Bjorn Ulvaeus thought ABBA’s music wouldn’t last when they split
The group have got back into the studio for the first time since they split in 1982
By Steve Brown
Bjorn Ulvaeus thought ABBA’s music would “go into oblivion” when the group split in 1982.
The singer/songwriter was part of the hit Swedish group – which also included Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Ann-Frid Lyngstad – and sold more than 400 million albums during their career.
Back in 2008, the hit musical Mamma Mia rocked the world and became an international success and put ABBA songs back into the charts.
Now, 10 years later, the highly anticipated sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is set to be released this week and during the London press conference over the weekend, Bjorn admitted he cannot believe their music is still around.
He told reporters: “It’s quite a strange feeling when people come up to me and say, ‘You have no idea how much your music has meant to us’.
“Emotionally, it’s quite difficult to grasp. The fact I’m sitting here now… I feel I shouldn’t be.
“I thought our music would go into oblivion two years after we split up, and that was some 35 years ago. So I feel very humbled and grateful.”
It was reported that the group have gone back into the studio to record two new songs ahead of their TV special which is being produced by the BBC but they won’t be dancing or singing live, but instead will be virtual “ABBATARS” that will represent them.
And Bjorn said it was a fantastic experience getting back into the studio with the rest of the group and revealed it was the first time they’ve been in a studio since the year they split.
“We [Benny and Bjorn] wrote two new songs and we went into the studio with the ladies and it was a fantastic experience.
“We have never been in a studio together since we split up in 1982 and we looked around and this situation is so incredibly familiar.
“It took seconds and we were back like yesterday. It was great fun doing it again and the strange thing is when those two ladies start singing together, there is that sound that is not like any other.
“It’s just coincidence we should meet and those two make those sounds together. Yet that is the ABBA sound.
“The new music we have written was really inspired by [this project] that we are in. We are building heads that are copies of our heads from 1979 and we thought those heads have something new to sing.”