Monday, June 6, 2016

ABBA Reunites, Performs For 50th Anniversary Party

The four members of ABBA have come together for an improbable performance. 

Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad made a rare joint appearance on Sunday (June 5) for a celebration to mark the half-century since the legendary pop group was born.

The Swedish superstars were joined with other musicians, homegrown actors, celebrities and guests for a private party at the Berns Salonger hotel in downtown Stockholm, the Expressen reports.

It’s the second surprise ABBA reunion this year, after the former bandmates’ assembled Jan. 20 for the opening of Stockholm’s Mamma Mia! The Party.

On this occasion, however, the foursome shared a music-making moment not seen for decades, according to people who were in the room. Images of the former bandmates singing and embracing on stage have been circulated on social media though video of the performance has yet to emerge.

Ulvaeus and Andersson met for the first time on June 5 1966. A friendship grew, ABBA was formed and the rest is, well, history.

Beloved for their fashion-forward looks, perfect harmonies and timeless pop hooks, ABBA sold more than 380 million albums worldwide in a career that exploded in 1974 with its Eurovision Song Contest-winning performance of “Waterloo”.

The act split in 1982 and hasn't performed together since 1986. ABBA’s music has enjoyed a huge boost thanks to the lucrative Mamma Mia! stage show, which opened in 1999 in London and later became a Broadway hit. The jukebox musical has grossed more than $2 billion from more than 40 international stage adaptations and been seen by more than 55 million people.

Legend would have it the members of ABBA once turned down a $1 billion fee to reunite for a tour.

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