By Seamus Duff
Eurovision is planning to celebrate the fifty-year anniversary of ABBA winning the show during the 2024 contest - even without the iconic band.
Agnetha Fältskog, 73, Björn Ulvaeus, 78, Benny Andersson, 77, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 78, stormed to victory during the 1974 contest where they won Eurovision with their hit single Waterloo. Last year, Loreen won Eurovision for the second time with her song Tattoo - meaning the 2024 contest will be held in Sweden.
The show is due to take place in Malmö, in the south of Sweden, in May with the grand finale due to take place on Saturday 11 May. Since Loreen won, there has been hope that ABBA will make an appearance at the ceremony as the date coincides with the 50-year anniversary of their 1974 victory. And now details have been teased claiming the group will be involved - but not in such a straightforward fashion.
Instead of the real band, there are hopes that the holographic projections used to create London’s iconic ABBA Voyage show will somehow be incorporated into the ceremony. It is also suggested that a range of pop stars could be drafted in to sing a medley of hit ABBA songs in lieu of the band appearing.
A source has told The Sun: "It is 50 years since ABBA won in Brighton with Waterloo and they are going to be celebrated big time when the contest returns to Sweden. The group have made it clear they have no interest in performing again but ABBA's music will be a major part of the event with a chunk of time put aside for a tribute after all the acts have performed."
However, the source warned: "Bringing part of their ABBA Voyage show to Sweden is really complex because the tech is very expensive and complicated, which is why they had to build an arena for it in East London. Organisers are racing to try and make it possible but otherwise, a selection of stars, likely all from Sweden, will be singing ABBA's music instead. It will be a memorable moment."
A Eurovision spokesperson has said: "All the interval acts for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be revealed in the coming weeks." The updates come almost a year after ABBA themselves rejected the idea of appearing at the ceremony this year.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight in May last year, Bjorn and Benny furiously denied they would take part in Eurovision 2024. Benny brutally remarked: "I don't want to and if I don't want to, the others won't. It's the same for all four of us - someone says, 'no' - it's a no." But, perhaps signalling they were even considering a virtual appearance then, Bjorn added: "We can celebrate 50 years of Abba without us being on stage."
ABBA Voyage has been performed in London since 27 May 2022 - with plans initially for the show to close in November 2024. However, due to overwhelming demand, the run has been extended to January 2025 - and there are reports suggesting the end date could be moved again into 2026. The show features a live band playing music while holograms of the band appear on stage. The combined real and projected performers rattle through a string of smash hits by the Swedish band - while the purpose-built stadium provides seven performances per week.
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