Soloists of the group abba. Biography. group breakup

"ABBA" is a group that conquered the whole world in the 1970-1980s. The songs performed by the Swedish quartet do not lose their relevance even today. Want to know how it all started? Who was part of the team?

History of creation

In 1972, a musical group called ABBA was created in Sweden. The group was a quartet - two girls and two guys. All of them had excellent external and vocal abilities.

The name of the group was not chosen by chance. ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of the members' names (Agneta, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid). Not everyone knows about this.

The ABBA group experienced its first success after recording the song People Need Love. In June 1972 it was presented to the general public. European listeners liked this composition.

The band's debut album (Ring Ring) went on sale in March 1973. Within a few days, the entire circulation was sold out by fans. After this, the quartet's career took off.

ABBA group: participants

Agnetha Fältskog

Born on April 5, 1950 in the Swedish city of Jonkoping. WITH early years she showed interest in music. Before joining the ABBA team, the blond beauty built solo career, wrote songs and music. In 1971, she married her bandmate, Bjorn Ulvaeus. This marriage produced two children - son Christian and daughter Linda Elin. In 1978, Bjorn and Agnetha officially divorced. The blonde's second husband was surgeon Thomas Sonnenfeld. But the relationship with him did not work out either.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad

The brunette from the ABBA group was born on November 15, 1945 in Ballangen (Norway). Later she and her mother moved to Sweden. Our heroine began her musical career at the age of 13. Frida performed solo. Then she was invited to a jazz band. How did Anni-Frid’s personal life turn out? She got married at the age of 17. She and musician Ragnar Fredrikson had two children - a son and a daughter. In 1968, this marriage broke up. A few months later, the girl met Since 1971, they performed together in the ABBA group. The group brought them even closer together. In 1978, Benny and Frida got married. Their marriage lasted 7 years.

Bjorn Ulvaeus

He was born in the Swedish town of Gothenburg in 1945. I have been interested in music since childhood. At the age of 22 he created his own group. He was married to his colleague in the ABBA group, Agneta. They have two children together. Bjorn has lived with his current wife, Lena Calercio, for more than 35 years. This marriage produced two daughters: Anna and Emma.

Benny Andersson

He was born in 1946 in the capital of Sweden - Stockholm. He has training in music school, performances in various ensembles. In 1971 he became a member of the ABBA team. The group gained worldwide fame. Andersson could not even dream about this.

He formalized the relationship three times. Our hero lived with Frida for 12 years, 3 of which were legally married.

Achievements

The Swedish group ABBA is recognized as one of the most successful projects throughout the history of pop music. In total, 8 studio albums and 11 collections were released. Total circulation records exceeded 350 million pieces. And all this was bought up by the band's fans.

The popular quartet toured most European countries. And everywhere they were greeted with a bang.

In conclusion

"ABBA" is a group that has made a significant contribution to the development of the world music industry. Now you know the history of the creation of the team. The names, surnames and biographies of its participants were also announced in the article.

ABBA(in Russian - ABBA) - a Swedish musical quartet that existed in 1972-1982 and was named after the first letters of the names of the performers. Is one of the most successful teams in history popular music and the most successful of those created in Scandinavia: the group's records have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. The quartet's singles have topped the world charts since the mid-1970s ( Waterloo) until the early 1980s ( One of Us), and compilation albums topped the world charts in the 2000s. They remained on radio playlists and their albums continue to sell to this day.

They were the first representatives of continental Europe to achieve first place in the charts of all the leading English-speaking countries (USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand).

Compound

A Agnetha Åse Fältskog - vocals (b. April 5, 1950, Jönköping, Sweden).
B Björn Kristian Ulvaeus - vocals, guitar (b. April 25, 1945, Gothenburg, Sweden).
B Benny Bror Göran Andersson - keyboards, vocals (b. December 16, 1946, Stockholm, Sweden).
A Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad - vocals (b. November 15, 1945, Ballangen/Narvik, Norway).

History of the group

The founders of the group were musicians, singers and songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. They first met at a party in the summer of 1966 and decided that they should write songs together. Benny was at that time the keyboard player of a popular band in Sweden Hep Stars, Bjorn singer and guitarist in the ensemble Hootenanny Singers. At a concert in Malmö, Benny met the singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who sang with different groups and even performed at song festivals in Japan and Venezuela. Then Bjorn saw in television show like singing his own song Jag var så kär Agnetha Fältskog, and decided to meet her.

For the first time, the whole four gathered to record a television program in Stockholm, and began singing together in November 1970. Almost simultaneously with the quartet's debut in one of the Gothenburg restaurants on November 1, 1970, Bjorn and Benny's own album was released Lycka with songs in Swedish, in which Agnetha and Frida participated as backing vocalists. In 1971, Benny and Bjorn went to work for the company Polar already as producers. The tragic death of Bengt Bernhag, the closest friend and ally of the head Polar Stig Anderson brought producer Bjorn Ulvaeus to the vacant position. Stig offered the young author this position, but Bjorn was not entirely happy with it. He agreed on the condition that his co-author, Benny Andersson, would also be hired. The head of the company did not have a salary for two, and the aspiring authors had to work part-time.

They were the first continental Europeans to top the charts in all the major English-speaking countries (United States, England, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand).

Compound

Björn Ulvaeus (Swedish: Björn Kristian Ulvaeus) - vocals, guitar (b. April 25, 1945, Gothenburg, Sweden).

Benny Andersson (Swedish: Benny Bror Göran Andersson) - keyboards, vocals (b. December 16, 1946, Stockholm, Sweden).

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (Frida) - vocals (b. November 15, 1945, Ballangen/Narvik, Norway).

History of the group

The founders of the group were musicians, singers and songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. They first met at a party in Vastervik in the summer of 1966, where they decided that they should write songs together. At that time, Benny was the keyboard player of the popular Swedish band Hep Stars, Björn was a singer and guitarist in the Hootenanny Singers ensemble. At a concert in Malmö, Benny met singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who, from the age of thirteen, sang with various groups and even performed at song festivals in Japan and Venezuela. At the same time, Björn heard on the radio how Agnetha Fältskog was singing her own song “I Was So In Love”, and decided to invite her to the group.

For the first time, the whole four gathered to record a television program in Stockholm, and began singing together in November 1970. Simultaneously with the quartet's debut, in one of the restaurants in Gothenburg (each had previously pursued a solo career), at the end of the year Björn and Benny recorded their own album, in which Agnetha and Frida participated as backing vocalists. The company Polar published the disc Lycka with songs in Swedish, and the single People Need Love was released in the USA on Playboy Records. In 1971, Benny and Björn joined Polar as producers. The tragic death of Bengt Bernhag, the closest friend and associate of Polar head Stig Anderson, brought producer Björn Ulvaeus to the vacated position. Stig offered the young author this position, but Björn was not entirely happy with it. He agreed on the condition that his co-author, Benny Andersson, would also be hired. The head of the company did not have a salary for two, and the aspiring authors had to work part-time.

In February 1973, the quartet's song Ring Ring, rejected by the Eurovision Song Contest committee, was recorded in Swedish, German, Spanish and English and topped the charts in Sweden, Austria, Holland, Belgium and South Africa. In March 1973, the quartet's first long-playing album, Ring Ring, was released. On April 6, 1974, ABBA's song Waterloo won the Eurovision Song Contest in the English city of Brighton by an absolute margin (20 to 1). Waterloo began an unprecedented sequence of eighteen consecutive UK top ten hits. Eight of them reached the top: Mamma Mia (1976), Fernando (1976), Dancing Queen (1976), Knowing Me, Knowing You (1977), The Name Of The Game (1977), Take A Chance On Me (1978), The Winner Takes It All (1980), Super Trouper (1980). Eight of the band's albums also topped the charts, starting with the Greatest Hits compilation album, released in Sweden at the end of 1975. The achievements of the four overseas were much more modest: only Dancing Queen stayed at the top of the list for a week in April 1977. Three albums went gold in the States, and only ABBA - The Album (1977) went platinum.

Best of the day

On June 18, 1976, ABBA performed for the King of Sweden on the eve of the royal wedding, presenting the public with a completely new song Dancing Queen. In February 1977, they made their first British tour (two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall (11 thousand seats) received 3.5 million applications). The final part in March took place in Australia, where most of the material for the film ABBA was filmed. On December 15, the world premiere of the film took place there. In the quartet's homeland, the film premiered on Christmas evening in 1977. On January 9, 1979, the quartet took part in a UNICEF charity event in New York and donated all proceeds from the Chiquitita single to the organization. On September 13, 1979, ABBA opened its first North American tour with a concert in Edmonton, Canada. The tour ended in mid-November in Europe.

Since the winter of 1981/1982, the group's activity has noticeably declined. ABBA's last single, Under Attack, was released in December 1982, although their last hit was Thank You For The Music.

A new growth in the popularity of ABBA, as well as all music of the disco boom, began in 1992. Polydor has reissued all of the band's hits on two CDs. Erasure did an EP with modern ABBA-esque covers of the band's songs, and Australian band Bjorn again achieved quick success with a faithful and recognizable ABBA image and sound.

According to media reports, in 2000 ABBA refused a contract for a round-the-world series of performances with the “good old” line-up worth almost $1 billion.

1972-1973

Benny Andersson was the keyboard player of the Swedish pop group Hep Stars, popular in the second half of the 1960s. They performed remakes of international hits. Strength bands had their live performances with spectacular shows. Their fans were mostly young girls. They were rightfully called the Swedish Beatles. Andersson played the synthesizer and gradually began writing original compositions for the group, many of which became hits.

Björn Ulvaeus was the lead singer of the popular folk group Hootenanny Singers. He and Andersson sometimes met and agreed to record together. Stig Anderson, manager of the Hootenanny Singers and founder of the record label Polar Music, saw great potential in the collaboration between Andersson and Ulvaeus and strongly supported any of their endeavors. He, like no one else, believed that someday they would become famous throughout the world. The duo eventually recorded the album Lycka ("Happiness"), in which they included their own compositions. On some songs you could clearly hear women's voices their friends - Agnetha and Frida.

Agnetha Fältskog is the youngest member of the group. When she was 17 years old, her song became number 1 in Sweden. Many critics believed that she talented composer, most of her songs are written in the style of popular music. Along with writing her own songs, she also recorded cover versions of foreign hits and performed them at Swedish amateur competitions. As a result, she became the most popular pop singer of the time. In 1969, Agnetha met Frida on a TV show, and a few months later she met Björn at a concert. On the set of a TV show in 1969, she and Björn met again, became acquainted and married in 1971. In 1972, Agnetha received the role of Mary Magdalene in the Swedish production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Critics praised her work in this project.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad has been singing with various dance groups since she was 13 years old. Later she joined a jazz band. In 1969, she won a national talent competition. Her professional career began with signing a contract with the Swedish branch of EMI in 1967. At the same time, singles with songs performed by her began to be released, but a full-fledged long-playing album was released only in 1971. In 1969 she participated in Melodifestivalen and her song Härlig är vår jord took 4th place. She met Benny Andersson at a TV studio. A few weeks later, on a concert tour in southern Sweden, a second meeting took place. Soon they begin to live together. Benny Andersson recruits Frida and Agnetha as backing vocalists for the Lycka album. From that time on, he began producing Frida's solo career. Despite ABBA's growing popularity, Frida completed work on her Swedish-language solo album at the end of 1975. It is noteworthy that this record opened with the world famous song Fernando, but in Swedish. Fearing idle speculation, band director Stig Anderson insisted on continuing the ensemble's joint work. The subsequent solo album of the dark-haired lead singer of ABBA was released only in 1982.

1972-1973

In the early 1970s, although Björn and Agnetha were married and Benny and Frida lived together, they continued to make their own, independent of each other, music careers in Sweden. Stig Anderson wanted to break into the international music market. He, like no one else, believed that they would succeed, and they would be able to compose a song that would become famous throughout the world. He inspired Benny and Björn to write a song for the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest, which was to be performed by Lena Anderson. The song Say It With a Song took 3rd place in the competition, which confirmed Stig's opinion that he was on the right track.

Benny and Björn experimented in songwriting with new sound and vocal arrangements. One of their songs was People Need Love with girls' voices to great effect. Stig released this song as a single, written by Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. The song reached number 17 in the Swedish charts, which convinced them that they were moving in the right direction. The single also became the song's first to chart in the United States, where it peaked at number 14 on the Cashbox singles chart and number 17 on the Record World's chart. The single was later released by Playboy Records. Although, in Stig's opinion, the song should have become a much bigger hit in the United States, the small record company Playboy Records did not have the necessary resources to distribute the record to retailers and radio stations.

The following year they made an attempt to make it to Melodifestivalen with the song Ring Ring. The studio production was handled by Michael Tretov, who experimented with the “wall of sound” technology that had become a fixture on ABBA recordings. Stig commissions lyrics from Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody to be translated on English language. They intend to win first place, but only end up third. However, the promotional group releases the album Ring Ring under the same awkward title Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida. The album sold well and the song "Ring Ring" became a hit in many European countries, but Stig felt that a breakthrough could only happen if the song became a British or American hit.

Name ABBA

In the spring of 1973, Stig, tired of the group's awkward name, began calling it privately and publicly as ABBA. This was initially a joke, as Abba was the name of a well-known fish processing company in Sweden. According to Agnetha’s memoirs, “When we decided to call ourselves A-B-B-A, we had to get permission from this company. There they answered us: “We agree, just make sure that we don’t feel ashamed of you.” I don't think they should be ashamed of the group.

The very first time ABBA's name was found written on paper was during a recording session at Metronome Studio in Stockholm on October 16, 1973. The first single released under the ABBA name was Waterloo.

ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of each member's name: Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid (Frida). The first B in the group's name became inverted in 1976, and formed the corporate logo.

1974-1977

In 1972 and 1973, Björn, Benny and manager Stig believed in the possibilities of Melodifestivalen and Eurovision. Later, in 1973, composers were invited to write a new song for the 1974 competitions. Choosing between several new songs, they unexpectedly settled on Waterloo - because the band was impressed by the growth of glam rock in England. Waterloo was an undeniable glam rock pop single recorded by Michael B. Tretow using wall of sound technology. ABBA won hearts in their homeland and in their 3rd attempt they were more prepared for international competitions. The song was presented at a show at the Brighton Dome in England, took first place and made them widely known in England, and also rose to the top of the charts throughout Europe.

Waterloo was ABBA's first number 1 song in England. In America, it peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, paving the way for their first album there, although the album only peaked at number 145 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Their next single, So Long, reached the top 10 in Sweden and Germany, but failed to chart in England. But the next release, Honey, Honey, managed to break through to number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

In November 1974, ABBA embarked on their first international tour to Germany, Denmark and Austria. The tour did not turn out to be as successful as the band had hoped, because many tickets did not sell, and due to lack of demand, ABBA were even forced to cancel several concerts, including a previously planned concert in Switzerland. The second leg of the tour, which ABBA undertook in Scandinavia in January 1975, was completely different from the first: they sold out houses and finally received the reception they had expected. For 3 weeks in the summer of 1975, ABBA made up for what they had done the previous summer while touring Sweden. They gave 16 concerts on outdoors in Sweden and Finland, attracting huge crowds. Their show in Stockholm at the Gröna Lund amusement park was watched by 19,000 people.

The release of their 3rd ABBA album and 3rd single SOS entered the top 10, and the album peaked at number 13. The band was no longer treated as a one-hit wonder.

Success in Britain was confirmed when Mamma Mia reached number 1 in January 1976. In the USA, SOS was in the top ten of Record World one hundred best songs and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also received a BMI Award for the most played song in 1975.

Despite this, ABBA's success in the States was inconsistent. Although they were able to break into the singles market, having already had four top 30 songs before 1976, the album market was too tough a nut to crack. ABBA's album achieved fewer than 3 singles, peaking at only #165 on the Cashbox album chart and #174 on the Billboard 200. In the US, the consensus was that it was due to the same very poor promotional campaign (see ABBA in the US).

In November 1975, the group released the Greatest Hits collection. It includes 6 songs that reached the Top 40 in the UK and US. It becomes the first album to reach number one in England and includes the song Fernando (which was originally written in Swedish for Frida and appeared on her 1975 solo album). One of ABBA's well-known and very popular tracks, Fernando, did not appear on the Swedish or Australian releases of the Greatest Hits album. In Sweden, the song waited until 1982 and appeared on the compilation album The Singles-The First Ten Years. In Australia, the track was released on the 1976 album Arrival. Greatest Hits catapulted the band into the top 50 in the US on the best albums list, selling over 1 million copies in the US.

In the US, "Fernando" reached the top 10 of the Cashbox Top 100 and reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also reached number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, ABBA's first single to reach the top of any US chart. In Australia, Fernando's 2006 hit holds the record for the longest stay at number one (15 weeks) (tied with the Beatles' Hey Jude.)

The next album, Arrival, reached a higher level both in the level of lyrics and the quality of studio work. It received excellent reviews from English music weeklies such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express, and also very good reviews from American critics. In fact, several hits from this disc: Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me, Knowing You and the strongest hit Dancing Queen. In 1977, the album Arrival was nominated for a BRIT Award in the category "Best International Album of the Year". At this time ABBA were very popular in England, most of them Eastern Europe and Australia.

However, their popularity in the US was at a much lower level, and Dancing Queen only reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, Arrival was ABBA's breakthrough in the US, where it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard album chart.

In January 1977, ABBA went on tour in Europe. At this time, the group's status changes radically, and they become superstars. ABBA begin their long-awaited trip to Oslo, Norway with a show that includes scenes from their self-composed mini-operetta. This concert attracted a lot of media attention from Europe and Australia. ABBA continued their tour of Europe and ended with two concerts in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Tickets for these concerts were only available for ordering through the mail, and, as it turned out later, the mail received more than three and a half million orders for tickets. However, there were complaints that the show was too "sterile and slick."

After the European leg of the tour in March 1977, ABBA played 11 concerts in Australia. The tour was accompanied by mass hysteria and enormous press attention, which is well illustrated in full-length film ABBA: The Movie, directed by the group's video director Lasse Hallström.

The Australian tour and the movie based on it contain some fun details. Agnetha played the role of the good-looking blonde and "postcard girl" in the group, a role she rebelled against. Throughout the tour, she appeared on stage in a leather, white, very tight jumpsuit, which gave rise to one newspaper to write the headline “Agnetha’s Ass Show.”

In December 1977 in Sweden (in many countries - in January 1978) the album The Album was released. Although the disc was less critically received than the others, it did contain several hits: The Name of the Game and Take A Chance On Me, both of which reached number one in England and number 12 and number 3 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The album also included the song "Thank You for the Music", which was later released as a single in England, and was also featured on the LP's "Eagle" in places where the song was released as a single.

1978-1979

ABBA were super popular in 1978. They converted an old cinema into the Polar Music recording studio in Stockholm, where other very famous bands. For example, Led Zeppelin (album In Through the Out Door) and Genesis.

Recorded in 1978, the single Summer Night City became the last single to reach number one in the Swedish charts. It preceded the next giant disc, Voulez-Vous, released in April 1979. Two songs on this album were recorded at the family's Criteria Studios in Miami with the help of legendary engineer Tom Dowd. The album ranks first in Europe and Japan, in the top ten in Canada and Australia, and in the top twenty in the United States. Interestingly, none of the album's songs reached number one in the UK charts, but Chiquitita, Does Your Mother Know, Voulez-Vous and I Have A Dream all did not go below number 4. In Canada, I Have A Dream becomes the second No. 1 song on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart, the first being Fernando.

In January 1979, the group performed the song Chiquitita at the "music for UNICEF" concert during the UN assembly. ABBA donated all proceeds from this worldwide hit to UNICEF.

Later that year, the group released their second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which was new track Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), their most famous disco hit in Europe.

On September 13, 1979, ABBA began their first and only North American tour in Edmonton, Canada, to a full house of 14,000 people. Over the next four weeks they performed 17 shows, 13 in the US and 4 in Canada.

The last planned concert in the United States in Washington was canceled due to Agnetha's emotional breakdown, which she suffered during a flight from New York to Boston, when the private plane she was on got into extreme conditions. weather conditions And for a long time couldn't land. The tour ended with a show in Toronto in Canada in front of approximately 18,000 spectators. This performance caused a flood of complaints from the group's fans, who said that ABBA was still more of a studio than a live show group.

On October 19, the tour continued in Western Europe, where the musicians performed 23 concerts, including six nights at London's Wembley Arena.

1980: Japan Tour and Super Trouper

In March 1980, ABBA went on tour to Japan. When they arrived at the airport, they were attacked by hundreds of their fans. The group performed 11 sold out concerts, including 6 performances at the Tokyo Budokan. This tour turned out to be the last in the quartet's career.

In November 1980, their new album Super Trouper was released, which reflected some change in the band's style, greater use of synthesizers and more personal lyrics. The album received over 1 million orders even before its release, which was a record. The main favorite of this album was the single The Winner Takes It All, which reached number eight in the UK charts. In the US, it reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written as if about the marital problems of Agnetha and Björn. The follow-up song, Super Trouper, also hit #1 in England, but failed to reach the top 40 in the US. Another track from Super Trouper, Lay All Your Love on Me, which had a limited release in some countries, reached the top of Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and 7th place in the English singles chart.

Also in June 1980, ABBA released a compilation album of their hits on Spanish Gracias Por La Musica. It was released in Spanish-speaking countries as well as Japan and Australia. The album became very successful, and together with the Spanish-language version of Chiquitita, became a breakthrough for their success in South America.

1981: Benny and Frida's divorce, album “The Visitors”

In January 1981, Björn married Lena Calerso, and the band's manager, Stig Anderson, celebrated his 50th birthday with a party attended by many people. For this event, ABBA prepared a gift for him by recording the song “Hovas Vittne”, dedicated to him and released in only 200 copies on red vinyl records. The entire circulation was distributed to the guests present at the party. This single is now the most coveted item among collectors.

In mid-February, Benny and Frida announced that they were going to divorce. It later became known that their marriage had been in trouble for quite some time, and Benny had already met another woman, Mona Norklit, whom he married in November of that year.

Björn and Benny were writing songs for the new album throughout the beginning of 1981 and began working in the studio on recording in mid-March. At the end of April, the group took part in the Dick Cavett Meets ABBA TV program, where they performed 9 songs. This became their last live performance in front of an audience. The recording of the new album was halfway through when the studio bought a new digital 32-track tape recorder to replace the 16-track analog one. Recording of the album continued throughout the fall in order to release it in time for Christmas.

ABBA - Waterloo(1974). The group's first hit, with this song ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. On October 22, 2005, as part of the ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, "Waterloo" was recognized best song throughout the history of the competition. "Waterloo" is sung from the perspective of a girl who is ready to give up, just as Napoleon had to surrender at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

ABBA - S.O.S.(1975). This song is my favorite ABBA song, also because it was the theme song of my favorite Japanese TV series, Strawberry on the Shortcake. It is noteworthy that "S.O.S." John Lennon named ABBA among his favorite songs.

Agnetha Fältskog is the lead singer of ABBA.

Before joining ABBA, Agnetha was a fairly successful solo singer in Sweden. In 1972, Agnetha performed the role of Mary Magdalene in the Swedish production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1975, already a member of ABBA, Agnetha released an album in Swedish, Elva kvinnor i ett hus (Eleven Women in A House). After the breakup of ABBA, Agnetha also released several new solo albums.

On July 6, 1971, Agnetha married another ABBA member, Bjorn Ulvaeus. Romantic relationships came up with him during filming on Swedish television in May 1969. They had two children.

Wedding of Agnetha Fältskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus

Agnetha and Bjorn separated in 1979 and Agnetha left their shared home on Christmas night. However, they decided that their troubles in family life should not in any way affect their work together as a group. Agnetha was later married again, although briefly, to the surgeon Thomas Sonnenfeld.
Bjorn married Lena Calercio, a music journalist, in 1981.

ABBA - Dancing Queen(1976). This song is considered ABBA's best.

ABBA soloists Agnetha Fältskog (left) and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad (right)

In 1963, 17-year-old Anni-Frid married salesman and musician Ragnar Fredriksson. They had two children. Annie divorced her first husband in 1970 and since 1971 began living with ABBA member Benny Andersson. They officially formalized the relationship in 1978, their marriage lasted only three years, they divorced in 1981.

Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad and Benny Andersson

On August 26, 1992, Frida married her longtime friend, Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss von Plauen (1950 - 1999). Since then, she has been officially known as Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Fried Reuss von Plauen. Prince Henry died of cancer in 1999.
Benny Andersson married Swedish TV presenter Mona Norklit in 1981.

ABBA - Take A Chance On Me(1978). The first ABBA song that sank into my soul.

ABBA- a group that even schoolchildren heard. The group is a legend! They are remembered and loved even today, their albums sell millions of copies.

ABBA was founded in 1972. Then four young and ambitious musicians decided to conquer the world! And They succeeded, today they have many fans all over the world, and their bands are covered by famous artists.

Let's see how they have changed after 45 years.

Agneta Fältskog, 66 years old.

Bjorn Ulvaeus, 71 years old.

Benny Andersson, 70 years old.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 71 years old.

It's nice to see that all the members of the legendary band are in good spirits! They maintained friendly relations and even got together in 2016.

Moreover, Agnetta, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid even gave a small concert at a private party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderssen's friendship!