Agnetha in an inteview with Zoe Ball

 BBC Radio 2 - The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show

Radio Interview - BBC Radio 2 The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show

August 31, 2023

Agnetha Fältskog, chats to Zoe about her life and career, as well as bringing a world exclusive first play of her brand new music.

Where Do We Go From Here?

https://youtu.be/8VjGpVg1Ots?si=EjXEm70ncL2SgAnC

A couple of years ago I heard one of the songs from my last album ‘A’ on the radio. I have lots of fond memories from making that album, so I couldn’t help but smile, time flies…

Suddenly it hit me, what would the album sound like if we had made it today...? I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I reached out to the boys who produced ‘A’ back in 2013 - “What would you guys think about reimagining ‘A’ and making a totally new version of it?” They loved the idea! “Let’s try!”

A while later I heard the first reworked song, and I must say I absolutely loved it! It sounded so fresh and modern, even better than I had imagined it!

We named the album A+ and as a cherry on top we even recorded a brand new song! And that will be the first thing you´ll hear from me.

Now I can’t wait to hear what you think about it! I hope you like it as much as I do!

All the best, Agnetha

https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/jorgen-elofsson-agneta-faltskog-overraskar-alltid

interview in swedish

El compositor Jörgen Elofsson habla sobre el sencillo completamente recién escrito de Agnetha Fältskog "Where do we go from here" y los antecedentes del próximo álbum "A +". Un álbum que marca el décimo aniversario del último álbum de Agnetha Fältskog "A" y que contiene nuevas versiones de todas las canciones.

- De hecho, lanzamos la música vieja y rehicimos las canciones que habrían dejado si las hubiéramos escrito hoy, dice Jörgen Elofsson.

Jörgen Elofsson también cuenta cómo es trabajar con Agnetha Fältskog

- Lo más divertido de Agnetha es que, independientemente de la idea, ella siempre responde "Nunca debes cerrar ninguna puerta". Ella siempre sorprende. También es muy inspiradora para trabajar en el estudio y muy buena compositora.

El single recién escrito "Where de we go from here" acaba de ser lanzado. El álbum A + se lanzará el 13 de octubre.

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Jörgen Elofsson: Agnetha Fältskog överraskar alltid

12 min - Idag kl 12.10

Låtskrivaren Jörgen Elofsson berättar om Agnetha Fältskogs helt nyskrivna singel ”Where do we go from here” och bakgrunden till det kommande albumet ”A+”. Ett album som uppmärksammar tioårsjubileet av Agnetha Fältskogs senaste album ”A” och som innehåller nya versioner av alla låtar.

– Vi slängde faktiskt den gamla musiken och gjorde om låtarna som de skulle ha låtit om vi skrivit dem idag, berättar Jörgen Elofsson.

Jörgen Elofsson berättar också hur det är att jobba med Agnetha Fältskog;

– Det roligaste med Agnetha är att hon oavsett idé alltid svarar ”Man ska aldrig stänga några dörrar”. Hon överraskar alltid. Hon är också väldigt inspirerande att jobba med i studion och väldigt duktig låtskrivare också.

Nyskrivna singeln ”Where de we go from here” har precis släppts. Albumet A+ släpps den 13 oktober.

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agnetha2023 -  - notes -  agnethainterview -interviews2023

Agnetha - World premiere

 

https://www.facebook.com/AgnethaOfficial

From Amazon 

"On the 10th anniversary of her solo album ‘A’, Agnetha Fältskog releases ‘A+’, a completely reimagined version of ‘A’. This 2CD deluxe version of the album features 11 reworked tracks, including the lead single ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ - the first new material from Agnetha in 10 years - plus all 10 original recordings from the album ‘A’. Agnetha has been working with renowned, Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Jorgen Elofsson (who has written hits for Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and many more)".
"This title will be released on October 13, 2023."

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deluxe-Agnetha-Fältskog/dp/B0CGRXB1MT/ref=sr_1_10

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deluxe-Agnetha-Fältskog/dp/B0CGRXB1MT

Görel Hanser at interview

https://www.icethesite.com/2018/03/an-interview-with-gorel-hanser

March 12, 2018

An interview with Görel Hanser...

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Abba: The Sound of Business

 Abba: The Sound of Business

Stig Anderson responds to critics about the commercial success of the Swedish pop group

To Stig Anderson, it’s a familiar story. “I’ve seen it all a hundred times,” says Abba’s business manager, record company president and lyricist. “First, we get the Number One hit; then the fan mail, the calls and letters; and then the merchandising companies approach us.”

The Number One hit was “Dancing Queen,” Abba’s first Number One in America, after a slew of Top Ten hits, and the rest is following on schedule. America is Abba’s final frontier. They’re already the biggest pop group Europe has seen in years, the number one group across the continent, including England. In countries as diverse as Australia (where Best of Abba sold 860,000 copies in a nation of 14 million) and Turkey, Abba are huge stars; in fact, no one is bigger. Worldwide, they have sold 27 million singles, 12 million albums. The U.S. could up those figures by 25%, but it’s only the icing on the cake: with the possible exception of the Eagles, no group in the world has sold as many records over the last three years as Abba.

But Abba’s rise has been more methodical than meteoric, leading some to suspect that the group is more interested in marketing than music. Anderson insists that this is a canard. “If you’re writing good songs, why shouldn’t the marketing be as good as the rest of it?” he asks. “After all, this is the first time in the history of show business that there has been 100% artistic control of writing, marketing, recording and record label. We’re just not giving it away to some third, fourth, fifth or sixth party.”

Abba’s music is as tightly controlled as that dialogue. Every song, not just a few, rides on sprightly rhythms, bounces from melodic hook to melodic hook and is overlaid with the chiming vocals of Agnetha (Anna) Faltskog and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad. It is just the sort of music that, years ago, dominated the American Top 40—intense beat, frothy instrumentation and well-sung lyrics, much like Cyrkle’s “Red Rubber Ball.”

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But there is a communal thrust to all of this. Anna is married to Bjorn Ulvaeus, one of the group’s principal writer/producers and its guitarist; Frida lives with Benny Andersson, the other writer/producer and the group’s organist. Bjorn and Benny sing too; in fact, as Bjorn and Benny, they released a 1971 LP in Sweden. In 1972 they and then publisher Stig Anderson decided to “make hits for the world,” and found they had the necessary vocal presence right in the family—Anna and Frida. Stig became the lyricist, because his trade for many years had been translating foreign hits for the Swedish market. (At one time in the Sixties, he says, every other song on the Swedish chart had his words.)

By 1974 Abba’s “Waterloo” had won the Eurovision song contest; it eventually sold 5 million copies, plus another 3 million albums, worldwide. The group by now was recording for the label Anderson had set up for them, Polar (it also records local Swedish artists), and Stig was shrewd enough to shop for the proper record label in each nation. And they used TV effectively, spreading Anna’s and Frida’s likenesses everywhere in the pop press, tabloid dailies and on posters.

“Some people believe we are doing this for money’s sake, but we aren’t,” he says. “It’s  fun—the money comes with it.”

Anderson considers the tax rate ample evidence that the group isn’t completely mercenary. He admits the music is commercial—the group does get the U.S. Hot 100 to listen to every week—but claims that it is also natural. “Some people believe we are doing this for money’s sake, but we aren’t,” he says. “Otherwise, why would we be such perfectionists, turning out only one LP per year? It’s also fun—the money comes with it.”

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But if they aren’t in it just for bucks, what’s next, after the conquering of America? “I don’t know,” Anderson says. “Yesterday I said the moon.” Currently, a movie is being prepared (much footage was shot during the group’s recently concluded Australian tour) which involves a disc jockey in hot pursuit of an interview with Abba; there’s also some thought about doing a musical for the legitimate theater. Either venture should be more successful than when, years ago, Anderson approached Ingmar Bergman to inquire why the director didn’t try using Swedish pop music in his movies, as American and English directors had used pop from their countries. “He didn’t say anything,” Anderson remembers. “But his next film was called The Silence.”

When they’re bored with it, Abba says they’ll quit. In the meantime, Anderson insists defiantly that Abba’s hit-singles success comes from no formula at all. “I’ll tell you what I tell everyone who asks that—if it’s a formula, why don’t you go out and find it?”

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/abba-the-sound-of-business-74740/

Bjorn - instagram

 instagram pekkaheino

Agnetha - Where Do we go from here?

 

https://agnethaofficial.com

ABBA star launching solo career after landing major record deal with Kylie Minogue’s label

Published: 20:00, 24 Aug 2023

Updated: 10:07, 25 Aug 2023

ABBA star Agnetha Fältskog is relaunching her solo career — and has landed a record deal aged 73.

The Mamma Mia singer has signed to BMG — the label which has helped get Kylie Minogue, 55, back in the charts.

The Swede is planning to release an album — her first in a decade — later this year.

She returned to music two years ago for the reunion of 1970s megastars Abba. 

Their No1 album Voyage sold more than 2.5million and was up for five Grammies.

A music insider said: “Agnetha loved being back in the studio with Abba and it inspired her to relaunch her solo career. 

READ MORE ON ABBA

"She has been in regular contact for months with the team at BMG in London and they have helped develop her new sound.

“After a long time working on new music, there is finally a body of work which she loves and which is ready for release.”

To tease her comeback, she has launched an Instagram account, sharing an image featuring the phrase “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Agnetha’s last album, 2013’s A, reached No6 in the UK charts.

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It marks 55 years since her self- titled debut album, which was recorded in Swedish and released pre-Abba. However she is unlikely to play her new material live.

Asked in 2013 about concerts, she said: “No, I can’t. That’s my weakest [thing], the live thing. And also the fact I’m older now, so I can’t do that. I don’t want to disappoint people.”

The ABBA Voyage live show in East London has digital avatars of Agnetha, her ex Björn Ulvaeus, 78, plus former couple Benny Andersson, 76, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 77.

ABBA Star Helps YouTube Get To Grips With AI Music

 

actualizada 22 08 2023

YouTube publishes AI music principles and launches AI incubator

YouTube debuted a set of AI Music Principles and unveiled the YouTube Music AI Incubator, which was launched in collaboration with artists:ins, songwriters:ins and producers:ins.

Editorial - August 22, 2023

Juanes, Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA) and Rosanne Cash (Pictures: zVg)

YouTube is committed to working closely with the music industry on AI in music. Likewise, YouTube wants to drive bold and responsible innovation on the platform. To this end, YouTube has defined three AI Music Principles:

Accordingly, YouTube is committed to working closely with the music industry in the context of AI in music. Likewise, YouTube wants to drive bold and responsible innovation on the platform. To this end, YouTube has defined three AI Music Principles:

Principle #1: AI is here, and YouTube will use it responsibly with its music partners.

Principle #2: AI is ushering in a new era of creative expression, but it must provide adequate protection and open up new opportunities for music partners who want to participate.

Principle #3: YouTube has built an organization that sets the standard for the entire industry in terms of trust, security, and content policies. We will build on this to deal with the challenges of AI accordingly.

The new principles were co-created by Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO, Sir Lucian Grainge. In his guest contribution "An artist centric approach to AI innovation" on the YouTube blog, he explains his vision for an artist:inside-centric approach to generative AI. Likewise, he reveals how a partnership with YouTube can best position the music industry for success as AI evolves.

The announcement also introduced the YouTube Music AI Incubator. This is a program that will bring together some of today's most innovative artists, songwriters and producers to support YouTube's approach to generative AI in music. The incubator will launch with a cross-genre roster of creatives from Universal Music Group. They include Anitta, Björn Ulvaeus, d4vd, Don Was, Juanes, Louis Bell, Max Richter, Rodney Jerkins, Rosanne Cash, Ryan Tedder, Yo Gotti and the musical estate of Frank Sinatra, among others.

https://www.werbewoche.ch/en/digital/2023-08-22/youtube-veroeffentlicht-ki-musikgrundsaetze-und-lanciert-ki-inkubator/

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ABBA Star Helps YouTube Get To Grips With AI Music

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Aug 21, 2023,11:01am EDT|

ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus is among a group of musicians that will “help inform YouTube’s approach to generative AI in music”.

Dubbed the YouTube AI Music Incubator, the program includes a wide range of artists, including the ABBA star, Brazilian singer Anitta, singer d4vd and several others. Artists seemingly don’t even need to be alive to help YouTube get to grips with AI—the estate of Frank Sinatra is among the list of contributors.

Given Björn Ulvaeus was best known for his work in the 1970s, he might also seem an unlikely choice to help YouTube with its AI work, although ABBA are certainly no dinosaurs when it comes to music technology. The ABBA Voyage show which opened in London last year creates convincing holographic avatars of the band which perform on stage for a 90-minute concert.

“While some may find my decision controversial, I've joined this group with an open mind and purely out of curiosity about how an AI model works and what it could be capable of in a creative process,” said Ulvaeus in a statement.

“I believe that the more I understand, the better equipped I'll be to advocate for and to help protect the rights of my fellow human creators."

Other artists share Ulvaeus’s intention to protect the work of human artists from AI. “We have to be in this conversation, or our voices won’t be heard,” said composer Max Richter, another member of the Incubator.

“Therefore, I’m very happy to be part of the ‘artist incubator’ which will allow me to advocate for the interests of the creative community in the applications of AI to music and music distribution.”

YouTube’s AI Principles

Alongside the Incubator, YouTube has published a set of three AI music principles, which the company’s CEO claims demonstrates the service’s commitment to work with the music industry.

Forbes Daily: Get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.

The first principle states that “AI is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners”.

The second claims that “AI is ushering in a new age of creative expression, but it must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners who decide to participate”.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2023/08/21/abba-star-helps-youtube-get-to-grips-with-ai-music/?sh=2b282a6534b6

Bjorn at Stockholm

 

stevenormanofficial

y

stereoblonde

"And breathe…

I’m never happier than when surrounded by water, a bit of nature, family or friends.

From Brandenburg to Sweden, we chilled and thrilled. And to be fair, there’s not much that can beat Sweden’s beaut of an archipelago for switching off and relaxing. For us at least.
What’s not to like? Giant ants, animals I’ve never seen before..boat trips…delicious food…gym every morn…Netflix, all topped off with copious amounts of home made ice cream and popcorn.
Oh, and I made #1 again on Duolingo’s Diamond League with my German.
Hurra!!

Many thanks, dear @christina.of.denmark and B. for your hospitality and generosity. We had a wonderful time with you guys.
The batteries are fully recharged and calm is restored.
See you again soon, magical Sweden.
We are firmly under your spell.
SnS xx"

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv-Z19EtAeV

Interview: Björn Ulvaeus On Making ABBA's Timeless Hits

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy6ZO1e4W3U

Article here: https://musictech.com/news/music/abba-bjorn-ulvaeus-ai/

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Björn Ulvaeus Reveals Inspiration Behind ABBA's 'Dancing Queen': 'I Think That's How Pop Music Evolves'

"The groove, that slow kind of disco groove was something that [made us think], 'That's interesting.'"

Björn Ulvaeus Reveals Inspiration Behind ABBA's 'Dancing Queen': 'I Think That's How Pop Music Evolves'

ABBA songwriter & star Björn Ulvaeus reflected on the unusual arrangement of the Swedish pop institution's "Dancing Queen", admitting that it was inspired by the R&B icon George McCrae's debut single "Rock Your Baby".

Originally released in Sweden as a single on August 15 in 1976, ABBA's disco song soon became a worldwide hit, reaching no. 1 in the US, and topping the charts in over a dozen other countries, while reaching top five in many more. Aside from being catchy as hell, one of the song's standout features is certainly that it starts almost in the middle of the chorus.

Speaking to Rick Beato in a recent interview, Björn Ulvaeus explains that it turned out that way because the song was originally too long, so someone decided to cut the intro.

Recalling the original inspiration behind the song, he added (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

"['Dancing Queen'] illustrates how the human mind works a bit like AI. We gather all this information in the form of songs, [and] when we grow up, we never stop. And we use it as inspiration; as an impulse to do something."

"I can say that 'Dancing Queen' was inspired by a big hit in the US called 'Rock Your Baby'. [But] when you hear 'Dancing Queen', it has nothing to do with 'Rock Your Baby'. But the groove, that slow kind of disco groove was something that [made us think], 'That's interesting.' There's nothing wrong with that. I think that's how pop music evolves."

ABBA Voyage review: ‘A musical showcase so mind-blowing I’m unsure if it really happened’

 ABBA Voyage review: ‘A musical showcase so mind-blowing I’m unsure if it really happened’

Nobody would believe me if I told them what happened, writes Lea Dzifa Seeberg

22:00, 3 AUG 2023

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My mind was blown by ABBA Voyage (Image: Lea Dzifa Seeberg)

ABBA Voyage has been in London for months, yet no one knows what it is. Billed as a "concert like no other" with ABBA's "digital avatars" performing, the whole thing is shrouded in mystery.

When I bought tickets, I didn't know what to expect. At best, I thought I'd get some old ABBA videos playing behind see-through holograms, and at worst I imagined an ABBA-themed club night.

As the day finally arrived and my DLR pulled up in front of the futuresque and rainbow-clad arena, fans mingled out front, taking pictures of the out-of-place concert hall. We made a peculiar bunch: half, like me, wore casual officewear or jeans, planning on ending their day with a solid sing-along.

I was already impressed by the atrium (Image: Lea Dzifa Seeberg)

The other half went all in, sporting sequinned berets, full-body flared jumpsuits, and more feather boas than Harries. Platform boots aplenty were paired with bell-bottoms and frilly 70s skirts, and I even saw two people wearing matching light-up angel costumes.

Being asked for ID to get into a concert was not on my 2023 bingo card, but once that ordeal was done - security told me they thought I was 16 - I was in. The atrium rose above me, wooden beams supporting a heaving, booze-fuelled anticipation.

With merch, beer, and food for sale, the crowd quickly outnumbered the oxygen and I hurriedly made my way into the auditorium. With strict notices to not record or photograph the performance, I took my seat below a ceiling of ethereal lights.

The stage hid behind screens decorated with moving Swedish forests blanketed in falling snow. They reminded me of my Norwegian childhood, and no doubt reflected ABBA's lives to the audience and to themselves.

As the lights dimmed at 7.45pm - with another reminder not to film, enforced as a woman tried to do just that and had her view blocked by a surly steward - the magic began. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you what song came on first, but I honestly don't remember anyway.

The whole 90-minute show was a blur of Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Chiquitita, and all the other bangers we know and love. But for the most part, I was distracted from screaming the lyrics by the sheer artistry I witnessed.

The concert was so much more than a concert (Image: Lea Dzifa Seeberg)

ABBA were really there. At least, it seemed to me like they were; rather than holographs, the foursome twirled and danced across the stage in life-like projections complete with shadows and glittering sequins.

The band accompanying them were every bit as captivating, with the trio of backup singers rightfully getting their own solo moment to shine. Coupled with perfectly timed lights and mirrors, cartoon intervals, archive footage of the band, and huge psychedelic close-ups of the avatars, they made for an unforgettable experience more dopamine-inducing than anything I've seen before.

I won't reveal the twist at the end, but it did bring a tear to my eye and an almighty scream out of the crowd. I left the arena a changed woman, convinced I'd seen the real ABBA but completely unable to convince anyone of the magic I'd witnessed.

I cannot urge anyone to see the show enough. Even as a casual fan at best, I enjoyed every single moment and wish the whole thing could have gone on for hours. 

https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/reviews/abba-voyage-concert-performance-review-27445753