Introduction
Björn Ulvaeus: “ABBA Is With Me Every Single Day”
For Björn Ulvaeus, one of the founding members of ABBA, the past is never far away. Decades after the band’s meteoric rise, and long after the glittering tours and Eurovision spotlight, he says there’s not a single day that goes by without being reminded of the group that changed his life—and changed pop music forever.
“It’s funny,” Björn says with a smile. “You think time will push those things further away. But in my case, it’s the opposite. The older I get, the more I feel ABBA around me. Not in a nostalgic way—more like a quiet companion.”
From supermarket soundtracks to social media tributes, ABBA’s influence remains as strong today as it was in the late 70s. Songs like Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and The Winner Takes It All still echo in stadiums, weddings, and movies across generations. Björn takes it all in with a mix of gratitude and quiet awe.
“I’ll walk into a café and hear one of our songs playing,” he says. “Or I’ll see a young person wearing an ABBA T-shirt who probably wasn’t even born when we first released those records. It’s surreal. Beautiful, but surreal.”
But for Björn, the reminders aren’t just external. ABBA’s legacy lives in his daily routine—through songwriting, business ventures like the ABBA Voyage digital concert, and even quiet moments at home. “Sometimes I’ll be playing the piano,” he reflects, “and I’ll suddenly drift into the chords of an old ABBA tune. Not on purpose—it’s just part of my musical DNA now.”
Even as he’s embraced new projects, Björn has never tried to separate himself from the band’s identity. If anything, he’s leaned into it. In recent years, he’s been a vocal advocate for preserving ABBA’s story, both through technology and thoughtful storytelling. The group’s innovative “ABBAtars”—digital recreations of their younger selves used in live shows—represent a future-facing way of honoring the past.
“I don’t want to live in the past,” he explains. “But I also don’t want to run from it. ABBA was one of the most important parts of my life. Why should I hide from that?”
His bond with fellow members Agnetha, Frida, and Benny remains warm and respectful. While they each live independent lives now, their shared history continues to connect them in subtle, enduring ways. “We’ve lived something very rare together,” Björn says. “That doesn’t go away.”
More than anything, Björn seems at peace with the lasting power of ABBA—not as a brand, but as a story that continues to evolve. He doesn’t need to relive the past, but he’s happy to carry it with him.
“It’s like a melody you never forget,” he says. “Even if you don’t sing it every day, it’s always there—just beneath the surface, reminding you who you are.”