Cliff Notes – Bjorn Ulvaeus admits future of Abba Voyage is uncertain for one reason
- Bjorn Ulvaeus expressed uncertainty about the future of Abba Voyage, particularly regarding its continuation after a band member’s death.
- The virtual concert, featuring digital ‘Abba-tars’ and a live band, has attracted over three million attendees since its launch in May 2022.
Bjorn Ulvaeus admits future of Abba Voyage is uncertain for one reason
Bjorn Ulvaeus doesn’t know if Abba Voyage can continue forever (Picture: REX/PA)
While, in theory, Abba Voyage could last forever, Bjorn Ulvaeus has admitted he does not know if it’ll be possible for one reason.
The music legend has revealed that conversations have not yet been had around what will happen to the virtual concerts when one band member dies.
Since opening in May 2022, more than three million people have seen the show that brings to life younger versions of Abba through digital ‘Abba-tars.’
It also features a 10-piece live band and is situated inside a purpose-built arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, where fans can experience the group’s famous songs in a revolutionary way.
Asked on Times Radio if the virtual concerts will continue if a member of Abba dies, 80-year-old Ulvaeus told the station: ‘That’s a question I’ve never had before… I honestly don’t know. hadn’t thought about that.
‘It’s good you raise that question—I’ll talk to the others about that, as we need to decide beforehand between us if it’s OK for all four of us to go on after we’re gone.’
Swedish pop group Abba consists of Ulvaeus along with Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and Agnetha Faltskog (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
The Abba Voyage opened its doors in 2022 and has welcomed over three million people since (Picture: Johan Persson/Abba Voyage/PA Wire)
The influential pop group, also made up of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, Agnetha Faltskog, 75, and Benny Andersson, 78, were the first Swedish winners of the Eurovision Song Contest with their hit Waterloo in Brighton in 1974.
Faltskog and Ulvaeus married in 1971 before splitting almost a decade later, while Andersson and Lyngstad also married and divorced in 1981, a year before the band broke up.
Abba remains famous for a string of chart-topping tunes that have well and truly stood the test of time, such as Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All, and Mamma Mia!
The group reunited and released their first new music in almost 40 years with Voyage, their ninth studio album, which topped the UK album charts.
Their songs also inspired the musical Mamma Mia!, which began in London in 1999 and became a worldwide sensation.
It spun off two movies, 2008’s Mamma Mia! and 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, with a third supposedly in the works.
The virtual concert depicts Abba as they were in the late 70s, singing their biggest hits (Picture: Johan Persson/Abba Voyage/PA Wire)
Ulvaeus has said a conversation must be had about what will happen to the show when one band member dies (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
The launch of Abba Voyage was first confirmed in September 2021 during a globally streamed press conference.
Abba’s digital versions depict the members as they appeared in 1979, thanks to advanced motion capture technology, while their original recorded vocals are also used.
It has been claimed that Abba Voyage is one of the most expensive live music experiences in history, with a whopping budget of $175million (£130m).
This spring, it celebrated its third anniversary, with Ulvaeus and Faltskog attending a show at the venue as new songs were added to the set.
‘When we first opened, we never imagined that we’d still be in London three years on. We’re very grateful that so many of you have joined us,’ they said in May.
‘Of course, the reason for us being able to sustain our concert for so long is because of our incredible audience.’
Abba rose to global stardom in 1974 when they won Eurovision with Waterloo (Picture: Michael Ochs Archives)
The new tracks added to the concert’s set included The Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money, and Take a Chance on Me. The set now consists of 22 tunes, split into five acts, plus an encore.
As estimated by consultancy Sound Diplomacy, Abba Voyage has brought more than £1billion to the UK economy since doors opened.
Thanks to the arena, which seats 3,000 people, being designed to be portable, it can later be taken down and relocated elsewhere once the show runs its course in the capital.
For now, though, it’s going nowhere, as Abba Voyage is booking through to January 2026.