It appears that the Swedish supergroup ABBA is teasing a major announcement. In recent social media posts, the band shared a link to a new website, titled ABBA Voyage, leading many to believe they’ll be releasing new music and embarking on their long-awaited hologram tour.
The quartet launched the website on August 26, 2021, asking fans to “join” them on September 2, 2021. They also shared teasers on social media, and have installed an electronic billboard promoting the announcement in London, England. Those interested in being among the first to learn about the details of the announcement are being asked to register their information.
According to UK tabloid, The Sun, the show will involve “ABBA-tars” of the band’s members — Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — performing their biggest hits. The holograms will be beamed in a purpose-built East London theater, where fans will also be able to watch a documentary-style film on ABBA’s comeback.
The show has been in production since the late 2010s. Speaking with the BBC, Ulvaeus shared that the idea came from Simon Fuller, best known for American Idol and managing the Spice Girls:
“He came to Stockholm and he presented this idea to us that we could make identical digital copies of ourselves of a certain age and that those copies could then go on tour and they could sing our songs, you know, and lip sync,” he said. “I’ve seen this project halfway through and it’s already mind-boggling.”
The show was scheduled to premiere on NBC and ABC at the end of 2018, but was later delayed.
The quartet reunited in June 2016 for the first time since 1986, when they performed at a party in Stockholm, Sweden. Two years later, they entered the studio with the promise of two new songs, “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” Their release has been repeatedly delayed.
To make up for the wait, the band has promised the release of three new tracks, in addition to the two previously-announced songs, in late 2021.
Earlier this year, Ulvaeus confirmed ABBA would be releasing new music and that they were still planning on doing the “avatar tour.” Speaking with the New York Times, he shared that he and Andersson had teamed up for more songs for release this fall.
“I’m forbidden to say anything more about it,” he said. “All I can say is that it was fantastic in the studio because it was like yesterday. It was so strange coming into that studio and the four of us looking at each other and thinking, ‘What is this?’ It all came rushing back.”
ABBA formed in 1972 and saw worldwide success after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their single, “Waterloo.” They went on to sell almost 400 albums and singles across the globe, with fans showering the band with praise for such songs as “Mamma Mia!” and “Dancing Queen.”
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Despite splitting up in 1982, the band has continued to maintain a presence thanks to the success of the Broadway musical, Mamma Mia!, and its 2008 movie adaption. The film was so successful that it spawned a sequel, 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.