ABBA is a group of Swedish pop singers who were formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 by the group members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. As one might be able to guess, the group’s name is formed by taking the first alphabet of each member’s name and combining them. The group had two married couples (Fältskog & Ulvaeus, and Lyngstad & Andersson) at one point in time, but they got divorced years later.
The group has been incredibly successful as they held the top position in various charts between the period 1972 and 1974. The group has sold upwards of 150 Million records in totality, which has made them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Also, ABBA’s song “Dancing Queen” was inducted into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame.
Inception
Benny Andersson (b. 16 Dec 1946) became a member of a popular Swedish pop-rock group called Hep Stars. The group was so successful that they began to be called “the Swedish Beatles.” During his time with the band, he played Keyboard and wrote songs as well. Björn Ulvaeus (b. 25 April 1945) became a member of the popular Swedish folk–skiffle group called the “Hootenanny Singers.”
During his time with the group, he worked as a singer, writer, and guitarist as well. It was Stig Anderson, manager of the Hootenanny Singers at the time, and the owner of Polar Music label who encouraged Ulvaeus and Andersson to work together. This collaboration wrote and produced hits like “Ljuva sexual” and “Speleman.”
Agnetha Fältskog (born 5 April 1950) began singing with a local dance, whose head was Bernt Enghardt. Bernt sent a recording of the track sung by Agnetha to Karl Gerhard Lundkvist. Karl convinced her to record her songs. One of her songs, at the time, had even managed to sell upwards of 80,000 copies. Fältskog met Ulvaeus during the filming of a Swedish TV special in May of 1969 and got married a couple of years later on the 6th of July 1971.
Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945) has worked in many bands, including her band, the Anni-Frid Four. Lyngstad started dating Andersson soon after originally meeting him in the Melodifestivalen which took place on the 1st of March 1969. They got married in 1978. The first sign of combining their talents came in April of 1970 when all the four future-band members performed in front of United Nations soldiers on the Island of Cyprus in April of 1970. However, the group was only formed in 1972.
Evolution
The group’s first major success came in the year 1974 when they won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest on the 6th of April 1974 when they sang “Waterloo.” In the U.S., the song was featured on Billboard Hot 100 chart at #6. Their next song, “Honey, Honey” became a part of the US Billboard Hot 100 at #27. In 1975, they released their 3rd studio album “ABBA” which peaked at #13 in the UK charts.
The song “SOS,” which was a part of the album “ABBA” reached number 6 in the UK chartbusters. The single became the group’s second #1 single in Germany and their third #1 single in Australia. Their song reached number 1 in the UK, Germany, and Australia. By the year of 1976, the group had four Top 30 singles on the US charts. The music video for the songs “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” and “Mamma Mia” gained great popularity as well.
The album’s 4th studio album was named “Arrival” became the number 1 best seller in both Europe and Australia. The group then went to tour Europe and Australia, which was a major success as well. In fact, for one concert, 3.5 million requests for tickets were also received. The songs “The Name of the Game” and “Take a Chance on Me,” reached the number one position in the UK charts, and the number 12 and number three, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.
By 1978, the group became one of the biggest bands in the world. The group released the 6th studio album “Voulez-Vous,” in April of 1979, which reached the number one position in charts across Europe and in Japan and Mexico. The album was also featured in the Top 10 in Canada and Australia and the Top 20 in the United States. Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson got divorced in 1981 while Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus divorced in 1980.
The group had one of their last few recordings in 1982, which included the songs, “You Owe Me One,” “I Am the City,” and “Just Like That” were recorded. Their final public performance as ABBA came on the British TV program “The Late, Late Breakfast Show” on the 11th of December 1982. They had their reunion at Mamma Mia! The Party in Stockholm on the 20th of January 2016.
Awards & Achievements
Abba has been showered with several Awards & Achievements over the years. Here is a list covering some of those Awards & Achievements:
- The group won the Vocal Group of the Year Awards in 1981 at the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) Entertainer of The Year Awards
- The group was the winner of The Most Outstanding Group Award in 1977.
- In the period between 1974 and 1982 at the Bravo Otto Awards, the group won the Bronze Award- Pop Group 4 times and the Silver Award-Pop Group 5 times.
- The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Net Worth of ABBA in 2024
As of April 2024, The net worth of the pop music group, ABBA, is upwards of $900 Million. Each member’s net worth is estimated to be around $200 to $300 Million. Therefore it’s no surprise that the group’s net worth is so great. The group has gathered most of their earnings from their music career and their various tours and concerts. Here’s wishing the group, best of luck for their future endeavors, and thanking them for the entertainment they provided to us over the years.