Talking to BBC Newsnight, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA said there is no way they will perform at the next year’s song contest edition. “Well, I don’t want to and if I don’t want to, they won’t go. It’s the same for all four of us, if someone says ‘no’, it’s a no”, responded Benny Andersson to the astonished presenter. “We could celebrate 50 years of ABBA without us being on stage”, added Björn Ulvaeus.
The two members also dismissed the idea of the band appearing as avatars aka “ABBA-tars” which was the way they “performed” at their Abba Voyage show in London last year. The concert featured ground-breaking new technology that recreated the sight of Abba at the peak of their career in the 1970s.
Following Loreen’s victory in Liverpool this year, Sweden has secured the status of hosting country for the song contest in 2024. This edition of Eurovision will coincide with the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning in 1974 when they sang “Waterloo” in English instead of their native tongue. This gave ABBA the chance to tour Europe and perform on major television shows.
