The Legend is Back

ABBA-FANS FIRMLY BELIEVE IN NEW MUSIC BY SWEDISH POPGROUP

Source: De Telegraag 28 aug. 2021 - by Fabian Melchers & Eline Verburg

Will this be the day? With the words "ABBA Voyage" above an image of a promising flashing solar eclipse, accompanied by the date 02-09-2021, the Swedish pop-legend ABBA again has their fans hold their breath. The ad ends with the slogan 'The wait is almost over'

Can we finally sink our teeth in to it? Or will this be another false alarm. after all, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-frid and Agnetha have been promising us at least two new songs since spring 2018. delay after delay followed.

The most recent posts are a bit more specific. For example, there is a real show in London. ABBA Voyage, where the foursome makes an appearance, accompanied by their younger avatars. Holograms called "ABBATARS" in this case. They perform well-known songs such as Waterloo, Mama Mia and Dancing Queen.

Premiere

The show is also the premiere of the documentary which follows ABBA during their comeback process. The big bang must of course be the performance of the new music, the titles of which were already known all along. "I Still Have Faith In You" and "Don't Shut Me Down"

"In any case, it is incredibly exciting and fun" says Helga van der Kar founder and president of the official international ABBA Fan club (since 1986), headquartered in Roosendaal.
Don't ask a fan whether her favorite band is still up to date, but Van der Kar is convinced: "The new music has to be very good. It simply cannot be anything else. ABBA has never released anything where they didn't stand behind the whole thing, they are very perfectionistic"

"A bit strange" says Marco Dirven who "Has been a fan since Fernando". So 1975. "Of course they never officially stopped. They ended in 1981 with the beautiful 'The Day Before You Came', and after that there was just nothing more. I was at peace with that."
nevertheless, Dirven expects the new music to sound great. "All these years I mainly followed Benny Andersson. I spoke to him two years ago in Helsinki - at the musical Chess - and then he mentioned that the four of them had been back in the studio. Several people have already heard the new songs, find the songs very ABBA and are very enthusiastic."
according to the fan, there will be a pop-up theater in east London, where the show with holograms will be shown daily for 3000 visitors. After that, a world tour would follow, if Corona allows.
"It's really going to happen now" Bonny van den Dobbelsteen assures us. "In 2018 there was only a press release, but now it is officially announced with its own website. I am also sure that if the music was not good, Benny and Bjorn would never go on with it.

More serieuse

"ABBA had a lot of happy music in their younger days, but you could already hear with the "Visitors" on their last album that the tone was getting more serious. Maybe we'll get something more contemporary now, and show how they are now. " van den Dobbelsteen has been a fan of the Swedish band since she was seven. "Take A Change On Me - I loved that video clip. When I was young I really fell for the happy songs. Later you get a bit older and you appreciate the music in a different way.
'The Winner Takes It All' came in very differently when I got divorced myself. Only then did I really feel what they meant at the time. It hasn't always been easy for me" Van den Dobbelsteen continues. "It's great that you can then draw your strength from the same songs that make you happy. Just listen to 'Move On' My favorite record. If you feel comfortable and blessed in life, it makes you very happy and if you need some support, it works as well. That's what I really like about their music.

"They always want to deliver quality" says Be Annen, who turned a room into an ABBA museum at home. "So that could be the reason it took longer. They must also have had bad luck with Corona. But now there is something substantial. I notice that I am starting to get exited again. Just like when I was little."

Expectations

Despite the towering expectations, Annen is not afraid of disappointment. "Sometimes you just have to be able to trust something blindly. ABBA has made so many beautiful things. Everyone is still guessing what exactly will appear. I would be very happy with the two songs that were announced in 2018. A completely new album would of course be great. Be Annen explains that ABBA's music runs like a thread through his life. For example, 'The Day Before You Came' helped as a support when he came out. "Nowadays my favorite record is 'Happy New Year'" said the fan. "Not only because I love the Christmas period, but also because it's a song with perspective. Learn from the past and keep looking to the future.

If the hologram show in London actually happens, Annen will definitely be there. "I was too young at the time," he says. "I first met Benny in 2018. That was magical. Then you feel like that 11-year-old boy who is bewitched again. That feels really deep