It’s been 50 years, and ABBA is still at it. The group formed in 1972, and their career really took off when they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. Now, the foursome are known for plenty of huge hits, including “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S.,” “Waterloo,” and many more.
But, while they’re together as a band today, many years passed when ABBA was not active. In 1982, they broke up, and it took until 2016 for them to perform together again. Plus, while the band consisted of two couples when it first formed, both pairs split up around the time that ABBA disbanded. Read on to find out about each member, all of whom are now in their 70s, today.
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ABBA first got together in 1972, and the lineup has always consisted of Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They were initially known as Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. They became moderately successful, especially in their native Sweden, but they gained international fame when they performed “Waterloo” at the Eurovision Song Contest and won the competition.
They were massively successful throughout the 1970s, but changes occurred within the group. Ulvaeus and Fältskog filed for divorce in 1979. Then, in 1981, Andersson and Lyngstad announced that they were also divorcing. According to ABBA’s website, by 1982, Ulvaeus and Andersson were more focused on writing music outside of the group, and Lyngstad and Fältskog were pursuing solo careers.
After 34 years, ABBA reunited in 2016 for a performance of “Me and I” at a gala in Stockholm celebrating 50 years since Ulvaeus and Andersson met and became songwriting collaborators. In 2021, ABBA released Voyage, their first album since 1981. They are currently putting on the show ABBA Voyage in London. Well, sort of. The show stars irtual avatars of the band when they were younger that were created using motion capture technology.
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Ulvaeus, 77, continued to work with Andersson following the end of ABBA. They’ve written musicals together, contributed to the Mamma Mia! musical and movie adaptations, and composed for the band Gemini. According to the ABBA site, he is the president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers and co-founded Pophouse Entertainment, which includes a hotel and the ABBA museum.
Ulvaeus and Fältskog had two children together during their marriage. In 1981, Ulvaeus got remarried to Lena Källersjö. They welcomed two children and were together until separating in 2022. Ulvaeus is also a grandfather.
Fältskog, who is now 72, returned to a solo career after ABBA, releasing several albums in both Swedish and English. After her 1987 album I Stand Alone, she withdrew from public life for years. Then in 2004, she put out a new album, My Coloring Book, and another, A, in 2013. “Maybe I was a recluse for some years. I was so tired once Abba was over and just wanted to be calm and with my children,” she told the Daily Mail in 2013. “I married, was in ABBA, had my children, divorced, all in 10 years. I wonder how I managed it, but I was young.”
Fältskog married again after Ulvaeus in the early ’90s, but the marriage only lasted a couple of years. In her Daily Mail interview, she also talked about enjoying spending time with her grandchildren. “I spend a lot of time with the grandchildren. They love it when we sing together. It’s fantastic to hear them and they really can sing. I don’t talk to them so much about ABBA and the past, but as they get older they will become more aware,” she said.
As mentioned above, Andersson, 75, and Ulvaeus continued working together after ABBA. Andersson also released solo music, composed music for TV and movies, and formed his own band, Benny Anderssons Orkester (BAO), in 2001. The group is still active today and released their latest album in 2019.
Andersson and bandmate Lyngstad were married from 1978 to 1981, though they had been together for years before tying the knot. Andersson has three children: two from a relationship prior to Lyngstad and one from his marriage to his second wife, Mona Nörklit, to whom he is still married today.
Lyngstad, who’s 76 now, released solo albums before, during, and after ABBA. Her most recent is the 1996 Swedish album Djupa andetag (Deep Breaths). But, she has continued to sing in the decades since. The ABBA website explains that her latest recording was a duet of ABBA’s “Andante, Andante” with Arturo Sandoval on his 2018 album Ultimate Duets. The site also notes that today she “leads a low key life, devoting herself to charity work.”
Lyngstad has been married three times. She had two children during her first marriage to Ragnar Fredriksson. Then, she was married to Andersson. In 1992, she married Prince Heinrich Ruzzo of Reuss, Count of Plauen, and she became Princess Reuss. Following his death in 1999, she became known as the Dowager Countess of Plauen. Since 2007, she has been in a relationship with Henry Smith, 5th Viscount Hambleden.