ABBA: A 50‑year journey from Eurovision to hologram concerts

This year marks 50 years since ABBA's victory at Eurovision in England. This victory began their global career, immense fame, and earnings for the Swedes. Although ABBA officially ended its activity in 2021, the actual disbandment of the group occurred over 40 years ago.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog began making music as ABBA in 1972, and two years later they won the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. The song "Waterloo" became a huge hit, but soon there were predictions that ABBA would be a one-hit wonder.

Meanwhile, the Swedes started recording hit after hit. "Mamma Mia", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money", "That’s Me", and "Fernando" topped the charts. ABBA sold hundreds of millions of records and toured the world. Unfortunately, immense fame came at a price.

In 1980, Agnetha started receiving threats before a concert in West Germany. She had had enough of the celebrity lifestyle and wanted to focus on raising her daughter. By then, she had been divorced from Björn for two years. Benny and Anni-Frid also tried to live as a married couple but only lasted three years together. Their divorce occurred in 1981, and a year later, the informal disbandment of the whole group took place.

At that time, the female vocalists were recording their solo albums, and Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were working on another joint project. Since 1982, ABBA has no longer performed publicly as a quartet, except for one television performance in 1986.

In the 90s, Ulvaeus and Andersson appeared on stage during a U2 concert and created the show "Mamma Mia!". In 2000, the members of ABBA turned down an offer to perform 100 concerts for a billion dollars and denied rumours of the band's reactivation. Only in 2004 did they record together a video, "Our Last Video Ever", which premiered during the semi-final of the 49th Eurovision Song Contest. A year later, they showed up in full at the premiere of the musical "Mamma Mia!" in Stockholm – the first time in decades.

In 2018, fans of ABBA held their breath when the musicians announced a return to the stage. Unfortunately, new songs were promoted with a concert tour featuring holograms. Virtual avatars also addressed the audience during the Eurovision finale. Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog never again stood together on one stage, and the album "Voyage," released in 2021, definitively ended the group's activity.