ABBA Might Not Be Over, Says Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad now says ABBA could make more music in the future, despite bandmate Benny Andersson’s recent assertion that it was all over.
They reconvened in 2016 to start work on the project that became Voyage, released earlier this month. A form of immersive virtual performance will be staged in London next year, although the band members will only appear as avatars.
Andersson earlier revealed that two unfinished songs from the Voyage sessions wouldn't be completed, because ABBA had already wound down. “This is it,” he said. “It’s got to be, you know. I didn’t actually say that ‘this is it’ in 1982. I never said myself that ABBA was never going to happen again. But I can tell you now: This is it.”
Lyngstad disagreed in a new interview with BBC Radio 2. “I have learned never to say never,” she said. “This year we have probably said this must be the last thing we do because … [we’re] thinking of our ages, you know. We are not young any longer, but I’m saying you never know. So don’t be too sure.”
Pondering ABBA's legacy, she continued: “I want the band to be remembered as a band who made people feel something in their hearts. … I want to be remembered as a member of a band [of] people that gave them comfort, that gave them happiness, that we were there for them – and for ourselves as well, of course. I’m so happy that people are so touched by what we do.”
Lyngstad recalled feeling “a little bit tense” when ABBA gathered to start studio work for the first time since 1982, but soon remembered that “it’s always fun to work together with them. It’s always magical to sing [with Agnetha Faltskog],” Lyngstad said. “We have something special, as you know – not only voice-wise but also as friends. Once we closed the doors behind us in the studio, we felt at home, both of us. What can I say? Coming back home again, having fun with my little sister. That’s how it felt.”