Since 2018, ABBA fans have eagerly been awaiting the release of two new recordings from the Swedish pop legends. And now, after many delays, it appears there may be not just two but FIVE new tracks coming out next year. Or so claims the UK music journalist Geoff Lloyd.
Lloyd broke the exciting news on his podcast Reasons To Be Cheerful. He revealed that he’s recently had a Zoom chat with ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus.
5 NEW ABBA SONGS WILL BE OUT IN 2021!!!!, according with the British journalist Geoff Lloyd who said He talked with Björn Ulvaeus last week. (play the extract of the podcast "Reasons to be cheerful")
Posted by ABBA The New Songs on Monday, July 20, 2020
Geoff says that Björn confirmed that ABBA has recorded five new songs. This is three more than the previous two new songs the band announced back in 2018.
The new songs were due to be released at the end of 2018. After previous delays, the release has been delayed again due to technical difficulties and — of course — issues from Covid-19 precautions. The podcast claims the new release date will be sometime in 2021.
ABBA are planning to tour the songs using virtual holographic avatars — or ABBAtars — in place of Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid themselves.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reached out to ABBA’s manager Görel Hanser. She could not confirm that five new songs were coming out, but stood by earlier comments about the two new tracks. “I can confirm that two songs will be released, but we do not know more right now.”
The long wait for ABBA’s new songs
The new ABBA recordings have been a long time coming. ABBA’s last album, The Visitors, was released in 1981 and their last new music was released in 1983. The group last performed together in 1986.
In 2018, the group dropped the exciting news that they had recorded two new singles, which were set to be released as part of a Christmas special in December 2018.
However, later that year Ulvaeus confirmed that fans would have to wait a little longer for the new material. The Christmas special had been postponed to an unspecified date in 2019 — but that year passed without any new ABBA material being released.
In May this year, Björn told the US broadcaster CNBC that the two new recordings would be coming out “sometime this year” — but now it appears the release will be happening later still.
The two songs are said to be titled “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down”. Ulvaeus previously described one of the songs as being “like a pop song from the Seventies” and being “very danceable”. The other he described as being “more timeless, more reflective” and that “it is Nordic sad, but happy at the same time.”
ABBA — consisting of Agnetha Fältskog (70), Björn Ulvaeus (75), Benny Andersson (73), and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (74) — is one of the most successful bands of all time. After winning Eurovision 1974 with “Waterloo”, they went on to sell over 400 million albums.
What do you think? Are you excited to hear five new ABBA songs? Or would you just be happy with two new tunes? Tell us your thoughts below!
I think I’d be more excited if B&B wrote and produced new songs for active singers like Cher or Madonna. Rather like the Bee Gees did for Streisand, Ross and Warwick
I get more and more confused about this management. But…..what else can i do than waiting waiting waiting, hoping that i do not die before the songs get released. Still listening to all those masterpieces from the past. 5 songs, an album ?. 2 songs, 3 songs, 4 songs……it will be one of THE days of my life when i get to listen to them the very first time.
So please don´t let us wait too long anymore.
Just release them!
I had been hoping there would be extra songs, but no less than a full album. I don’t care about the hologram tour. Stop waiting. Why announce them two years ago only to keep them locked up? They were recorded in 2017. That’s three years to make an album. Stop making the fans wait and wait. Next time you record something, just keep quiet until you have a confirmed release date. Many thanks, I still love you…
But then it will be delayed again and again and again and again and again.