ABBA stepped out for their first public appearance together in six years ahead of the first Abba Voyage concert.
The iconic Swedish group, made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson, were pictured attending the ABBA Arena to mark the band’s first virtual show.
Fans of the group were doubtlessly thrilled by the public appearance - which marks the first time the foursome have been seen together since a rare 2016 appearance in Stockholm.
In the images of the troupe from the red carpet, the stars appeared in high spirits as they posed in front of the press. Faltskog, 72, and Lyngstad, 76, were visions in white as they beamed alongside their ABBA co-stars ahead of the show.
Ulvaeu, 77, opted for a navy suit while his bandmate Andersson, 75, chose a bolder choice of outfit with a flowery, ankle-length coat.
Speaking from the red carpet to the BBC alongside her bandmates, Faltskog said: “ABBA has never left us... in our hearts.”
“The music is a part of us and we love it.”
“I’ve dreamed of this for years,” Lyngstad added, when asked by reporters what had made her decide to be with ABBA again. “I agree with Agnetha. We love our music, we love to sing, we love the material that Benny and Bjorn write and it’s a challenge at the same time.”
“I think the only way you can understand what this is, you have to come and see it,” Andersson added.
Although ABBA vowed that they would never reform after the group parted ways in 1982 the musicians sent fans into meltdown when they released their Voyage album in 2021.
They later confirmed that they would be putting on a concert, however, they would appear in hologram form for their fans.
The Abba Voyage will run until December at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
During the show audiences of 3,000 fans will watch a hologram show that features the four stars in avatar form.
Reflecting on the performance, Ulvaeu recently admitted that it was “unbelievable” to see himself and the band on stage.
“We were sitting away back in the darkness, so nobody saw us,” the singer said, according to The Mirror.
“Benny was there and Frida, we just looked at ourselves and thought, ‘What the hell is this. How did this happen?’”
“It was unbelievable. For the time fans are in the arena, they believe we are real and are on stage. They’re at a concert with ABBA.
Andersson has also previously spoken about the experience, telling Variety: “Everyone who has been working on this project has done a fantastic job. That’s what I felt. It is us up there. It’s ABBA, and so beautifully done.”
