Abba reunites to record new music after 35 years
Abba reunited in secret last summer to record the group's first new music in 35 years. "It was like in the olden days," their manager has told The Local.
The Swedish quartet will release two new songs, according to a press statement.
"We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go in to the recording studio. So we did. And it was like time had stood still and that we only had been away on a short holiday," said the group, quoted by Swedish media.
"We may have come of age, but the song is new. And it feels good."
READ ALSO: What you need to know about the Abba reunion
One of the new songs will be broadcast during a televised tribute show in December, produced by British broadcaster BBC and US network NBC. The song, titled 'I Still Have Faith In You', will be performed by avatars of the group. The second song is titled 'Don't Shut Me Down'.
"The songs were recorded in June of 2017 here in Stockholm. Everyone was involved, it was like in the olden days," the group's manager, Görel Hanser, told The Local on Friday.
She said hearing the songs for the first time was "actually quite moving, it really was".
"It's classic Abba, but updated to 2018," she added.
Hanser told The Local there are no plans for more songs.
"But the two songs will be part of the hologram tour. The members of Abba won't appear physically, but their digital selves will be there performing these songs recorded by the real Abba," she said.
Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog and Benny Andersson pictured together in 2016. Photo: Anders Westin/Westin Promotion/TT
Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Super Trouper.
The group, which has sold more than 400 million albums, has not sung together on stage since 1986 (with the exception of a short performance at a private party in Stockholm in 2016).
Ulvaeus has previously spoken about the virtual reality reunion show, which is expected to go on tour next year. The show will see all four members of Abba appear as holograms on stage.
In order to create the avatars, "techno artists" from Silicon Valley measured the heads of the four Abba members and photographed them from all angles.
"With videos and lipsynching, they'll create digital copies of us from 1979," Ulvaeus said last week, referring to the year the album Voulez-vous was released.
FOR MEMBERS: How to understand Swedish politics through Abba songs
Reporting by Lee Roden and Emma Löfgren
How excited are you? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Click here to become a Member of The Local.
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The Swedish quartet will release two new songs, according to a press statement.
"We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go in to the recording studio. So we did. And it was like time had stood still and that we only had been away on a short holiday," said the group, quoted by Swedish media.
"We may have come of age, but the song is new. And it feels good."
READ ALSO: What you need to know about the Abba reunion
One of the new songs will be broadcast during a televised tribute show in December, produced by British broadcaster BBC and US network NBC. The song, titled 'I Still Have Faith In You', will be performed by avatars of the group. The second song is titled 'Don't Shut Me Down'.
"The songs were recorded in June of 2017 here in Stockholm. Everyone was involved, it was like in the olden days," the group's manager, Görel Hanser, told The Local on Friday.
She said hearing the songs for the first time was "actually quite moving, it really was".
"It's classic Abba, but updated to 2018," she added.
Hanser told The Local there are no plans for more songs.
"But the two songs will be part of the hologram tour. The members of Abba won't appear physically, but their digital selves will be there performing these songs recorded by the real Abba," she said.
Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog and Benny Andersson pictured together in 2016. Photo: Anders Westin/Westin Promotion/TT
Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Super Trouper.
The group, which has sold more than 400 million albums, has not sung together on stage since 1986 (with the exception of a short performance at a private party in Stockholm in 2016).
Ulvaeus has previously spoken about the virtual reality reunion show, which is expected to go on tour next year. The show will see all four members of Abba appear as holograms on stage.
In order to create the avatars, "techno artists" from Silicon Valley measured the heads of the four Abba members and photographed them from all angles.
"With videos and lipsynching, they'll create digital copies of us from 1979," Ulvaeus said last week, referring to the year the album Voulez-vous was released.
FOR MEMBERS: How to understand Swedish politics through Abba songs
Reporting by Lee Roden and Emma Löfgren
How excited are you? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Click here to become a Member of The Local.
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