- ABBA recorded countless hits during the 1970s.
- The band broke up in 1982, but reunited in 2016 and released their latest album ‘Voyage’ in 2021.
- ‘Voyage’ is nominated for four Grammy Awards at the 2023 ceremony.
ABBA is responsible for some of the biggest hits of all time. Over 50 years after the disco group was formed, ABBA continues to be beloved by fans of both those who have been listening since their breakout and new fans who just discovered them years after their hey-day. After forming in 1970, the group (comprised of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad) put out eight albums, before their final record in 1981 (The Visitors). While they never formally broke up, the group did have their final public performance in 1982, but their legacy has lived on! Their songs like “Dancing Queen” and “Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!” are staples at weddings, bar mitzvahs, or just about any excuse to celebrate. The band has served as the inspiration for the jukebox musical Mamma Mia, which was later adapted into a major movie!
After decades of hiatus, the group reformed in 2016 and released their first album in 40 years in 2021 with Voyage. The band are also anticipated to make their live return with a residency in London in 2023. The record was a hit with not only fans but critics and their peers. ABBA’s most recent record is being celebrated with four nominations at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Voyage was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, and the coveted Album of the Year award. The single “Don’t Shut Me Down” is also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance as well as Record of the Year. If ABBA wins on Sunday, February 5, it will be the first time they’ve won a Grammy Award. With over 50 years of history under the group’s belt, find out what the members of ABBA have been up to in more recent years!
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha, 72, began her career as a solo artist before meeting fellow ABBA member Björn, who she married from 1971 until they filed for divorce in 1979. The exes share two kids Linda, 49, and Peter, 45. Agnetha also has three grandchildren. After ABBA disbanded, she released three solo records throughout the 80s, and she also married her second husband Tomas Sonnenfeld in 1990, but the pair divorced three years later.
After releasing her 1987 solo record I Stand Alone, Agnetha retreated from public life for some time. “Maybe I was a recluse for some years. I was so tired once ABBA was over and just wanted to be calm and with my children,” she said in a 2013 interview with DailyMail. After her parents’ deaths, she revealed that she took up yoga and meditation, while focusing on family during her time away from the public eye.
In 2004, Agnetha made her return to music with the album My Colouring Book, and she occasionally made public appearances both in videos and for events, such as the opening of Mamma Mia with her ABBA bandmates. She put out another solo record, simply titled A in 2013, and later rejoined her ABBA bandmates for Voyage and the upcoming London residency.
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn, 77, similarly had begun a music career before ABBA began. After the group dissolved, he began focusing his talents in a different world than pop: musical theater. He wrote music alongside his ABBA bandmate Benny Andersson for the musical Chess in 1984 as well as the 1995 Swedish show Kristina Fran Duvemala. Of course, both also had a hand in Mamma Mia. Besides the stage musicals, Benny and Björn also teamed up with Swedish pop duo Gemini for their two albums during the 1980s, writing much of the music.
Outside of his musical endeavors, Björn also remarried. He tied the knot with his second wife, music writer Lena Källersjö, in 1981, and they have two daughters Emma, 41, and Anna, 36.
Björn continued also making occasional public appearances and contributions to the Eurovision song contest, like composing the anthem for the 2013 contest alongside the late DJ Avicii. He also assisted Swedish producer Andeas Carlsson in creating an English adaptation of a jukebox musical. In 2020, he was also elected president of CISAC, which is a non-profit that helps artists with copyrights, in the midst of the ABBA reunion.
Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson, 76, similarly found success prior to ABBA as the keyboard player for the rock band Hep Stars. Throughout much of ABBA’s original run, Benny was in a relationship with fellow member Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and they got married in 1978, but split up in 1981, shortly before the group broke up. He married his second wife Mona Nörklit in 1981, and the pair had their first son Ludvig, 41, the following year. Benny also has a son and daughter from a previous relationship. Ludvig is also a producer for ABBA’s recent reunion concerts.
Outside of his collaborations with Björn, Benny also started a new band called the Benny Andersson Orkester (Benny Andersson Orchestra), which has released eight albums from 2001 to 2019. He’s also written much music for film including the 1987 film Mio In The Land of Faraway and 2000’s Songs From The Second Floor. He’s also revisited his musical legacy on the 2017 record Piano, which features solo piano versions of songs by ABBA and from the musicals he co-wrote with Björn.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Like her fellow band members, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 77, had released some music prior to ABBA. Her debut solo record was produced by her future bandmate and husband Benny. She was married once before Benny and had two children: Hans, 60, and Ann, who died in car accident in 1998 at 30.
After ABBA split up, she Anni-Frid (who is often called Frida), released a Phil Collins-produced solo record Something’s Going On in 1982, which she followed up with Shine in 1984. She released one more Swedish solo album in 1996. Despite not putting out more albums, Frida still occasionally collaborated with other artists and performed concerts.
In 1982, Frida moved to Switzerland with her boyfriend Prince Henrich Ruzzo of Reuss, Count of Plauen. The two got married in 1992, but the prince passed away following a battle with Lymphoma in 1999. She’s been dating Henry Smith, Fifth Viscount Hambleden since 2007.