LONDON • They famously vowed never to reform, to the disappointment of their legions of fans.
But nearly four decades after disbanding, Swedish superstars Abba were yesterday expected to announce a "sensational comeback" collaboration.
The now septuagenarian stars of pop classics such as Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and Take A Chance On Me said they would make a "historic" announcement at 5.45pm British time (12.45am today, Singapore time).
They are expected to announce the release of their first new songs since the 1980s and the launch of a new theatrical show in which they will perform as hologram "Abbatars".
Last week, the group - Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75; Agnetha Faltskog, 71; Bjorn Ulvaeus, 76; and Benny Andersson, 74 - announced on Twitter: "Thank you for waiting, the journey is about to begin."
The band are to release a whole album's worth of new songs in a "sensational comeback", according to British tabloid The Sun.
This comes after the Swedish pop icons announced three years ago that they were returning to the studio to record new tracks.
"We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did," they said.
They have mentioned five new songs, including I Still Have Faith In You and Don't Shut Me Down. The Sun reported they have recorded at least eight songs together.
The tabloid also reported that the group will voice holograms of themselves in their heyday for a "stage-of-the-art" show called Abba Voyage to be staged at a 3,000-capacity theatre in London's Olympic Park.
The show will launch next May and run eight times a week, featuring a blend of previously filmed and projected content and live performers. The plan is for the show to run to 2025 and then transfer to Stockholm or Las Vegas.
Building work on the theatre has begun, The Sun reported.
Almost as famous for their over-the-top sparkly outfits as their music, Abba notched up over 400 million album sales over 50 years. They enjoyed phenomenal success with a string of chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s after winning Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo.
Since parting ways in 1982, they have steadfastly resisted all offers to work together as a foursome again. In 2000, the band turned down a US$1 billion (S$1.34 billion) offer to perform a 100-show world tour.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
