“We will never appear on stage again,” band member Bjorn Ulvaeus said of Swedish pop group ABBA’s shocking decision to turn down a billion-dollar offer in 2021 to embark on a reunion tour, “…we would like people to remember us as we were. Young, exuberant, full of energy and ambition. I remember Robert Plant saying Led Zeppelin were a cover band now because they cover all their own stuff. I think that hit the nail on the head.”
The financial rewards must have been tempting, but Ulvaeus emphasized that the band’s desire to preserve the quality and authenticity of their music. What happened next is an incredible example of how a remarkable group of talented people—ostensibly in the legacy stage of their tribe’s life cycle—were able to harness new technologies to not only re-enter the mission stage, but vastly expand their legacy in unprecedented ways.
ABBA’s journey began in the 1970s when the band members—Anetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad—united to pioneer a new sound blending pop, rock, and folk elements. Their breakthrough came with the victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo,” which catapulted them into international fame. They went on to sell 380 million albums, ranking between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones as best-selling artists, but had been semi-retired as a band for four decades.
However, in 2022 Rolling Stone magazine reported: “To cap off one of pop’s greatest comebacks, all the Swedish superstars needed to do was build a venue, hire the effects team behind Star Wars and digitally reproduce themselves with stunning accuracy.” ABBA was able to carry out a grander re-launch of their mission then a mere reunion tour—a new album, Voyage, supported by concert residency at the newly built ABBA Arena in London. Industrial Light & Magic helped the band create digital avatars—based on the band performing in motion-capture suits with their performances emulated by younger body doubles—to be backed in concert by a flesh and blood band.
The digital concert experience has been celebrated by both old and new fans, grossing over $100 million per year. And with their mission reignited, ABBA received their first grammy nominations ever for Voyage, further cementing their incredible musical legacy for fans old and new.
