Wat tijdens het Songfestival niet gebeurde, lukt nu wel: zeldzame ABBA-reünie op Zweeds paleis
The four members of ABBA have received a high royal distinction at the Swedish palace. They were awarded the honor in the Swedish Order of Vasa for their exceptional contributions to the Swedish and international music industry. Remarkably, this honor had not been bestowed upon Swedish citizens for almost 50 years.
After a double divorce (both Agnetha and Björn, and Benny and Anni-Frid were once married) and a professional split, the four members of ABBA went their separate ways. There was hope that they would make an appearance at the Song Festival in the Swedish city of Malmö last month, exactly 50 years after their victory with ‘Waterloo’. However, an official tribute with all the fanfare was not in store: the Song Festival audience only saw the virtual avatars of the iconic quartet.
At the start of the virtual ABBA show in London in 2022, Björn Ulvaeus (79), Anni-Frid Lyngstad (78), Agnetha Fältskog (74), and Benny Andersson (77) did appear on the red carpet and stage at the premiere. It had been more than 35 years since the four of them had appeared together in public.
On the invitation of the Swedish royal couple, ABBA was received in full at the Swedish palace in Stockholm. There, they received a high royal distinction: an honor in the Swedish Order of Vasa. They were recognized for their “exceptional contributions to the Swedish and international music industry.”
Following their victory at the Song Festival in 1974 – exactly 50 years ago – ABBA had a very successful career until their breakup in 1983, with hits like ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘Dancing Queen,’ and ‘SOS,’ and approximately 200 million albums sold. Their temporary hiatus eventually became a permanent end to their careers, with the release of the album ‘Voyage’ in 2021 being the exception.
Even after their musical retirement, the music of ABBA remains incredibly popular. Thanks to a remix by DJ Kygo, ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ became a chart success for the second time. And in London, the ‘Voyage’ tour has been running for 2 years, where the four virtual embodiments of ABBA – the so-called ABBA-tars – perform their greatest hits.
The quartet individually attended the Swedish palace for this significant royal distinction. The female ABBA members were dressed entirely in white, while the men wore dark blue suits. Anni-Frid Lyngstad had a cane at hand and wore sunglasses. She appeared the most fragile, but during the photoshoot after the solemn moment, only smiling faces were seen.
Double historically significant
The fact that the 4 ABBA members are receiving a distinction in the Order of Vasa is notable for two reasons. Firstly, the timing coincides with the 50th anniversary of their victory at the Song Festival. Over the years, the male ABBA members, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, have received other distinctions from the Swedish royal family.
Secondly, it has been since 1975 that distinctions in the Vasa order have been awarded. At that time, it was decided that an honor in that knightly order would only be given to non-Swedish citizens. This decision has been reversed due to a reform of the honors system. The first new honors in the reformed Vasa order are not coincidentally awarded to ABBA, as an important Swedish export product. Along with the 4 ABBA members, 4 other individuals have received that honor. Additionally, 5 other Swedes have received honors in 2 other orders at the Swedish palace. In total, 13 people have been honored, including the Swedish Nobel Prize winner Svante Pääbo.