The Origins of the “ABBA Voyage” Virtual Concert

BJORN ULVAEUS, ABBA MEMBER: Well, there was an idea that we could go on tour as holograms, that was the first idea. And we thought that sounded interesting. But we soon found out that hologram technology is old-fashioned and is not suited for touring, at all. And then ILM is a Disney company who does “Star Wars” and stuff like that came into the picture. And we started working on ABBA Voyage as it is now. And we decided early on that we wanted to make it a concert. And as such, it was very, very important to us that the — that there would be an emotional connection between the avatars and the audience and a musical experience, of course, at the same time. And it was, in fact, not until the first preview — I mean, we worked with this for five years. And then 10 days, before the opening, we had the first preview with an audience and that’s when we learned that it actually worked. That people, you know, feel as though they’re at a concert and that those four avatars, they kind of unemotionally connect to them. It’s marvelous. It’s absolutely mind- blowing.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA: And how did it make you feel to see that? To see your younger self there in person, live, as if you are standing before a mirror, you know, with maybe perhaps a few more gray hairs and wrinkle or two, much wiser though, on the other side of it?

ULVAEUS: Well, of course, it was kind of weird in the beginning seeing those first, you know, sketches of avatars and seeing myself kind of grow and become what I — something like what I was in the 70s. But I kind of think now that I look at him and when I look at him it’s almost as though – – although he is me and I have infused all of my personality and life into him, it’s as though he has kind of his own personality at the same time. It’s — I know it sounds weird, but that is the way it is.