ABBA is releasing new music, hyping major reunion ‘Voyage’

ABBA is ready for some more of that “Money, Money, Money.”

“Dancing Queen” fans have been anxiously awaiting the first new music in nearly four decades from the iconic Swedish pop band — which has earned a reported $2 billion in a career that’s spanned arena stages, 400 million record sales, the Broadway stage and movie screens.

Now, as of Thursday morning, the act’s new official Twitter account dropped a bombshell; cryptically hyping an upcoming chance for them on a reunion “Voyage” of some mysterious sort.

This “Mamma Mia” of a big comeback tease is accompanied by a website for the mystery project, and the opportunity to “Register your interest to be the first in line to hear more about ABBA Voyage.”

All this dropped with the requisite Facebook, Twitter and Instagram links that group mates Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad never dreamed of when ABBA launched in 1972.

The “Voyage” expected to be a long-gestating “hologram tour” that Abba initially announced in 2016, BBC reported. The band is also expected to release five new songs and a documentary as companion pieces to the show.

Björn, 76, Benny, 74, Agnetha, 71, and Anni-Frid, 75, have joined forces with “American Idol” mastermind Simon Fuller to bring the ideas to life, according to an insider who spilled some “huge” tea on The Sun.

“Fans should hold on to their hats because this is going to be one wild ride,” the tipster gushed. “Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid will all be there on the opening night, and they will finally unveil their Abba-tars, which are like holograms of themselves. The show will feature the Abba-tars performing and speaking to the audience. It will be like taking a step back in time for those watching.”

ABBA, seen here in Stockholm circa 1974, hasn't released new music since 1982.
ABBA, pictured here in Stockholm circa 1974, hasn’t released new music since 1982.
AFP via Getty Images

Speaking to the BBC during the the show’s pre-production in 2019, Ulvaeus said the idea was presented to the Swedish super group by Spice Girls manager Fuller.

“He came to Stockholm and he presented this idea to us that we could make identical digital copies of ourselves of a certain age,” Ulvaeus said, “and that those copies could then go on tour and they could sing our songs, you know, and lip sync. I’ve seen this project half-way through and it’s already mind-boggling.”

The concept might seem far-fetched — especially after some clunky pop superstar holograms have been slammed — but experts told The Post the cutting edge technology has never been better.

“It’s like nothing has ever existed like that before,” Dave Nussbaum, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based PORTL, told The Post of his company’s technology, which allows people to summon real-time holograms of performers virtually anywhere.

Meanwhile, the initial two new tracks that ABBA promised when they returned to the studio in 2018 — “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down” — have been repeatedly delayed.

Now, the quartet plans to to release three bonus tracks to thank fans for their patience, with Ulvaeus confirming the music will “definitely” come out this year.

“It’s not a case any more of it might happen, it will happen,” he told The Herald Sun, while teasing a possible reunion tour.

After taking the top prize at the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo” in 1974, ABBA went on to sell nearly 400 million singles and albums around the globe. Their last recording sessions as a band were in 1982, but their music has lived on in the soundtracks to the cult hit “Muriel’s Wedding” and the smash international stage musical “Mamma Mia,” which also spawned a pair of hit big screen adaptations starring Meryl Streep and Cher.

source: nypost.com