Their story sounds like a fairy tale: Singers Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad fall in love with songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, make music together, and achieve worldwide success. ABBA narrated this love story perfectly, transforming it into music that thrilled millions of fans. The band’s music took listeners through the ups and downs of their private lives—describing their love, longing, success, as well as the pain they all experienced when the two couples separated in the early 1980s. The melodies are catchy, and their musical technique surprisingly complex and sophisticated.

 

Their breakthrough came in 1974 with "Waterloo,” and in the eight years that followed, the Swedish band landed number one hit after another while creating music history with their novel pop sound. Even after the band broke up in 1982, ABBA continued to ride their wave of success while also inspiring new generations of fans: The hashtag #ABBA has billions of views on Tiktok! Their songs have been covered by music icons like Erasure and Cher; Madonna has sampled "Gimme” in her music; and of course both the musical "Mamma Mia" and its film adaptation with Meryl Streep are also major global successes—highlighting the world’s timeless fascination with ABBA.

The four bandmates released a new album last year after a forty-year break. Together with musicians and industry peers, Arts 21 searches intensely for the secret to ABBA’s success.