‘It was as if they’d just walked out the door from 1979!’ ABBA star Benny Andersson’s son reveals the band didn’t show ‘any nerves’ during first recordings for new album Voyage

• The band are releasing their first new songs for 40 years in the form of a studio album and will play a ‘greatest hits’ tour as digital characters
• The hitmakers have teamed up with an 850-strong team  to create digital versions of themselves for the forthcoming concert
• ABBA’s concert experience will open on May 27 2022 at the ABBA Arena, which is a state-of-the-art 3,000 capacity arena in London
• The concert will feature ABBA’s two new tracks, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, as well as songs from their upcoming album 
• Ludvig Andersson – who will help produce the upcoming shows – said that ‘it was as if they’d just walked out the door from 1979’ when they reunited 

ABBA star Benny Andersson’s son Ludvig has revealed that the band didn’t show ‘any nerves’ during the first recordings for their new album Voyage, with the project quickly ‘snowballing’ as soon as the band reunited. 

The band made up of Agnetha Fältskog, 71, Björn Ulvaeus, 76, Benny, 74, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75, are releasing their first new songs for 40 years in the form of a studio album and will play a ‘greatest hits’ tour as digital characters.

In a new interview Ludvig, 39, – who will help produce the upcoming shows – said that ‘it was as if they’d just walked out the door from 1979’ when they reunited following their four-decade-long hiatus.   

They’re back! Benny Andersson’s son Ludvig has revealed that ABBA didn’t show ‘any nerves’ during the first recordings for their new album Voyage

Speaking alongside fellow show producer Svana Gisla about the first recordings, the pair told The Mirror: ‘They were just incredible. They were doing it for themselves, because they thought that if they didn’t like it at the end of the day, they wouldn’t play it to anyone.

‘I didn’t see any nerves. It was as if they had just walked out the door from 1979 and back in 40 years later.’

Ludvig added of their shock reunion: ‘There was never a moment where they actually said, “Okay, we’re never doing this again.”‘ 

Stars: In a new interview Ludvig, 39, (pictured) – who will help produce the upcoming shows – said that ‘it was as if they’d just walked out the door from 1979’ when they reunited following their four-decade-long hiatus

Recalling their shock decision to reunite, Ludvig admitted they made the move after realising the old magic that helped turned them into international stars during their 1970s heyday was still there.  

He told The Express: ‘It was only supposed to be a couple of songs but they loved it so much, it snowballed.’ 

He went on to explain that the recordings were ‘so positive’ that they just ‘kept going’ and he could feel the ‘joy of them working as a four again’. 

Despite the enormous anticipation that inevitably precedes a potential ABBA reunion, producer Svana admits she was stunned by the subdued atmosphere as they recorded their first new material in decades. 

She said: ‘It was very intimate and unpretentious. It was like old friends. They were doing it for themselves, because they thought that if they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t play it to anyone.’     

Mamma Mia, here we go again! Speaking alongside fellow show producer Svana Gisla about the first recordings (pictured), the pair told The Mirror: ‘They were just incredible’

Svana added that Benny and Bjorn were left horrified by having to shave their beards for the first time in 40 years so they could wear motion-capture suits for the ABBA Voyage show.

She said that they looked at her in ‘utter bewilderment and said: ‘That’s absolutely not going to happen’.  

‘I looked over at the 180 people with computer monitors and said: ‘I am sorry Benny but you are going to have to shave or I will have to send everyone home.’  

ABBA will release their new album on November 5, after the legendary Swedish pop group last put out an album, titled The Visitors, in 1981.

The hitmakers have teamed up with an 850-strong team from Industrial Light & Magic – founded by George Lucas – to create digital versions of themselves for the concert, using months of motion-capture and performance techniques. 

ABBA’s concert experience will open on May 27 2022 at the ABBA Arena, which is a state-of-the-art 3,000 capacity arena located at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. 

Discussing their plan for the tour, Bjorn said: We’re here in London to announce our new music, it will take place just behind us in the newly built arena.’ 

Explaining how the idea came to play, he said: ‘First it was two songs, then we said a few others. Then I said, well why don’t we just do a whole album.

Exciting news! Agnetha Fältskog, 71, Björn Ulvaeus, 76, Benny Andersson, 74, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75 return with a revolutionary concert and a brand new album, Voyage

‘The first song I Still Have Faith In You, I just knew it had to be about us. It’s about ‘realising that it’s inconceivable to be where we are, no imagination could dream it up.  

‘To release a new album after 40 years and still be the best of friends and enjoying each other’s company, total loyalty, who has experienced that? Nobody.’

The concert will feature ABBA’s two new tracks, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, as well as songs from their upcoming album.

The foursome previously said they would never reform despite their huge worldwide popularity, and reaching more than 400 million album sales over 50 years. 

Explaining why the English capital was their first choice, Benny explained that its the ‘place to be’, and everyone travels there for shows and concerts.

The tour will be one and half hours long and they will play 22 songs.

Among their new tracks, the band revealed that one of the songs will be a Christmas tune – which will be released later this year around the festive period.  

The band, who are as famous for their sparkly outfits as much as their catchy tunes, enjoyed phenomenal success with a string of chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s after winning Eurovision in 1974 with song Waterloo. 

The group split in 1982 and have steadfastly resisted all offers to work together as the original line-up again. 

Looking forward to it! The group (pictured in the 1980s) announced new music last Thursday afternoon as part of a ‘sensational comeback’

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