ABBA members: Where are the original singers and musicians now?

One of the most successful groups in popular music history, ABBA have come a long way since first forming in 1972. 

The original line-up – consisting of Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – became Sweden’s first Eurovision winners in 1974 with their hit ‘Waterloo’. 

Over a decade of stardom and success followed, establishing ABBA as one of the most adored bands of all-time. 

The group’s catalogue of hits include karaoke favourites ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme (A Man After Midnight)’. 

But where are the original singers and musicians now? Read on below for all you need to know about the members of the supergroup and their current exploits. 

Pictured: Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad perform ‘Waterloo’ at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest

Agnetha Faltskog

Known for her marriage to fellow ABBA star Bjorn, Agnetha Faltskog is the youngest member of the group, and the only one born in the 1950s. 

Following the band’s unofficial break-up between 1982 and 1983, Faltskog played a leading role in the 1983 Swedish film Raskenstam. 

Despite going on to release a solo album, she would take a 17-year hiatus from recording between 1988 and 2004, during which she sought solace from the spotlight and avoided publicity. 

In 2008, after the release of the ABBA-based film ‘Mamma Mia!’, Faltskog was pictured with the other members of the band for their first official photograph together in 22 years. 

In the summer of 2017, Faltskog joined her ABBA bandmates to record two new songs, ‘I Still Have Faith in You’ and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’. 

Faltskog, who took buses when embarking on her solo career due to a fear of flying,  continues to live a fairly private life. She currently resides in Ekero, Sweden.  

Bjorn Ulvaeus

Bjorn Ulvaeus was well-accustomed to success before ABBA had even formed, thanks to his role in the Swedish folk band Hootenanny Singers, who were immensely popular in Scandinavia. 

It was during his time as a member of the Hootenanny Singers that he met future ABBA band-mate Benny Andersson. 

Bjorn subsequently married Agnetha Faltskog in 1971 to form one of two couples within ABBA. The pair had two children together before separating in 1979. 

Speaking about the next Eurovision Song Contest, Ulvaeus said: ‘I hope that it unites Europe behind Ukraine’, per the Belfast Telegraph.

‘Eurovision may seem shallow and just for fun, but there is a deeper meaning to it. For those hours that it is on, Europe is unified.’

Ulvaeus has also reportedly expressed interest in attending the 2023 edition of Eurovision, which is being held in Liverpool. 

He also owns private entertainment company Pophouse, which has been one of the major influences behind the immersive ‘ABBA: Voyage’ concert experience.  

ABBA performing on the ABC TV special ‘Olivia!’ in 1978 (from left to right: Bjorn, Anni-Frid, Anny Gibb, Agnetha and Benny)

Benny Andersson 

Before finding success with ABBA, Benny Andersson was a keyboardist for Swedish pop group Hep Stars, one of the country’s most successful bands in the 1960s. 

Having written a number of different songs for the 1969 Swedish equivalent of Eurovision (the Melodifestivalen), Andersson met his future wife and ABBA band member Anni-Frid Lyngstad at the event. 

Following ABBA’s split, Andersson wrote the stage musical Chess with ex-group member Ulvaeus. He also composed additional music for the release of Mamma Mia! in 2008. 

Andersson created the folk group Benny Anderssons orkester, also known as BAO, which features some of Sweden’s best-known folk musicians, with the group releasing five studio albums to date. 

Andersson has recently made a succession of appearances on Swedish television with his band. 

Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson on stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2010

Anni-Frid Lyngstad 

Despite being part of the Swedish supergroup, Anni-Frid Lyngstad was actually born in Norway. 

Her first solo album, entitled Frida, was released in 1971 before the formation of ABBA, and produced by her future co-star and husband Andersson. 

Lyngstad holds a sovereign title through her 1992 marriage to Prince Reuss of Plauen, which gave her the official title of Princess Anni-Frid Reuss, Dowager Countess of Plauen. 

A renowned environmentalist, Lyngstad frequently undertakes charity work. 

Since 2007, she has been in a relationship with British peer Henry Smith, 5th Viscount Hambleden, himself a descendant of the founders of British stationary group WHSmith.   

Per Lindvall

Per Lindvall began working as a touring musician at the age of just 13. 

He was still only 21 when he first appeared on an ABBA song for the first time, debuting in the session for ‘Super Trouper’. 

Lindvall was a long-serving drummer in the band. His brother Sven Lindvall is a bass guitarist, most notable for featuring with the Electric Banana Band and A-ha. 

According to ABBA’s website, Lindvall received a Swedish Grammy Award in 1990, an award from The Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2018. 

Ola Brunkert

Prior to the release of Voyage in 2021, Brunkert was one of only two side musicians, the other being Rutger Gunnarsson to appear on every ABBA album. 

A key supporting member of the group, the drummer played on their first single ‘People Need Love’. 

Tragically, Brunkert died in an accident at his Mallorca home at the age of 61 in 2008. 

He had hit his head against a glass door in his dining room, cutting his neck against a broken shard of glass. Despite being able to to wrap a towel around his neck and leave the house to seek help, he collapsed in the property’s garden. 

Super Troupers: Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson with technician Michael Tretow (foreground) during an album production session in 1978. Studio musicians Rutger Gunnarsson, Ola Brunkert and Lasse Wellander can be seen in the background

Janne Schaffer 

Janne Schaffer met Brunkert before ABBA’s formation, when he joined a group named Grapes of Wrath in 1968. The band became known as Opus III after the addition of bassist Bjorn Stolt. 

One of ABBA’s many session guitarists, Schaffer contributed to all of ABBA’s studio albums aside from The Visitors.

Janne featured on tracks including ‘Waterloo’, ‘SOS’ and ‘Super Trouper’. 

His eponymous 1973 debut album spent six weeks at Number One on the Swedish charts, and he is one of Sweden’s most highly-regarded musicians, according to the ABBA website.