The balcony was the last place anyone expected to see them. For more than four decades, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad had rarely been seen together, their marriage ended in 1981 after years of private struggle. Yet on May 27, 2025, at the third anniversary of the ABBA Voyage show in London, the two stood side by side in the balcony of the custom-built arena, and the crowd below erupted. Benny, now seventy-eight, wore a printed blazer.
Frida, seventy-nine, was dressed in a cream outfit. They waved, and the cheers filled the venue. Frida took the microphone first. She smiled warmly and told the audience, “I love you very much.
Thank you for all your support over the years. It’s hard to imagine it’s nearly 50 years ago. ” Then she laughed and added, “I’m turning 80 this year,” which sparked even louder applause. When Benny stepped up, he lightened the mood with a playful “Two men walk into a bar,” and Frida burst into laughter.
For fans, it was more than a joke. It was a rare glimpse of the easy connection that had once defined two of pop music’s most famous couples. To understand how they got there, and why that moment carried so much weight, it helps to go back to the beginning, to a boy in Stockholm who was given an accordion and never stopped making music. Benny Andersson was born on December 16, 1946, in the Vasastan district of Stockholm.
His father, Gösta Andersson, was a civil engineer, and his mother was Laila. He had a younger sister, Eva-Lis, born in 1948. Music ran through the family. Both his father and his grandfather, Efraim, played the accordion.
When Benny was six, they bought him his own instrument and introduced him to Swedish folk music, traditional melodies, and a style called schlager. His first records were Duvies music by Caterina Valente and Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock. ” He especially loved the song “Treat Me Nice” on the flip side because it featured a piano. That mix of influences would shape everything he wrote for the rest of his life.
At ten, Benny got his own piano and taught himself to play, inspired by musicians like Brian Jones. School never held his attention, and he left at fifteen to perform at youth clubs. It was during this time that he met his first girlfriend, Christina Grönvall. They had two children together, Peter, born in 1963, and Helene, born in 1965.
In early 1964, Benny and Christina joined a group called Elverkets Spelmannslag, a playful name that meant “the electricity board folk music group,” a joke about their electric instruments. They played mostly instrumental songs like “Baby Elephant Walk,” and it was here that Benny began writing his first songs. In October 1964, his career took a major step forward when he joined the pop band the Hep Stars as their keyboardist. Just a few months later, in March 1965, the band had their breakthrough with the hit “Cadillac.
” The Hep Stars quickly became one of the most famous Swedish pop bands of the 1960s. Benny became not just their keyboard player but the main musical force behind the group, as well as a teen idol. At first, they played mostly cover versions of international hits, but Benny soon began writing songs for them, including “No Response,” “Sunny Girl,” “Wedding,” “Consolation,” “It’s Nice to Be Back,” and “She Will Love You. ” These songs shaped the band’s identity and proved Benny’s gift for memorable melodies.
In June 1966, Benny met Björn Ulvaeus, and the two quickly began writing songs together. Their first collaboration was “Isn’t It Easy to Say,” later recorded by the Hep Stars. Benny also worked with Lasse Berghagen, and together they wrote several songs. One of their entries, “Hej, Clown,” came second in the 1969 Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s Eurovision finals.
That same event changed Benny’s life in another way: he met singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and they soon became a couple. Around the same time, Björn met singer Agnetha Fältskog. These personal relationships naturally led to the close collaboration between the four of them in the years that followed. Benny and Björn scored their first songwriting hits in 1969 with “Ljuva Sextital” for Brita Borg and “Speleman” for the Hep Stars.
As the two couples began helping each other in recording sessions, the powerful blend of Agnetha and Frida’s voices convinced Benny and Björn to model their group after the successful mixed vocal acts of the time. Benny’s connection with Frida also grew through music. He produced her 1969 single “Peter Pan” and later her debut album, Frida, in 1971. While she kept busy with revues and cabaret shows in Stockholm, Agnetha starred in the Swedish version of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972.
By the early 1970s, all four were supporting each other’s music careers, laying the foundation for something bigger. The first time the four performed together was in April 1970 during a trip to Cyprus. They sang for fun on the beach, but it turned into an impromptu concert for United Nations soldiers stationed there. Around that time, Benny and Björn were recording their first joint album, Lycka, with Agnetha and Frida providing backing vocals on several tracks.
Later that year, they launched a stage act called Festfolket, a name that meant “party people” but could also mean “engaged couples. ” They debuted it on November 1, 1970, in Gothenburg. The show received mostly negative reviews, except for their performance of “Hej, Gamle Man,” or “Hello, Old Man,” which became their first hit together. Credited to Björn and Benny, the song reached number five on the sales charts and stayed at number one on Svensktoppen for fifteen weeks.
By 1971, the four were working together more often, adding vocals to each other’s songs and touring. Benny and Björn released more singles like “Det kan ingen doktor hjälpa” (“No Doctor Can Help with That”) and “Tänk om jorden vore ung” (“Imagine If Earth Was Young”), with Agnetha and Frida’s voices playing a bigger role. In the summer of 1971, Agnetha and Björn, now married, began performing regularly with Benny at Swedish folk parks. Stig Anderson, the head of Polar Music, believed strongly that Benny and Björn could achieve worldwide success.
He encouraged them to keep writing, and after some near misses, they entered the 1972 Melodifestivalen with “Säg det med en sång” (“Say It with a Song”), which came third and became a hit in Sweden. Then came an unexpected success from Japan, where their song “She’s My Kind of Girl” made it into the top ten in 1972. The real spark came in June 1972, when they released “People Need Love,” with Agnetha and Frida featured more prominently. It was credited to Björn and Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid, and while it only reached number seventeen in Sweden, it was enough to prove they had something special.
It even charted in the United States, marking the first small step toward what would soon become ABBA’s worldwide success. In 1973, the group, still going by the long name Björn and Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid, entered Melodifestivalen again with “Ring Ring. ” Producer Michael B. Tretow gave the track a special wall-of-sound feel that would later become ABBA’s signature.
The song was given English lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody. Many thought it would win, but it only came third in the contest. Even though it didn’t make it to Eurovision, the song and album Ring Ring became hits in several European countries and in South Africa. That same year, Agnetha had her daughter Linda and was briefly replaced by Inger Bruhn for a trip to West Germany.
Around this time, manager Stig Anderson decided the group needed a shorter name. He began calling them ABBA, a playful nod to a Swedish fish canning company of the same name. Permission was granted as long as the band didn’t bring shame to the brand. ABBA was simply the first letters of each member’s first name, and by late 1973, it appeared on studio paperwork.
A few years later, their famous logo with the backwards B was created during a photo shoot when Benny accidentally held his letter the wrong way, inspiring the final design. By 1976, the mirrored B became a permanent part of ABBA’s image. In 1974, ABBA were invited to compete again in Melodifestivalen. They chose the upbeat “Waterloo,” influenced by the glam rock scene in the UK.
This time, they were more experienced and better prepared. On February 9, 1974, they won the Swedish selection, and on April 6, they took the Eurovision Song Contest crown, performing in English. The win opened doors across Europe. “Waterloo” hit number one in nine countries and broke into the US top ten, reaching number six.
Their next single, “Honey, Honey,” had moderate success, but in the UK, their label chose to re-release “Ring Ring” instead. Some began wondering if they were just one-hit wonders. In late 1974, they toured parts of Europe, but not all shows sold out, forcing some cancellations. Things changed in early 1975 when they toured Scandinavia and played to packed venues.
They continued releasing singles, including “SOS” and “Mamma Mia,” which became massive hits in Europe and Australia. In Australia, their songs dominated the charts thanks to the TV show Countdown, and “Mamma Mia” stayed at number one for ten weeks. By early 1976, ABBA had become a household name in many countries, although breaking into the US album market was still difficult. In March 1976, ABBA released Greatest Hits, their first UK number one album, which included the new song “Fernando.
” It became one of their biggest hits ever, topping charts in at least thirteen countries and selling over ten million copies worldwide. Later that year, they released Arrival, which took their success to a new level. The album included “Money, Money, Money,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” and their most famous hit, “Dancing Queen,” which topped charts globally, including in the United States. In January 1977, they launched their first major tour, starting in Norway and traveling through Europe before heading to Australia.
There, they played for huge crowds despite challenges like heavy rain and even a bomb scare in Perth. The Australian tour was so intense it was later captured in ABBA: The Movie. By the end of 1977, they released ABBA: The Album alongside the movie. Then, in April 1979, ABBA released Voulez-Vous, recorded partly in Miami’s famous Criteria Studios.
It included hits like “Chiquitita,” “I Have a Dream,” and “Does Your Mother Know. ” While the singles didn’t all reach number one in the UK, they were chart toppers in Belgium and popular in many other countries. Later that year, they released Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which featured “Gimme!
Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” another international hit. In September 1979, they began the ABBA: The Tour in North America, playing to sold-out arenas.
The tour continued in Europe, including six nights at London’s Wembley Arena. In 1980, they traveled to Japan for eleven sold-out concerts, their last major tour. That July, they released “The Winner Takes It All,” which many thought reflected Björn and Agnetha’s divorce, though both denied it was personal. In November, they released “Super Trouper,” which broke UK records with over a million pre-orders.
Its title track was their final UK number one. Around this time, ABBA also recorded Gracias Por La Música, a Spanish-language album that became hugely popular in Latin America and opened up a new audience for the group. By then, their music had reached every corner of the globe, but their story still had more to unfold. In January 1981, Björn Ulvaeus married Lena Källersjö, and ABBA’s manager Stig Anderson turned fifty.
For his birthday, the group recorded a special song called “Hovas Vittne” as a tribute. Only two hundred red vinyl copies were made and given to guests, making it one of ABBA’s rarest records. Just a month later, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad announced they were divorcing. It was revealed their marriage had been difficult for years, and Benny had already met Mona Nörklit, whom he married in November that same year.
Despite the personal struggles, Andersson and Ulvaeus began songwriting in early 1981, and by March, the group was recording again. In April, they filmed Dick Cavett Meets ABBA, a TV special. Their new album, The Visitors, came out later in 1981. It was a more mature record dealing with themes like failed relationships, political oppression, aging, and loss of innocence.
The title track even hinted at secret meetings against totalitarian governments. “One of Us” was the only major single from the album and became ABBA’s last number one in Germany and their final top-three hit in the UK. The album topped charts in many European countries but didn’t match earlier commercial success in places like France, Australia, and Japan. Another track, “When All Is Said and Done,” was released in North America and became ABBA’s final top-forty hit in the US.
It also touched on separation, but in a more hopeful tone. With Benny and Frida’s divorce now public, rumors grew about tensions within the group. In spring 1982, the group began new songwriting sessions. There were talks about a new album and even a small tour.
But by May and June, the process was proving difficult. They only managed to record three songs: “You Owe Me One,” “I Am the City,” and “Just Like That. ” Benny and Björn weren’t happy with the results, so the recordings were shelved, and the group took a summer break. In August, plans changed.
Instead of a new album, they decided to release a compilation called The Singles: The First Ten Years for Christmas, which would include all their previous hits plus some new songs. In October and December, they released “The Day Before You Came” with “Cassandra” as the B-side, and “Under Attack” with “You Owe Me One” as the B-side. “The Day Before You Came” became a top-five hit in several European countries, but in the UK, neither it nor “Under Attack” made the top twenty. The compilation album, however, went to number one in the UK and Belgium and performed well in countries like Germany and the Netherlands.
“Under Attack” ended up being ABBA’s final single before they disbanded. “I Am the City” was eventually released in 1993, while “Just Like That” was never released in full despite fan requests. Parts of it were reworked for other projects like the musical Chess. Benny and Björn have continued to refuse to release the complete ABBA version, even though it has appeared on bootlegs over the years.
For the last appearances to promote The Singles: The First Ten Years, ABBA traveled to London in November 1982, appearing on shows like Saturday Superstore and The Late Late Breakfast Show. The following week, they went to West Germany to perform on Show Express. On November 19, 1982, they made their final TV appearance in Sweden on the show Nöjesmaskinen. Then, on December 11, 1982, they performed together for the very last time.
This was broadcast to the UK on The Late Late Breakfast Show with Noel Edmonds through a live link from a TV studio in Stockholm. It marked the end of an era, closing the chapter on one of the most successful pop groups the world had ever seen. ABBA was more than just a band with catchy songs and glittering costumes. They were two real-life couples: Agnetha Fältskog with Björn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson with Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
Their romance stories were part of ABBA’s charm in the early 1970s. Fans loved the idea that the same people singing love songs on stage went home together at night. Agnetha met Björn in 1968 when he was with the Hootenanny Singers. They married in July 1971, with Benny playing the organ at their wedding.
They had their daughter Linda in 1973 and son Peter in 1977. But fame wasn’t always kind. Touring and constant pressure put a strain on their marriage. In 1979, at the height of ABBA’s success, they split.
The breakup was painful for Agnetha, who later said she needed therapy. Reports claimed Björn had a new girlfriend, Lena Källersjö, within a week. Around this time, Björn wrote “The Winner Takes It All,” which Agnetha sang with lines like, “Tell me, does she kiss like I used to kiss you? ” She admitted it was emotional but said, “It was fantastic to do that song because I could put in such feeling.
” While they told the media it was a happy divorce, Agnetha later said, “Obviously, we all know there are no such things as happy divorces, especially when there are children involved. ”
Benny and Frida’s story began in 1969, and they were living together by 1971. They didn’t marry until October 1978, when ABBA was at its peak. But just two years later, in 1980, they separated.
Benny told reporters they were still friends, but the real reason became clear: he had met another woman, TV producer Mona Nörklit, whom he married in 1981. Frida said they decided to be completely honest about their problems. She explained, “We simply grew out of each other. After long and hard talks, we decided to go our separate ways.
There was a lot of tears and a lot of discussions, but there was no way back. Breaking up became a necessity. ” Like Agnetha and Björn, they tried to continue in ABBA after their split, but the chemistry had changed. By 1982, both marriages were over, and so was ABBA’s golden run.
When ABBA ended, Björn and Benny stayed busy and hugely successful. They wrote the hit musical Chess, worked on Mamma Mia for stage and film, and produced music for other artists. Their fame and fortunes kept growing, with each worth hundreds of millions. Frida and Agnetha’s lives took a different path, away from the spotlight and filled with personal struggles.
Agnetha battled stage fright, a fear of flying, and the pain of being away from her children during tours. Her shyness and weaker English compared to the others made her feel less confident in public. After her split from Björn, she had several relationships, including with a psychiatrist who had once tried to save her marriage and a detective who was protecting her children from kidnap threats. She remarried in 1990 to surgeon Tomas Sonnenfeld, keeping it secret until they divorced three years later.
Tragedy struck when her mother took her own life, followed by her father’s death a year later. Agnetha became more withdrawn, avoiding public life and even music. In one of the strangest turns in her life, she began a relationship with Gert van der Graaf, a Dutch fan who had stalked her for years. She later admitted, “I felt I could not resist anymore.
I wanted to know him. ” The relationship ended badly, with Gert returning to stalk her again after their split, leading her to seek court protection. Agnetha eventually moved deep into the Swedish countryside, living in seclusion much like Swedish legend Greta Garbo, even saying at one point, “I want to be alone. ” For years, she didn’t sing or even listen to music, until she surprised fans in 2004 with a new album, My Colouring Book.
But just as quickly, she stepped back from the public eye again. Frida’s story carried its own shadows. She was the child of a wartime romance between her Norwegian mother and a German soldier during World War II. Her mother, Synni, was just sixteen when she met Alfred, a married Wehrmacht sergeant.
Food was scarce, and he brought her a sack of potatoes, a gift that led to a brief relationship. Frida was born in 1945, but her father was sent back to Germany before meeting her. Facing public shame in Norway, Synni fled to Sweden with baby Frida and her mother, Agny. Tragically, Synni died of kidney failure at twenty-one, leaving Frida to be raised by her grandmother.
She grew up believing her father had drowned, until a reunion was arranged in 1977 after his niece recognized her from an interview. The meeting was short-lived, with Frida saying, “It’s difficult to get a father when you’re 32 years old. ”
By the time she met Benny in 1969, Frida had already been married and divorced, with two children from her first marriage. She and Benny married in 1978, but after their split in 1981, she was deeply hurt to see him marry someone else so quickly.
After ABBA ended, she moved to London, then settled in Switzerland. In 1992, she married into German royalty, becoming Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Frid of Reuss. But tragedy followed her. Her thirty-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident in New York in 1998, and the next year, her husband, Prince Heinrich, died of cancer.
Frida withdrew from public life, saying her faith helped her through the pain. In more recent years, she has found happiness again in Zermatt, Switzerland, with Viscount Hamilton, heir to the WHSmith fortune. After ABBA’s split, the idea of a reunion became music’s most asked question. Offers poured in, including a reported one billion dollars in the early 2000s for a concert series, which they turned down.
For decades, they were only seen together at rare events like the Mamma Mia! musical and movie premieres. But in 2018, something changed. All four began talking about working together again.
At first, they planned just two new songs, but this grew into a full album, Voyage, released in 2021. Björn recalled the first day back in the studio, saying, “I looked around and I looked into Agnetha’s eyes and Frida’s eyes, and there was the same kind of feeling, the warmth and the friendship and the bonds. ”
They also announced a high-tech concert experience with digital avatars performing in London, giving fans a new way to see the group. ABBA Voyage first opened in 2022, and it’s not your typical concert.
Instead of the band performing live, fans watch digital avatars of the four members as they looked in their 1970s glory days. The holographic show plays inside a custom-built arena in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, the site of the 2012 Olympics. The set list is packed with crowd favorites like “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo,” and “Mamma Mia,” and the high-tech production makes it feel as though ABBA are right there in the room. The project has been a massive hit both with audiences and financially.
According to a new report, ABBA Voyage has pumped £322 million into the British economy, with more than a million tickets sold at prices up to £181. 50. And it’s not just the numbers. The show has kept ABBA’s music alive for new generations while giving longtime fans a nostalgic thrill.
For the third anniversary, starting May 27, the production introduced a little added something to the set list, giving returning visitors a fresh reason to come back. While ABBA Voyage continues its sold-out run in London, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are making waves on Broadway. Later in 2025, two of their biggest stage hits, Mamma Mia! and Chess, will run at the same time.
Mamma Mia! premiered in London in 1999, arrived on Broadway in 2001, and has since been seen by over seventy million people in fifty productions in sixteen languages. It became Broadway’s ninth-longest-running show, playing fourteen years with 5,773 performances and grossing more than seven billion dollars. Now it returns to the Winter Garden Theatre for a limited run from August 2, 2025, to February 1, 2026.
Chess, co-created in the 1980s, will join it on the Broadway stage. Having both shows play simultaneously highlights the enduring strength of Benny and Björn’s partnership, a creative bond that has thrived through ABBA’s breakup and personal challenges, continuing to connect their music to generations of fans worldwide. And on that May evening in London, as Benny and Frida stood together in the balcony, the past and present met on the same stage. It had been nearly fifty years since they first sang together on a beach in Cyprus, and almost forty-five since their marriage ended.
The laughter between them said what words could not: that even after decades, breakups, and life changes, ABBA’s story was still being written.
