The Swedish pop group ABBA is back after a four-decade hiatus, with a new album, new songs, and a “virtual tour” scheduled later this year.
ABBA, the legendary Swedish pop band with members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad have reunited for the first time in 40 years to drop their ninth studio album, “Voyage.”
“We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we’ve decided it’s time to end it,” ABBA said in a statement Thursday.
“They say it’s foolhardy to wait more than 40 years between albums, so we’ve recorded a follow-up to ‘The Visitors.”
The forthcoming album “Voyage,” to be released November 5, is a follow-up to 1981’s “The Visitors,” which until now had been the swan song of the Swedish super group.
A virtual version of the band will also begin a series of concerts in London on May 27.
The concerts will feature 22 songs, including the two new songs and a greatest hits compilation, including their hit song "Dancing Queen".
Although the quartet won't appear on-stage for their concert, they will appear as digitized versions of their younger selves.
These 'Abba-tars' were created by George Lucas' international effects facility, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).
The "Abbatars" were created using motion-capture technology, similar to that used to create Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movies series, and will show members of the band as they looked in 1979.
On top of Voyage, the group has revealed that they will perform digitally on stage with a 10-piece band on May 27, 2022, at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. They sold more than 385 million albums and topped charts from Australia to America with a string of hits including "Waterloo", "The Winner Takes It All" and "Take A Chance On Me".
Their last album with fresh material, 1981's "The Visitors", included songs tinged with the sadness of their divorces. The band split a year later after the release.
Tags: #popmusic, #ABBA, #Voyage, #newalbum, #virtualtour