ABBA Returns After Nearly 40 Years, With New Album And Concert

ABBA will release their first album in 40 years on Nov 5.

The legendary Swedish pop group last put out an album in 1981 when they released The Visitors, but it has now been confirmed they will officially make a comeback later this year with a brand-new record titled Voyage.

ABBA — comprised of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — has also announced plans for a revolutionary comeback concert which will see the band performing digitally with a live 10-piece band.

The ‘Thank You For The Music’ hitmakers have teamed up with an 850-strong team from Industrial Light & Magic — the company founded by George Lucas — to create digital versions of themselves for the concert, using months of motion-capture and performance techniques.

Back in the day: (from left) Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson.

ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ concert experience will open on May 27 2022 at the ABBA Arena, which is a state-of-the-art 3,000 capacity arena located at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. Pre-registration for tickets opens on Thursday (Sept 2) on abbavoyage.com with tickets on general sale from Sept 7.

The concert will feature ABBA’s two new tracks, 'I Still Have Faith In You' and 'Don't Shut Me Down', as well as songs from their upcoming album.

Producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson said in a statement: "The magic of ABBA and the herculean efforts of this whole magnificent team reaches a long-awaited milestone today. To be able to finally share this endeavour with the world is a proud moment for us and we can't wait to welcome you to our arena in East London, a place where we are so happy to be."

While Baillie Walsh, the director of the concert, added: "I watched ABBA win the Eurovision song contest in 1974, and never did I imagine that 47 years later I would be with them on this extraordinary voyage. Life is weird and wonderful sometimes."

The members, now all in their 70s, also took to Instagram to share the news of their comeback. ts.