Latest news with #BjörnUlvaeus
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
This '70s pop band has won over Gen Z (again) with 1 billion Spotify streams.
It's not 1979, but ABBA is bewitching a whole new generation with its disco magic. The iconic Swedish pop group, beloved for its infectious blend of Europop and danceable grooves, has made Spotify history with its late-'70s hit "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)." The song, cowritten and coproduced by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, entered Spotify's Billions Club on Sunday, July 20, after surpassing one billion streams on the music platform, Spotify exclusively confirmed to USA TODAY. This isn't the first time ABBA has dominated the streaming universe with its timeless tunes. The band's enduring anthem, "Dancing Queen," entered the Billions Club in July 2023. Released in October 1979 as part of the group's compilation album "Greatest Hits Vol. 2," "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" peaked at No. 1 in several territories, including Europe, Denmark, Japan and Switzerland, and cracked the top 20 in ABBA's native Sweden. The song has received a number of revivals over the years thanks to various covers and samples. '80s diva and "Queen of Pop" Madonna featured the track's opening synth line in her 2005 song "Hung Up," which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. ABBA book revelations: AC/DC connection, the unlikely inspiration for 'Mamma Mia!', more Additionally, the 2008 film "Mamma Mia!" — a musical based on ABBA's hits-heavy catalog — included a version sung by stars Amanda Seyfried, Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall. More recently, "Gimme!" has enjoyed a digital resurgence with Gen Z, as seen on the social media platform TikTok. Several clips show young fans embracing the song's disco sound with lively, choreographed routines. (dc: ??) am I too late for this trend?😆🪩 #fyp #xyzbca ABBA racks up Gen Z fans by the millions on Spotify ABBA's streaming dominance is in part due to the group's sizable Gen Z audience. Globally, Gen Zers have accounted for 50% of ABBA's total streams on Spotify in 2025, according to the streaming service. Additionally, there have been over 11 million ABBA discoveries by Gen Z listeners on Spotify, which makes up half of the band's discoveries from all users worldwide. See the photos: A 'very emotional' ABBA reunites to receive Swedish royal honors The top 10 most-streamed ABBA tracks among Gen Z listeners in 2025 are as follows:
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.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus reveals heartbreaking update on the future of Voyage
Abba 's Björn Ulvaeus has shared his uncertainty on whether the holographic Voyage concerts would continue after one band member dies. The iconic band, whose international fame was solidified by their victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo, is composed of Björn, Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Their seventies heyday has been reimagined by a long-running show where fans can watch ABBA's avatars in a custom-built arena. ABBA Voyage is a virtual concert experience in London where digital avatars of the Swedish pop group ABBA perform their greatest hits. However, the singer has now cast doubt over the future of the first of its kind concert, as he confessed to the Radio Times that the four of them need to decide prior to their deaths if they would continue the shows. Björn told Jane Mulkerrins for her new Sunday morning programme, '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 iconic band, whose international fame was solidified by their victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo, is composed of Björn (bottom right), Agnetha Fältskog (top right), Benny Andersson (top left) , and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (bottom left) ABBA was formed in 1972 and released eight albums between 1973 and 1981. They are considered one of the best-selling groups in history, with estimate album sales between 150 million and 385 million records worldwide. The group had been disbanded since 1982 but their music still lived on in the intervening years. The compilation album ABBA Gold was a worldwide best seller, and their music was adapted into the hit musical Mamma Mia in 1999, which was then adapted into two feature films - 2008's Mamma Mia and 2018's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The group reunited in 2016 and started working on this virtual concert, which used motion-capture technology from George Lucas' visual effects house Industrial Light and Magic to create 'ABBA-tars' of the group, as they would have looked in 1979. The group members all performed for several hours in front of 160 motion cameras to get the motion-capture look just right, with over 1 billion computing hours from ILM. ABBA also started recording new music in 2018, which resulted in their first new studio album in 40 years - Voyage - also said to be the band's final album, which has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. The Voyage virtual concert opened May 27 at a custom venue in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, earning rave reviews from fans, critics and even ABBA members themselves. The show avatars, created using motion capture technology, appear on stage alongside a live 10-piece band. The concert is housed in a custom-built arena called the ABBA Arena. The 90-minute concert includes such hits as Mamma Mia, The Winner Takes It All and Voulez-Vous. The Abba experience has backed more than 5,000 jobs in London, including people employed at the venue as well as those in other sectors.
RTÉ News
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
ABBA 'need to decide' if Voyage show will go on posthumously
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus has said he does not know if the ABBA Voyage virtual concerts in London will continue if one of the quartet 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". They are backed by 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 Fältskog, 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." Fältskog and Ulvaeus married in 1971 before splitting almost a decade later. Andersson and Lyngstad married in 1978 and divorced in 1981, a year before the group 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!. , their ninth studio album. Their songs also inspired the musical Mamma Mia!, which began in London in 1999 and became a worldwide sensation. Two spin-off movies, 2008's Mamma Mia! and 2018's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, followed the musical's success.
Daily Mirror
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
ABBA's Björn gives sad update on ABBA Voyage weeks after show refresh
ABBA, which consisted of Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog, are the inspiration behind the concert residency ABBA Voyage in London Former ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus has shared an update on the band's virtual concert residency following the third anniversary of its launch earlier this year. He was asked about the future of ABBA Voyage in an interview this week. It opened at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London in 2022. The residency features digital avatars of Björn, 80, and his three former bandmates Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, Benny Andersson, 78, and Agnetha Fältskog, 75, alongside a 10-piece live band. ABBA Voyage, which features songs like Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen, is currently allowing fans to book tickets up to early January next year on its website. Björn was asked about its future in an interview broadcast earlier today. The singer-songwriter was interviewed this morning by Jane Mulkerrins on Times Radio. Looking ahead to the future, she asked him if the ongoing residency will continue, if it's still going by that point, when a member of ABBA dies. Björn revealed that he wasn't sure, saying that he "hadn't thought" about that scenario before. He told radio host Jane that he would need to speak to Anni-Frid, known as Frida, Benny and Agnetha to make a decision on the matter. Responding to the question, he said: "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 okay for all four of us to go on after we're gone." His comment comes after ABBA Voyage relaunched earlier this year with four songs added to the setlist. The purpose-built stadium closed its door in May, ahead of the third anniversary of its launch, as updates took place for the show. ABBA, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their song Waterloo, said that they wanted to add "a little something" to the concert for the special occasion. The update saw the Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money and Take a Chance on Me added to the setlist. In a joint statement issued at the time, Björn, Frida, Benny and Agnetha said to fans: "When we first opened, we never imagined that we'd still be in London three years on. We're very grateful that so many of you have joined us." They added: "Of course, the reason for us being able to sustain our concert for so long is because of our incredible audience. As we say in Sweden … Vilken resa! (what a journey in English)." The former bandmates concluded by revealing that the new version of the show would launch in late May. They said: "So, to celebrate we'll be adding a little something to our concert from the 27th of May to thank you for your love and support. We hope you enjoy it!"
