Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (Björn)

Björn

Björn Ulvaeus's biography
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg on April 25, 1945. When he was six years old the family moved to the small town of Västervik, and this is where Björn grew up.

In the mid-Fifties Björn fell in love with rock’n’roll and skiffle. By the early Sixties he was a member of a folk group called the West Bay Singers. In 1963 they entered a talent contest arranged by Swedish radio. This led to discovery by songwriter and publisher Stig Anderson and his partner, Bengt Bernhag. Stig and Bengt had recently started a record company called Polar Music. The band acquired a new name, the Hootenanny Singers, and quickly became one of Sweden’s most popular groups of the Sixties.

In 1966, Björn had a chance meeting with Benny Andersson, himself a member of Sweden’s number one pop group, The Hep Stars. They hit it off and wrote their first song together, ’Isn’t It Easy To Say’.

Björn recorded a couple of solo singles in the late Sixties, at which point he also started concentrating more on his collaboration with Benny Andersson. In 1970 the pair started releasing records as a duo and also staged a cabaret show together with their fiancées, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. On July 6, 1971, Björn and Agnetha got married.

From 1972 and a decade onwards Björn was occupied by his work with ABBA. In 1983 Björn and Benny started writing the musical Chess with lyricist Tim Rice. A concept album was released in the autumn of 1984, and in May 1986 the musical opened in London’s West End. In 1988 Chess received its Broadway première. A reworked version of the musical opened in Stockholm, Sweden in 2002.

By 1990, Björn and Benny had decided to write a new musical. This time they wanted to write exclusively in Swedish, and they chose the Emigrants novel series by author Vilhelm Moberg as basis for their work. The musical Kristina från Duvemåla (Kristina From Duvemåla) opened in October 1995. The show ran for three and a half years at various theatres in the Swedish cities of Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm.

Recently, Björn has involved himself heavily in the staging of Mamma Mia!, a musical based on ABBA songs. The show opened in London, England in April 1999 and has since then been staged virtually everywhere, even being turned into a movie which opens in July 2008.

Info About ABBA

A B B A

 

ABBA Siap Reuni Untuk Pernikahan Pangeran William?

Grup vokal ABBA kabarkan akan reuni untuk tampil dalam pernikahan Pangeran William dan Kate Middleton pada April 2011. Mereka pun menyatakan kesediaan bereuni untuk acara spesial.

"Sebuah reuni, kesempatan sesekali, mungkin hubungannya dengan acara amal, saya percaya kami akan mempertimbangkan itu," ujar Agnetha Faltskog dilansir Spinner, Jumat (31/12/2010).

Grup musik yang digawangi Agnetha, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson dan Anni-Frid Lyngstad itu juga telah berencana untuk kembali melakukan sesuatu bersama. Sayangnya hingga kini pelantun hits 'Dancing Queen' itu belum bisa memutuskan hal tersebut.

Agnetha jelas merindukan kebersamaan dengan sahabat-sahabat lamanya itu. Grup yang bubar tahun 1982 itu bisa melakukan sesuatu tapi bukan konser tur besar keliling dunia seperti yang dilakukan musisi lain saat reuni.

"Bagaimanapun, saya bisa melihat kami melakukan sesuatu di masa depan. Hanya sebuah perasaan saya melihat akan menyenangkan bisa bersama, bicara tentang masa lalu dan mungkin tampil bersama," jelas Agnetha. 

  

 

Konser 'Dancing Queen' Menggoyang Istora Senayan

Gemerlap Istora Senayan menjadi saksi megahnya karya-karya ABBA, yang kembali berkumandang dalam konser Dancing Queen. Konser istimewa yang digelar pada Rabu (14/10/2009) itu didukung penyanyi-penyanyi ternama seperti Titi DJ, Agnes Monica, Mulan Jamela, Sita Nursanti, Vidi Aldiano dan masih banyak lagi.

Konser yang dipersembahkan untuk grup band asal Swedia itu dimulai pukul 20.00 WIB. Patton 'Idola Cilik' membuka konser dengan balutan simfoni orkestra megah yang mengiringi lagu 'I Have A Dream'. Setelah itu Titi DJ tampil dengan Lagu 'Money Money Money' didampingi penari latar. Peampilan keduanya membuat suasana awal konser meriah.

Konsep acara drama musikal dan iringan alunan orkestra pimpinan Andi Rianto mengentalkan kesan megah dalam konser tersebut. Para penonton seakan ditarik ke era 70an ketika hits ABBA seperti 'Fernando', 'Chiquitita', 'The Winner Takes It All', dan 'Mamamia', dibawakan para pendukung konser. Tak hanya itu, semua penyanyi yang ikut memeriahkan konser memakai busana khas era 70, sehingga sehingga suasananya semakin menarik.

Di tengah-tengah konser, penonton dibuat kagum dengan penampilan Titi DJ yang menyanyikan 'Slipping Through My Finger' diiringi alunan piano Andi Rianto. Bendera warna-warni juga semakin membuat penampilan Elfa's Singer saat melantunkan 'Mammamia' semakin semarak.

Ternyata karya dari Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, dan Anni-Frid Lyngstad masih melekat dikepala ribuan fansnya. Sepanjang konser, para penonton dengan fasih melantunkan lagu-lagu hits ABBA tanpa cela.

Konser ditutup dengan disko 70-an ala 'Dancing Queen'. Semua artis pendukung ikut menyanyikan lagu tersebut. Para penonton pun ikut bergoyang dan bersorak sorai. 

Andi Rianto Konser 90 Menit Nonstop Untuk ABBA

Komposer Andi Rianto cs sibuk menggarap rencana konser yang akan digelar pada 14 Oktober mendatang. Ia telah menyiapkan pertunjukan 90 menit nonstop untuk ABBA.

Dalam konser bertajuk 'Dancing Queen', Andi mengajak Titi DJ, Sita Nursanti dan Elfa Singers ikut serta. Tak hanya dari generasi lawas, Mulan Jamella, Agnes Monica, Vidi Aldiano, Mike Mohede bahkan Patton 'Idola Cilik' pun dilibatkannya.

"Kita di sini juga mengambil penyanyi-penyanyi era baru karena mereka sudah berpengalaman dan tahu lagu-lagunya ABBA," ujar Andi ditemui di Justeak Mahakam, Jakarta Selatan, Rabu (7/10/2009).

Selama 90 menit akan disiapkan begitu banyak kejutan. Denny Malik pun didapuk sebagai pengarah seni. Akankah pertunjukan ini seperti film musikal 'Mamma Mia'?

"'Mamma Mia' sukses dengan broadway yang sangat musikal. Kita tidak mau ikuti konsep itu. Kita hanya ambil pembawaan lagu-lagunya dan membangkitkan karakter lagu-lagunya," jelas Andi.

Kenang ABBA, Titi DJ Menggila

Titi DJ adalah salah satu penyanyi dalam konser 'Dancing Queen' yang berlangsung Kamis (14/10/2009). Ia pun tampil menggila.

Awalnya salah satu personel DI3VA itu tak PD untuk tampil all out ketika berada di atas panggung. Namun koregrafer Denny Malik berhasil membuatnya percaya diri.

Titi DJ

"Tadinya nggak yakin. tapi karena sudah laitihan dan the show must go on, jadi ya sudah. itu ide gilanya Denny Malik. Di atas panggung disuruh jingkrak-jingkrak. Tapi ide saya lebih gila lagi," ujar Titi seraya tertawa saat ditemui seusai konser di Istora Senayan, Kamis (14/10/2009) malam.

Tak hanya aksi panggung yang total, Titi juga menambah semarak penampilannya dengan busana khusus. Busana itu dirancang dengan mode yang ada pada tahun 70-an. Tahun ABBA tengah berjaya.

"Bajunya dirancang sesuai era lagunya," ujar Titi lagi.

ABBA on the Success

 

Success

Waterloo

ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 6, 1974. Soon after this triumph ‘Waterloo’ was Number One on the charts all over Europe, and even reached the US Top Ten.

The album of the same name was a huge hit in Sweden. However, the "stigma" of being winners of the Eurovision Song Contest made it difficult for ABBA to be taken seriously when they tried to follow this first success. It was not until some 18 months later that they got a major worldwide hit again with ‘SOS’, taken off their third album, simply titled ABBA.

‘Mamma Mia’, also taken from ABBA, returned the group to the UK Number One spot, which they occupied a total of nine times between 1974 and 1980. ‘Mamma Mia’ was also a Number One hit in Australia, which was the first territory to release it as a single in August 1975. Over the next few years, Australia would be caught up in a virtual ABBA fever, giving the group a total of six Number One hits.

ABBA on stage during their 1977 tour of Europe and Australia.

1976 was the year when ABBA finally and firmly established themselves as one of the most popular groups in the world. The different greatest hits compilations released in the UK and Australia this year (Greatest Hits and The Best Of ABBA respectively) are still among the best-selling albums of all time in those territories. Classic single releases such as ‘Fernando’ and ‘Dancing Queen’ topped the charts all over the world. In April 1977, ‘Dancing Queen’ became ABBA’s only US Number One.

In late 1976 ABBA’s fourth album, Arrival, was released. The album stormed up the charts and spawned hits such as ‘Money, Money, Money’ and ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. This was followed by a concert tour of Europe and Australia between January and March 1977. The tour was a complete success with capacity houses everywhere. When the tour reached Australia, work was also begun on the feature film ABBA – The Movie. The première of the film in December 1977 coincided with the release of ABBA – The Album. Hits from the album included ‘The Name Of The Game’ and ‘Take A Chance On Me’.

ABBA 1978

ABBA in 1978, at the height of their popularity.

The spring of 1978 saw the group embarking on a major promotional campaign in the USA, leading to a Top Three single with ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and a Top Twenty entry for ABBA – The Album. The hit singles ‘Summer Night City’ and ‘Chiquitita’ were followed by ABBA’s sixth album, Voulez-Vous, released in April 1979. Earlier that year, Björn and Agnetha announced their divorce. This did not mean the end of ABBA, but it did overthrow their image of two happy, music-making couples.

ABBA’s single ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ was released in the autumn of 1979, coinciding with a major tour of Canada, the United States and Europe. Around the same time a second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol.2, became an international success.

Height Popularity