ABBA Is Back: Group Announces First New Album In 40 Years And Concert Event

Sep 06, 2021 by apost team

ABBA, the famous Swedish pop group that was first formed in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden, was a cultural phenomenon of their time and for the decades since they burst onto the international stage. Made up of two men and two women, who happened to be couples, the group achieved international stardom and topped the charts from 1974 to 1983 around the world. The members of ABBA were Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who was more commonly known by the nickname Frida. 

To date, ABBA has sold 385 million albums and singles worldwide, which makes them one of the top-selling artists in history. And while the band didn't announce that they were officially breaking up, they ended up going on an indefinite hiatus that saw them begin to focus on solo projects. In the end, they never reunited — that is, until a few years ago when the stirrings of a possible reunion were once again sparked. 

Back in 2016, the quartet was reunited when they all attended a party for "Mamma Mia!" in Stockholm. Later that year, they played together at a private party, before a manager announced that they would be reuniting finally on a "new entertainment experience." Then in 2018, the group announced they'd recorded two new songs together. After delays due to the pandemic, the band was able to continue recording together in 2020.

Finally, in late August, a website for ABBA Voyage was released, preparing fans for a big announcement on Sep. 2, 2021. When the news was revealed, it became clear that not only was the band reuniting, they would be releasing their first album together in 40 years, titled "Voyage." What's more, they'll be performing in an innovative new digital concert event. Let's take a look at the major news!

Posted to the official ABBA Twitter account, the official announcement mentions the brand new album "Voyage" and a "revolutionary concert." While two of the new songs — "I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down" — were released alongside the announcement, the rest of the album will be available on Nov. 5.

The news is huge in any case, but the fact that they're releasing completely new material and that it's their first album in 40 years makes it all the more special. ABBA's last studio album was 1981's "The Visitors," while they unofficially disbanded at the end of 1982. Naturally, fans have been incredibly excited since the news came to light. In a statement, as reported by Yahoo, the four band members said:

“It’s been a while since we made music together. We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we’ve decided it’s time to end it.”

If the massive news wasn't enough to bring back nostalgia, the video that the band has released for "I Still Have Faith In You" features old pictures and video footage of the group in their younger years.

The concert event that ABBA announced at the same time will be a residency at the so-called ABBA Arena in London, which has a capacity of 3,000. The band will embark on the Voyage Tour, while "ABBAtars" — digital holograms of the four band members — will be accompanied by a live 10-piece band. ABBA's website explains:

“Blurring the lines between the physical and digital, see the magic of ABBA brought to life using the latest in motion capture technology."

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ABBA took the world by storm after their winning turn on Eurovision in 1974, after which they pumped out hit after hit including such songs as "Mamma Mia," "Dancing Queen," "Money, Money, Money," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and many more. 

They toured the world and Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog even started a family together as ABBA's success soared. But just as relationships end in real life, so did both of theirs around 1980. However, as the true artists that they were, they didn't let their personal differences come between their professional relationships. In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Ulvaeus explained why the band didn't split up in the wake of their relationships ending:

“We felt like we had something so valuable in the group that, even though it was difficult, we didn’t want to break that up. And to prove it, we did some of our best stuff after that.”

Incredibly, it seems that even after 40 years the foursome still has a great connection. In a recent statement they revealed:

“We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. And it was like time had stood still and we had only been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!”

To see ABBA reunited feels pretty miraculous, even if those four decades might have gone by quickly for some. In a tweet, the band made mention of the long journey it took to get here today, writing:

“Thank you for waiting, the journey is about to begin.”

Are you a fan of ABBA? Will you be interested to hear how their new music sounds? Pass this on to any ABBA fans in your life so they can learn of the great news too!