man, becoming an octogenarian simply means gathering more wisdom and experience. Excitedly hinting at a new, secret ABBA project, Bjorn tells The Mirror: 'There will be something. It is just not crystalised yet exactly what that is. Something new. Yes, I am 80 - but I wake up curious every morning." Bjorn spoke frankly about his life in music as two of his bandmates, Benny Andersson, 78, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, joined him in the UK to toast the continued success of ABBA Voyage, which has contributed more than £1billion to the UK economy since opening in May, 2022. More than two million fans have enjoyed the 90-minute shows at the immersive ABBA Arena, which features the group - including Agnetha Faltskog, 75 - as lifelike holographic images, churning out hits including Waterloo, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Take A Chance on Me. And, like their 1976 smash hit Money, Money, Money, it is an absolute goldmine. More thrilled by its creative success, Bjorn says: "When I first went to Voyage I saw myself as a young man on stage. But the strangest thing is how emotional it is. "It is amazing how people so quickly forget that they are looking at screens. I was amazed and we had no idea that it would happen. It is almost a spiritual feeling. There is something strange in the room which is amazing.' The digital avatar show is produced by Pophouse Entertainment, a music investment firm and production company founded by Bjorn and Swedish billionaire businessman Conni Jonsson. The company is currently looking to use the same cutting edge Voyage technology to bring other avatar shows to life, including the work of US singer Cyndi Lauper and the flamboyant American rockers Kiss. And Bjorn, who is close friends with Sir Elton John, says other musical avatar extravaganzas are on the horizon. He says: "I like to work. Working is fun. Our company Pophouse Entertainment has happened out of curiosity and wanting to try new things. "I like to create new things like the avatars. The ABBA-tars. It was like a playground and to be able to help other people. I see Pophouse as a creative hub with fun attached to it, so you can do fun things. 'We are working with Cyndi Lauper, she has a very diverse catalogue. We are also working with Kiss. We believe it could be a very interesting avatar experience in the trans Marvel universe. "They wanted cartoons and now they have ascended into the digital world. So that is very exciting for what they stand for. Cyndi is something completely different. "There are lots of things we could do, too. We could work on documentaries, but there is so much else to do like the gaming world - and who knows what happens around the corner? We are at the forefront. I am so grateful." Rumours are already circulating that David Bowie could be brought back to life as an avatar and that The Rolling Stones could soon be launching their own avatar shows. But Bjorn won't name any more names. He says: 'It is very exciting. We are looking for a story to tell. We have not seen anything it is coming. Our show Mamma Mia at the O2 in London took four or five years and Voyage the same, to opening night. These things take time. I want to help people's legacies." Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their breakout hit Waterloo, ABBA have won countless awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2010. Bjorn says the secret to the Swedish sensations' success is having great songs. 'What advice can I give younger artists other than to write better songs?' he says. 'It is still true. This industry starts with a song. "Whatever it is, it is a song that does it. I say just write a song and record it. If it is good enough then it will work. But you have to be prepared to have people say no to you 10 times, then one will say yes. You have to be prepared to wait and not lose hope. I remember rejection." Growing up in Gothenburg, Sweden, Bjorn says it was The Beatles who inspired him to write, but admits he was always jealous of natural storytellers like The Bee Gees. He says: "I used to listen to The Beatles and that is the reason why Benny and I started writing. Before then, the song writing had been very anonymous, like the people behind Elvis Presley. "The Beatles were a big inspiration and The Beach Boys as well. But during the 1970s I used to envy people who could write commercial pop lyrics like The Bee Gees. I could not write commercial lyrics. Whatever you are doing you have to tell the story." Today, Bjorn says not enough emphasis is put on crafting a song which can go on and help sustain a career for generations. He says: "Once we won Eurovision we could say no to things. During that process we learned. We only wrote like 14 songs a year. "People now say they have written 200 songs a year, but I don't think they have. I would keep 10%. We could go for weeks writing full time and had very little to show for it. "We would spend a long time in the studio and there is a very special satisfaction when you can listen to something and you think 'Yeah, this is just how it should be' It happened many times with ABBA. That is very special. A lot of people walk away thinking it is good enough but it is not. You have to add a few more inches." Bjorn's current project is a secret musical he is writing with the help of AI, which he says helps him to come up with ideas when he gets stuck. And although working with the International Confederation of Songwriters and Composers, which seeks to protect songwriters from having their works copied by AI technology, Bjorn says AI is a tool that should be embraced for the future. He says: "Pop music has always been very tech driven. I remember when Benny and I started writing together, we always wanted the latest thing. You would hear a sound and ask how that was done. "Benny had the first Mini Moog, which was the first synth. When we built our own studio we had digital machines. Tech and music go hand in hand and that is how it continues.' Laughing at how working with AI is faster than writing with human beings like his co-writer Benny, he adds: "It is quicker writing with a machine, as you get an instant reply and it does exactly what you tell it. "AI is fantastic and such a great tool. It can give you ideas to go in various different directions. "There are songwriters using it all around the world as we speak. 'The music industry will come to some sort of agreement with the tech industry to work together, as these AI bots would not exist without the song that we wrote." But Bjorn believes AI should not be feared, as when it comes to writing ABBA hits, he says: "When you prompt AI with ABBA it says 'No, it can't do that.' There is a misconception that AI can write a whole song. It is lousy at that. Thank God it is very bad at lyrics as well, but it can give you ideas.' So, ABBA looks set to be made-up of human members, merely enhanced by innovative technology, for the foreseeable future. Looking back on his extensive back catalogue, he merely smiles and says: "What is the key to longevity? You have to have that curiosity that I talked about and something that drives you. "Once you are a songwriter and have an experience of what it is like and see how people react to something you have written, that never goes away. 'I think you can do that your whole life. I enjoy it just as much today as I did before."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus on Writing a Musical Assisted by AI and Those Kiss Avatars: SXSW London
Björn Ulvaeus, the Swedish ABBA singer, as well as songwriter, music producer and co-founder of Pophouse Entertainment, may be 80 years old, but he continues to be excited to create and tell stories through music and beyond. That was one of the key messages of his appearance during a Wednesday 'The Future of Entertainment' session at the first-ever SXSW London, which drew a huge crowd to the hip East London neighborhood of Shoreditch. In a wide-ranging discussion, he addressed writing a musical with the help of artificial intelligence, the London hit show featuring ABBA avatars and why his company is betting on Kiss to have success with a similar show. More from The Hollywood Reporter Banijay Has No Immediate Plans to Buy ITV Studios as CEO Talks Consolidation at SXSW London Letitia Wright on Overcoming Impostor Syndrome for Directorial Debut, Ryan Coogler Prophecy Death of "Grassroots" Live, Electronic Music Venues Gets U.K. Parliament Review: SXSW London 'Right now, I'm writing a musical assisted by AI,' the hitmaker shared on stage. While not sharing much detail on the project, he mentioned that it is a collaboration with a female creative partner and that he was about three-quarters through his work. So what is his experience creating music with AI? 'It is such a great tool,' he told the SXSW London audience. 'It's unimaginable that you can bounce back and forth with a machine, or a software, which can give you ideas to go in various different directions.' But Ulvaeus also made one thing clear: 'A misconception is that AI can write a whole song. It's lousy at that — very bad. And thank God! It's very bad at lyrics as well. But it can give you ideas.' He shared an example to illustrate a point. 'You have written a lyric about something, and you're stuck maybe, and you want this song to be in a certain style. So you can prompt the lyric and the style you want, asking, 'Where would you go from here?'' he explained. 'And it usually comes up with garbage, but sometimes there is something in it that gives you another idea. That's how it works. It's like having another songwriter in the room with huge reference frames. It is really an extension of your mind.' Speaking of songwriting partners, Guardian music writer and on-stage interviewer Laura Barton asked Ulvaeus how AI compares to collaborating with ABBA partner Benny Andersson. 'It's quicker and does exactly what you tell it,' he responded to laughter. 'But it's not the same thing as having a songwriting partner.' More laughs ensued when Barton asked if Ulvaeus has ever asked AI programs to write ABBA lyrics. 'It says, 'No, we can't do that,'' he replied. But he shared that he and Andersson haven't only produced hits. 'There was a period when Benny and I didn't quite know what garbage was,' he quipped. 'There's proof of that. People don't listen to that.' The ABBA star currently serves as the president of CISAC – the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers. So he also had business insight to share on how the AI and music sectors should collaborate. 'The AI music generators train on copyrighted material. They train on all the world's music. And for that, we feel that they should be paying something towards the songwriters and the artists and all those who actually created what they need to be able to create their AI models,' he emphasized. 'I think it's slowly happening. There's a debate going on in the music and the tech industries about how that remuneration might happen. Also, the U.K. government is supposed to take decisions about how to regulate, how to look at AI and so is the European Union.' He then suggested that a likely model to follow with AI is that of streaming deals. 'I think the model that is closest is the model that we have in streaming services where they have you subscribe, and part of the subscription goes back to the music industry, and that's what happens with Spotify, Amazon and all the others,' he said. 'That one might be the one that applies to this as well, but AI is something completely different, so we don't know.' Ulvaeus co-founded Pophouse in 2014 together with EQT founder Conni Jonsson. The company acquires and develops entertainment brands within music, podcast and gaming. In 2022, it also began a push into music catalogue investments. On Wednesday, he highlighted that this has allowed him to work with music from such names as Avicii, Cyndi Lauper and Kiss. In 2021, ABBA unveiled their comeback with the release of the album Voyage and the virtual stage show ABBA Voyage in London, ticket sales for which topped the 2 million mark in its first 19 months. Ulvaeus discussed the success of the offering and how other musical acts will benefit from similar shows. 'Kiss, we believe, could be a very interesting avatar experience in the kind of Marvel universe' in the digital age, he said. Indeed, Pophouse unveiled at the end of 2023 that 'Kiss, the legendary rock band known for electrifying live performances over a 50-year career and sales of more than 100 million records worldwide, is marking the end of its physical existence by crossing into the digital world. The new Kiss avatar shows will be the second immersive, avatar-powered music concert project that Pophouse Entertainment is involved in — following the success of the ABBA Voyage show in London, where Pophouse is the lead investor.' In Wednesday's conversation, Ulvaeus also discussed his continued appreciation of popular music, sharing that he currently enjoys Lola Young's 'Messy,' from which he intoned a line of the chorus, and how artists can future-proof their legacies in a rapidly changing landscape, including AI, immersive experiences and touring. SXSW London runs through June 7. Penske Media, the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter, is the majority stakeholder of SXSW. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
