Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are planning and considering a possible comeback concerts and tour with the British music mogul Simon Fuller - as holograms. "Nobody wants to see us old people on stage" they have stated many times before and are searching through the material from their 1977 and 1979 world tours that could possible used for the project. Techically it would be possible as likes of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra regularly keep on performing in Las Vegas shows these days. Björn and Benny and their represants don't want to comment the plans at the moment except with "there are always all kinds of plans in the air"....  Meanwhile you can enjoy them as holograms in Stockholm's ABBA Museum. 

The 2016 Eurovision song contest organizers didn't manage it - or any of the previous ones either nor those offering them millions of dollars - but they seem to get together for birthdays, the way the old friends do. Back in 1999 they performed together in a private party for Görel Hansel's 50th birthday, and now to celebrate the first meeting of Björn and Benny 50 years ago. Venue was Stockholm's Bern's Salonger and once again in a private setting but today even they can't stop the cell phone videos and social medias. Enjoy the magic of Frida's and Agnetha's voices again. 

Petra Mede might be hosting the show alone but the list of the interval and opening acts is impressive. And she will have some help from Eric Saade in the greenroom.  Loreen will open the first semifinal, and Kleerup will provide the interval act. The two stars recently collaborated in Requiem solution , so who know maybe Loreen shows up in the interval act, too? Dance Orchestra choreographed by Jennie Widegren and Fredrik Rydman will open the second semifinal and the interval act will be Swedish Pop Voices featuring Darin and Agnes Carlsson . For the final ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus have joined forces with Avicii in We write the story . The interval act will be Carola starring in a crazy, mad number that is going to be very Swedish. ...

As written already ages ago it is now a deal, it seems: Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be in Eurovision 2013. Apparently he will open the final show by inviting the audience to his hometown Malmö. It seems he won't be there in person and a pre-recorded material will be used. It is believed to be incorporated with the Eurovision anthem performed by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus with Avicii. Christer Björkman has earlier said Zlatan is the biggest thing Malmö has but refuses to comment his part in coming Eurovision 2013 any further. We will see....

Agnetha Fältskog will released her new album A on May 10, 2013. It's her 5th post-ABBA solo album but the first since 2004. The first single When you really loved someone has been out already but now you can listen to snippets of all songs here . It is yet unknown if she will somehow be involved with Malmö 2013 Eurovision as it is rumored. It might be just whistful thinking by the fans but who knows? Agnetha's ex-husband Björn Ulvaeus stated in an interview he personally is more interested in the ABBA museum and it's opening than Eurovision, that he is not a fan of and won't be attending.

Namely the opening act of the final in Eurovision 2013 is a track called We write the story , composed by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and arranged by Avicii. This unision of the best selling Swedish musical exports of the past and present was on top of the wish list of SVT and all interested accepted the task immediately. Meanwhile Agnetha is rumored to participate this summer's Allsång, but concidering her last public performance was in 1987 it seems rather unlikely, as is her appearance in Eurovision 2013 as well, at least as a performer! Anyways, We write the story for the final, Northern light by Kleerup for the first semifinal. What will we have for the second one?

Björn Ulvaeus reveals in radio programme Pop och politik that ABBAs songs were not so innocent as we are tend to believe. "I'm sure most people didn't even think the possibility we would have a politic messages. After all it was just ABBA, happy little pop songs" he says "but The Visitors for example. I got the inspiration when thinking how it would be living in a dictatorship lead by Breznev. Living in the middle of the cold war and the Sovjet regime. I imagined myself having a secret meeting in an appartment in Moscow about freedom and what it is. The word would leak out and how it would be when there's a sudden knock at my door at night." According Ulvaeus many ABBA songs have a sharp political message hidden in the lyrics.So that you know.