ABBA Are Releasing New Music This Year, Says Benny Andersson

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Few pop groups have managed to produce a consistently magnificent catalogue of bangers; churning out tunes spanning the melancholy to the exuberant.

ABBA make it look easy, having whipped out a seemingly endless array of pitch-perfect, singing-in-the-shower pop ballads during their original run. Whether you’re wailing your theatrical broken heart out, or preparing for a night on the town, the Swedish quartet have you covered.

Their final album was released in 1982, long before I was born. Yet I’ve always been fond of ABBA, no doubt influenced by their omnipresence in movies such as Mamma Mia and its sequel, and Muriel’s Wedding. However, I never imagined there could be new music on the cards.

Wikimedia Commons

In 2018, ABBA fans were thrilled when Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad announced they were back in the studio, writing and recording new tracks after a 37-year hiatus.

Now Andersson, 73, has revealed the group expect to release their new songs at some point ‘after the summer’ this year; leaving fans dancin’ once again.

Speaking with unofficial ABBA news and discussion platform ABBAtalk, Andersson opened up about this exciting new development:

They’re coming this year. I’m guessing after the summer. But I can only guess, because I’m not really sure. But I would think so.

[…] One shouldn’t promise anything but if I were to decide myself, it would be September. I can’t make that decision alone. But that’s what we’re aiming for.

It’s fair to say their ever-loyal fanbase is still feeling that beat from that tambourine, taking to social media to thank them profusely for the music.

One ardent Dancing Queen praised:

Thanks for the update dear Benny from ABBA!!! I have been very stressed unbearable stress to cope with, waiting a very long time for the brand new music to be released. Can’t wait to hear the new music from you ABBA later this year 2020. Lots of love as always.

Another Super Trooper cried:

I’m waiting for new ABBA songs for so many years! Hopefully this is the year.

Two new songs have been announced, entitled I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down. And I for one am already reaching for my disco shoes.

Offering an insight into the new material in 2018, Ulvaeus informed PA:

One of them is a pop tune, very danceable. The other is more timeless, more reflective, that is all I will say. It is Nordic sad, but happy at the same time.

I think that exuberant quality of the two ladies (Faltskog and Lyngstad) together singing, that makes the saddest song a bit uplifting. I think that is what happens and that [it] is very organic: [it] isn’t calculated, [it] just happened that way.

ABBA were formed in Stockholm in 1973, and won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden. They went on to become one of the most successful acts of the 20th century, sparking numerous tribute acts and finding new fans with each new generation.

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Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.