Mikory's ABBA-blog

ABBA Pic of the Day

Björn and Benny are planning a new musical

The success duo continue. Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have long reaching plans for a new musical, Expressen reveals.

"Mamma Mia!" is opening in Copenhagen at Tivoli's Concert Hall in the middle of October next year. Thousands of tickets are already sold.

     - After the world premiere in London we thought that it would run for a couple of months. Now it has been ten years and it is still running, and it looks like it's going to be able to run for another 10 years in both New York and London says Björn Ulvaeus.

So you can't see and ending for "Mamma Mia!"?

     - No, I really can't, he says.

He also reveals that a new musical is in the making.

     - It's true that we have plans for a new musical. Because now we have finally found an idea. I can't say anything more about it right now, says Björn Ulvaeus.

Björn and Lena attended Eva & Efva's wedding

Yesterday Swedish singer Eva Dahlgren and Efva Attling, designer got married at Benny's hotel Rival in Stockholm. Several Swedish artists attended the wedding; Tomas Ledin, Orup, Niklas Strömstedt, Peter Jöback and Björn and his wife Lena. Björn said that he wished them a long and happy marriage just as the one he has with his wife. "- We have been married for 30 years now".

For more pictures see Aftonbladets report here.

ABBA Pic of the Day

ABBA Pic of the Day

Björn and Benny's luxury cars stolen

An organized crime ring of car thieves are stealing luxury cars in Sweden.  Since July of this year more than 40 cars have been stolen - in Stockholm alone, the police says. The cars that are stolen are all luxury cars that cost between SEK 500.000 up to SEK 1.000.000. Because of these high prices these are not usual Swedes that can afford them so most owners are celebrities or CEOs.

     Among the ones who has had their cars stolen are Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. Björn owned a Lexus 600 and Benny had a Porsche Cayenne. The police suspects that the stolen cars end up in Russia with new, false documents.

1971 Björn and Agnetha "We will have one child of our own - the rest we will adopt!"

From Året Runt 1971

July's wedding couple Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus say:

"We will have one child of our own - the rest we will adopt!

This year Svensktoppen-couple is Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus. She is 21 and he is 26. They are going to have an oldfashioned wedding in Verum Church i northern Skåne on July the 6th. And have a big party afterwards in Vittsjö.

     Then they will split up in August. That thing about splitting up is not as serious as it sounds. This young and well singing couple will only split up artistically. Apart from that they really live up to the Svensktoppen ideal; kind, sweet, blonde and Swedish. And also very aware of what is going on in the world. Like all modern young people.

     Björn Ulvaeus began his career in Hootenanny Singers with Västervik as their base. Many years has passed since then. Back then he wanted to write music and create something new, something better than that year's best - The Kingston Trio.

     Then he met a guy called Benny Andersson, who was an exmember of Hep Stars, piano player and songwriter. The two started working together and quickly made it with songs on Svensktoppen.

     At the same time Agnetha Fältskog was sitting at home and listened to Björn, to Hootenanny Singers and to the team Andersson/Ulvaeus' melodies. And slowly started writing songs herself. Then she came, saw and conquered! She met Björn and two hearts started to beat as one.

     Soon Agnetha and Björn started to work together and the duo became a quartet when Benny Andersson brought his fiancée Anni-Frid Lyngstad to the mix.

     But now, a year later, Benny and Anni-Frid has split up artistically and the same thing will happen to Björn and Agnetha this autumn.

      - We're afraid to end up in the same situation as Svenne and Lotta who can't work separately anymore. Svenne Hedlund and his Lotta has, as everyone knows, has established themselves as a couple on aswell as off stage.

      Björn and Agnetha's church wedding plans almost fell apart. When they called the assistant vicar Uno Wardener, who will marry them, he asked them about their professions.

     - We are artists, said Björn.

     - If you are atheists Verum Church is not the right place for you to get married, said the assistant vicar who misheard what Björn said. The misunderstanding was soon cleared up though.

      Agnetha Fältskog:

      - We will have one child of our own - then we will adopt the rest.

      Björn Ulvaeus:

      - Naturally we want a child of our own if we can have one. But the world around us is filled with poverty and need, and it's just natural that we should do what we can to help. Unfortunately adoptions take a very long time. But we have planned to travel to Peru or some other country in Southamerica to see if that would speed up things.. With thousands of starving children all over the world we have to take a responsibility, make a difference. And also we love children - no matter where they are from.

ABBA Pic of the Day

ABBA Pic of the Day

1972 "The Svensktoppen-couple are expecting their baby!"

This article comes from the weekly magazine "Allers" in 1972. Thanks to Monica for sending it to me.

Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus are expecting. Their first child will be born in February.

     -       If it’s a boy or a girl doesn’t matter. But naturally we both think that little girls are really cute.

     Agnetha spends her time waiting with songwriting for a new album she is soon going to record.

-         It will be my fifth album and it’s really exciting.
I will write all of the music and some of the lyrics.

     When Agnetha isn’t working with her album she is eating raw carrots and drinking lemonade.

-         It’s amazing how tasty it is!

     As soon as Agnetha found out that she was pregnant she started knitting baby socks. Right now she is working on a babysuit.

-         You can by no means say that I’m very handy. But it’s such fun to make some stuff for the baby myself.

     Agnetha’s and Björn’s baby will be the first grandchild in the family.

-         Everyone is really engaged. Björn’s father is making a cradle, his mother crochets a baby blanket and Agnetha’s mother is sewing tiny, cute outfits.

     Agnetha and Björn also has a small dog, a French bulldog called Ada.

-         She is blissfully unaware about what is going to happen. But we hope that she will accept the new member of the family. I’m sure it will be fine if we spend time with her as well as with the baby.

     Agnetha and Björn are not planning to raise their child with the help of any babybooks.

-         We believe that you come a long way with lots of love. I really hope we are going to be good parents. That our child feels that it always can come to us with its problems and joy.

-         What characteristics that you and Björn have would you like your baby to inherit?

-         Naturally I hope that our child will be musical. Singing and music is such a joy. And I want the little one to get Björn’s happy temperament. For myself I have something that I value very highly. I’m extremely stubborn when I believe in something and when I know that I’m right.

Good luck, Agnetha and Björn! We are hoping you get a little girl with lots of humour and a big portion of stubbornness.