Biography
The Swedish quartet ABBA soared to the top of the charts in English-speaking countries in the mid-70s of the last century and remained at the top of their fame for ten years.
ABBA Group
This is the most successful Scandinavian music project and one of the most famous in the world. ABBA's songs are still heard on the radio, and albums continue to be bought up by fans.
Agnetha Fältskog
The 69-year-old “blonde” of the group was the wife of Bjorn Ulvaeus. Together they raised two children, but on the eve of Christmas 1978 they decided to separate. Agneta found it difficult to constantly travel, immerse herself in the world of music and be separated from her children. Despite this, the breakup of the group in 1982 caused her depression, for which the young woman was treated for a long time.
For some time she performed solo, released several albums, but then withdrew from public life. She was married to surgeon Thomas Sonnenfeld for 4 years; after her second divorce, she lives on the island of Helgo in her own estate. Her joy is her grandchildren, with whom Agnetha spends most of her time.
History of creation and composition
The group consisted of two guys and two girls, and from the capital letters of the names of the participants, the name of the group was obtained. The young people made up two couples: Agnetha Fältskog was married to Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad were in a civil union for the first time and formalized the relationship only in 1978.
Agnetha Fältskog
When discussing the name of the musical group, the options “BABA” and “Alibaba” were proposed. In 1976, the second letter was reversed, creating the corporate logo. Interestingly, it was also the name of a Swedish seafood processing company, so we had to ask permission from entrepreneurs to use the brand. Over all the years of ABBA's existence, the composition of the group has not changed.
Agnetha Fältskog was born on April 5, 1950, and began her singing career at the age of 13. At 15, Agneta was a soloist in the Bengt Engharts Orchestra, and at 17 she wrote the song Jag var så kär (I Was So in Love), which became a hit in Sweden. For her creativity, the girl chose the genre of pop music. Self-written hits ensured the singer's popularity at home and abroad. Agneta collaborated with German producer Dieter Zimmermann, performing songs in German.
Bjorn Ulvaeus
Bjorn Ulvaeus was born on April 25, 1945. At the age of 12, the teenager, together with his cousin Jon Ulfsäter and bass guitarist Tony Root, organized a musical group. He experimented with styles and took part in competitions. From 1964 to 1974 he performed as a member of the Hootenanny Singers, who recorded 16 albums during this time.
Benny Andersson was born on December 16, 1946, and first appeared on stage at the age of 8 with his father and grandfather playing accordions. At the age of 18, Benny joined Hep Stars as a keyboard player, the most popular rock band in Sweden.
Benny Andersson
Andersson's first song, No Response, written in the fall of 1965, became popular. The following spring, the second song Sunny Girl topped the Swedish charts.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad was born on November 15, 1945, and was orphaned at an early age. She began performing as a danceband pop singer at the age of 13. Together with a jazz group, she performed cover versions of songs by such artists as Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. At the age of 18, she created her own group, named Anni-Frid Four in her honor.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Young people, passionate about music, met in the late 60s. First, the male part of the quartet sang (in both senses). Soon the duo Björn & Benny were joined by their friends. Bjorn and Agnetha got married, and Benny and Anni-Frid lived together. Stig Anderson, who became the director of ABBA, played a major role in the formation of the team.
Music
The first song the duo wrote for worldwide fame took third place at the Swedish Melodifestivalen (Eurovision qualifying competition) in 1972. The single People Need Love was released under the authorship of Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid, rose to 17th place in the Swedish charts and became famous in the USA. Not giving up the idea of getting to Eurovision, the group, directed by Stig Anderson, translates the lyrics of the song Ring Ring into English.
The legendary ABBA
This attempt again gave only third place at Melodifestivalen. Another attempt in 1974 brought success. Waterloo, written under the influence of English glam rock, won Eurovision, became a hit number 1 in the UK, and reached number six on the American Billboard Hot 100. Inspired by the success, the winners went on tour in Europe, but were coldly received by the public. A distinctive feature of the ABBA group was the creation of a staged video for each single created.
"ABBA" at Eurovision-74
Only in their native Scandinavia did artists gather crowds of fans even at open-air concerts. In January 1976, the song Mamma Mia topped the English charts, and SOS topped the American charts. Individual singles become more successful than albums in the United States, so in 1975 ABBA collected the six most popular songs under one Greatest Hits cover.
This album included the composition Fernando, which took first positions in the English-speaking countries of three continents, which in popularity was second only to the song Dancing Queen, included in the Arrival album. In 1977, the musicians who had become superstars again made a concert tour of Europe, continuing their touring performances in Australia. ABBA music video director Lasse Hallström made the film ABBA: The Movie about his stay on the Australian continent.
"ABBA" - "Fernando"
The film was so popular at the worldwide box office that even Soviet viewers got the opportunity to see it, but only in 1981. In 1978-1979 the group was at the peak of its popularity. The team is investing in equipment at the Polar Music recording studio in Stockholm and working on new albums and touring North America.
In 1980, ABBA members, despite the excellent reception in Japan, realized that it was impossible to constantly maintain a monotonous sound. The album Super Trouper, whose most famous songs were The Winner Takes It All and Happy New Year, uses more synthesizers, and the lyrics have become more lyrical. At this time, Bjorn and Agnetha decided to separate, which was reflected in their work.
"ABBA" - "Happy New Year"
The same year, the collection Gracias Por La Música was released - hits translated into Spanish. Since 1981, the quartet's activities began to decline. There was a discord within each couple, which also affected their joint creativity. The artists assured fans that changes in their personal lives would not affect the group’s activities, but they failed to maintain good relations within the group.
At the time of the group's collapse, the discography of the musical group consisted of 8 albums. Since 1982, the girls each began their own solo careers, and the men began composing songs for musicals. The musical “Mamma Mia!”, created on the basis of 22 songs by the group, was made into a film of the same name.
"ABBA" - "Mamma Mia"
The premiere of the film brought together the legendary four in Stockholm in 2008, but even the million-dollar fees offered by eminent impresarios did not entice the aging musicians to resume concert activities. The band members have not officially announced their disbandment, but they no longer play together, and the four of them simply appear in public extremely rarely.
ABBA now
In 2020, the only concert of the reunited group took place in honor of the 50th anniversary of the year the musical group was created. The ensemble members have been counting since the moment Bjorn and Benny met. The ceremony took place in the capital of Sweden.
ABBA concert - 50th anniversary
At the same time, the musicians began preparing for a tour of their own holograms. Together with programmers and designers, the artists plan to prepare the show for 2020 and send their avatars on tour. In 2020, the quartet members recorded a song, which received the working title “I Still Have Faith In You.”
“A real group of musicians will take the stage to play. There will be concert lights, sound and everything else. The only ones who won’t be there “live” are us, but we’ll be there anyway!”
– Benny Anderson said in an interview with Swedish television SVT.
Agnetha: life after ABBA
After the breakup of the group, Agneta Fältskog released solo discs for five years, after which she remained silent for almost 10 years. In 1996, the singer returned to show business, Agneta presented a book of memoirs, a collection of her best songs, and in the new century she released the albums “My Coloring Book” and “A”. At the initiative of the BBC television channel, a documentary film “Agnetha: ABBA and Beyond ...” was created, dedicated to the biography of the singer. Agneta now lives a quiet life on the Ekerö estate near Stockholm, surrounded by her grandchildren, dogs and horses. Her hobbies include yoga and astrology.
Agnetha Fältskog today
Anni-Frid bears the title of Dowager Princess of Reuss von Plauen, lives in the Alpine village of Zermatt, is friends with the Swedish royal family, and is involved in charity work related to the protection of nature. For several years after the end of the group’s creative activity, the group released solo discs, but the personal tragedy experienced in the late 90s influenced the singer’s worldview. In 1998, Anni-Frid's daughter from her first marriage died in a car accident, and a year later her husband died of cancer.
Benny and Anni-Frid
But Bjorn and Benny continue to play music professionally. They own a production center. Over time, both musicians joined the ranks of the richest representatives of show business in Sweden. They are currently working on an English-language production of the musical Chess, which is planned to be shown in the US and UK. Benny also leads a musical group that bears his name - the Benny Andersson Orchestra. Over time, Benny has established himself as a composer and arranger, whose songs become hits. His hits are known not only in Europe and the USA, but also appear on the charts in Asian countries. Among the musician’s popular tracks is the anthem of the 1992 European Football Championship.
Bjorn and Benny
You can touch the history of ABBA in the American Rock and Roll Hall and Museum of Fame, located in Cleveland, or in the Swedish ABBA Museum (Abbamuseet) in Stockholm. The museum, like the band itself, has an official page on Instagram, where photographs of exhibits and videos of musicians in their prime, as well as the latest news about the lives of musicians appear.
The music of the ABBA group continues to be heard on many stages around the world. Popular hits were used during the Fan Fest festival dedicated to the World Cup in Russian cities.
Cher - ABBA cover versions
In 2020, the famous American singer Cher released an album of her own cover versions of ABBA songs. The idea of creating such a disc was inspired by the artist’s experience of participating in the film version of the musical “Mamma Mia!” 2,” where she played the role of Meryl Streep’s heroine’s mother and sang the hit Fernando. The film will start in Russia in August 2020.
Benny Andersson
The composer still writes music, makes arrangements and is surprised by the popularity of ABBA that has survived its time. They performed together with Bjorn for a while, but then Benny admitted that they were missing “their girls.” The group united for a while only in 2016 to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Before Frida, Benny already had a family and two children. After breaking up with the soloist, he married Mona Norklit, a TV presenter, for the third time, with whom he is raising his son Ludwig. Today Benny is already 72 years old. But we still remember everyone young.
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