sábado, 29 de noviembre de 2025
Message from Frida / 2025
jueves, 27 de noviembre de 2025
ABBA / Stranger Things
Fernando... There was something in the air that night
miércoles, 26 de noviembre de 2025
ABBA Voyage producers: 'The possibilities were always there but perhaps it took us to venture ahead'
ABBA Voyage producers: 'The possibilities were always there but perhaps it took us to venture ahead'
by Andre Paine November 26th 2025 at 7:02AM — Tiempo de lectura: 3 minutos
The music industry is exploring opportunities for immersive music performances as technology opens up new possibilities for artists.
In the wake of the success of ABBA Voyage, new entrants and investors are set to increase the range of avatar-based music productions.
In the latest edition of Music Week, we explore some of the key developments for this emerging sector as well as the legal and licensing issues around avatar-based productions.
ABBA Voyage’s initial investment was considerable at £140 million, but the virtual performance was bringing in $2 million a week once it was up and running.
ABBA Voyage opened in May 2022 at the purpose built arena located at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Digital versions of ABBA perform their greatest hits and two 2021 tracks, I Still Have Faith in You and Don’t Shut Me Down from their comeback album Voyage, alongside a 10-piece live band.
Following its release four years ago, ABBA’s Voyage album (Polydor) has amassed UK consumption of 502,443 units (Official Charts Company). Up to the end of the third quarter, the group’s Gold – Greatest Hits was at No.17 overall with consumption of 181,491 units. It has since advanced to 214,515 as it chases the 2024 total of just under a quarter of a million units.
With bookings open up to its fourth anniversary in May 2026, ABBA Voyage continues to stage seven performances a week at the 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena. Earlier this year, ABBA added new tracks to the concert’s setlist to celebrate its third anniversary. The additions include The Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money and Take A Chance On Me.
“It’s been interesting for us to see how ABBA Voyage has been received since we opened,” producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson told Music Week. “For us that created the show, we never saw it as a new format but rather something quite unique that works for ABBA. We just tried to make something beautiful that would hopefully stir up emotion in the concert-goer. It was never about the tech, never about ‘activating a catalogue’. It was only ever about love for the craft and curiosity.”
We focus a lot on the audience experience, from the moment they arrive at the ABBA Arena until they leave
Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson
The producer duo acknowledged the ABBA Voyage, created with ABBA’s members (Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Frida Lyngstad) and directed by Baillie Walsh, has led the way in immersive performances.
“The possibilities have always been there, but perhaps it took us to venture ahead,” they told Music Week. “We would hope that whoever comes after would do something different, find their own idea and motivations. ABBA Voyage was never a format to copy.”
Anira, the holding company for ABBA Voyage, reported 1.06 million tickets sold in 2024 with overall revenue at £104.3 million. The shows averaged an occupancy of 90% and attendance is set to hit four million people from around the world by the fourth anniversary. As well as ticket sales, there’s a wealth of official merchandise – including a 2025 gingerbread man Christmas jumper – and physical music.
“ABBA Voyage’s success is equal parts the appeal of ABBA themselves and the timeless music that they created, it carries so much nostalgia and emotion, and all we had to do was protect that,” said Gisla and Andersson. “We think that the audience can feel that what they’re experiencing is made by ABBA. That their DNA is in everything. Every detail reminds you that you are in ABBA's house.”
The producers said they have continued to improve the show since its launch in May 2022. The venue has undergone a winter makeover for 2025/26.
“We focus a lot on the audience experience, from the moment they arrive at the ABBA Arena until they leave, and we tried to always be generous to that journey being the best it can be,” they told Music Week. “And we’ve kept improving the show since we opened. You might not see it but we’ve never stopped working on it and we will continue until the last person buys a ticket.”
Investors in ABBA Voyage, via Swedish company Goldonder Investors AB, include Pophouse Entertainment and Universal Music Group, the Swedish band’s label partner.
Pophouse has already announced plans for a Kiss avatar show, following the Swedish entertainment investment firm’s acquisition of the band’s catalogue, brand name and IP for a reported $300 million.
PHOTO: ABBA Voyage/Johan Persson
lunes, 24 de noviembre de 2025
Sugar Rush Candy Couture / Björn Ulvaeus
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRbkhExDJ0u
Björn's wife Christina has recently opened an online candy shop called Sugar Rush Candy Couture🍭 Get 10% off your first order by applying the discount code INTERMEZZO10% at checkout (valid until Oct 6th). We have tried the Swedish Mix and it was very yummy! PS. a part of Björn is in the video, can you guess where?
https://sugarrush-candy.com/
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https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPVsTeYjF2J
Christina, la esposa de Björn, ha abierto recientemente una tienda de dulces en línea llamada Sugar Rush Candy Couture🍭 Consigue un 10% de descuento en tu primer pedido aplicando el código de descuento INTERMEZZO10% al finalizar la compra (válido hasta el 6 de octubre). ¡Hemos probado la mezcla sueca y estaba muy deliciosa! PD. Una parte de Björn está en el vídeo, ¿puedes adivinar dónde?
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martes, 18 de noviembre de 2025
Chess / Broadway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_dWGfx2GNM
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domingo, 16 de noviembre de 2025
MAMMA MIA! at The Winter Garden on Broadway
It’s great to be back in New York! Björn watched MAMMA MIA! at The Winter Garden on Broadway and surprised the cast after the show
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554429495681
sábado, 15 de noviembre de 2025
Frida Turns 80
---------------------------------------------- ----------------------- articles https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/abba-star-frida-lyngsta-turns-36250478
viernes, 14 de noviembre de 2025
Björn Ulvaeus talks about the new musical
Copenhagen Opera House for the 100th anniversary of Bang & Olufsen!!
miércoles, 12 de noviembre de 2025
Mamma Mia / rare outtakes
Mamma Mia / rare outtakes
martes, 11 de noviembre de 2025
ABBA Voyage Plans Global Second Venue on Hell’s Kitchen’s 11th Avenue
ABBA Voyage Plans Global Second Venue on Hell’s Kitchen’s 11th Avenue
Phil O'Brien — Tiempo de lectura: 4 minutos
Mamma Mia!! A long-dormant stretch of 11th Avenue may soon pulse with disco lights. W42ST has learned that the former Metropolitan Lumber/Daisy May’s/Penthouse Executive Club site at 613–623 11th Avenue is slated to become the second-ever home of ABBA Voyage, the London-born “ABBAtar” concert experience that has drawn more than two million fans since 2022.
Abba Voyage
ABBA Voyage has been a hit in its London location. Photo: ABBA Voyage X
The plan was quietly presented on Tuesday morning this week at the board meeting of the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA), where representatives from the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) sought approval for a major package of tax benefits intended to lure the production to New York rather than Las Vegas.
According to the developers’ filings, the partnership behind the project — Clinton PB Associates LLC, a joint venture of Extell Development and Princeton Real Estate Partners — intends to demolish the row of vacant buildings on the block and replace them with a 175,000-square-foot, 3,000-seat, purpose-built arena for Voyage. They propose a 30-year lease with the show’s US operator, Isagel LLC, and an anticipated opening in 2028. Over recent weeks, construction sheds have been erected around the site.
ABBA Voyage Presentation
Part of the presentation given at the NYCIDA meeting on Tuesday. Photo obtained by W42ST
The incentive package presented to NYCIDA includes an 18-year building tax exemption valued at roughly $47.5 million and an additional $2.2 million land tax abatement, according to the cost/benefit analysis in the application materials submitted by the developers. In total, the relief approaches $50 million in foregone city taxes. The project’s overall budget is listed at $511.7 million, including a $39 million tenant contribution toward the venue’s buildout.
The developers and EDC argued that the incentives were essential to “recruit a European-based tenant to New York City, instead of Las Vegas.” The venue, mirroring the custom-built London arena, would deliver a “technology-driven concert experience” with extensive front- and back-of-house facilities and an underground parking garage.
If realized, the project would replace a 60,250-square-foot assemblage on 11th Avenue between W45th and 46th Streets — a site that has sat largely empty for more than a decade. Demolition is expected to begin in 2026, with occupancy slated for 2028.
The application forecasts 120 permanent jobs — roughly half full-time — with average hourly wages for full-time workers around $45. The developers predict the project would generate more than $75 million in new city tax revenue from operations and $81 million from employment over 18 years.
F&D-April2022-1200x300-website
The project requires no zoning variances and is permitted as-of-right under the existing zoning as an M2-4 manufacturing district.
In a moment that now feels delightfully prophetic, Spectrum News NY1’s On Stage host Frank DiLella all but willed this into existence during a 2023 interview in London. As ABBA Voyage producer Svana Gisla mused about the future of the show, DiLella leaned in and teased: “Wouldn’t it be great to maybe come to America? New York’s ready.” Gisla laughed — and, in a wink of fate, replied: “I’ll give you my number and spread it around.” At the time it played as banter. Today, it reads like foreshadowing.
Metropolitan Lumber site
Over recent weeks, construction sheds have been erected around the site on the west side of 11th Avenue. Photo: Catie Savage
UPDATE: A spokesperson for the EDC told W42ST on Monday, November 24: “Last week, the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA)’s Board of Directors approved a tax incentive package to support the land acquisition and construction of a new 174,842 sq ft concert venue in Midtown West with an approximately 3,000-person capacity and innovative technological capabilities. The proposed anchor tenant is one of London’s major tourist attractions, ABBA Voyage. While several steps remain in the process, last week’s approval marks an important step forward to making New York City the home to ABBA Voyage’s second location and United States premiere, an expansion that would support tourism, create jobs and drive economic returns for New York City. We look forward to continued partnership with Extell and ABBA Voyage as we enter the next stage of finalizing the transaction.”
W42ST has requested comment from the developers regarding the tax incentives, the timeline, the Las Vegas competition and next steps for the site. This is a developing story — and we will update as details emerge.
https://w42st.com/post/abba-voyage-hells-kitchen
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ABBA to take iconic Voyage show to to brand new city after huge success in East London...
Howell Davies — Tiempo de lectura: 4 minutos
THE ABBA Voyage show has been a huge success in East London and is still selling out, three-and-a-half years after it launched.
Now the Swedish pop stars want to take the digital concert’s residency to New York, after talks for launching it in Las Vegas went quiet.
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ABBA Voyage avatar concert production.
The ABBA Voyage show has been a huge success in East LondonCredit: ABBA Voyage
ABBA Voyage costumes designed by Dolce & Gabbana.
They hope to take the digital residency to New YorkCredit: ABBA Voyage/D&G
The band are keen to develop a long-dormant stretch of land on 11th Avenue, not far from Times Square.
But given it took years to create the purpose-built ABBA Arena where the show is currently based, I don’t expect to see them light up the Big Apple any time soon.
My source told me: “While many steps remain in the process, they are actively working to bring ABBA Voyage to New York.”
I previously told how the London ABBA Arena site is set to become a housing estate, with construction expected to begin before the end of the decade.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/37425767/abba-voyage-london-new-york
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