ABBA's New Album That Might Be The Last Album

ABBA (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Swedish music group ABBA released its first studio album in 40 years, Friday, November 5 yesterday. But fans expecting more new songs in the future may be disappointed as this could be ABBA's last work.

"I think the other three people will say 'this will be the last,'" said Bjorn Ulvaeus, one of the ABBA songwriters who made hits like Dancing Queen, Waterloo and Money, Money, Money with Benny Andersson.

"I'm not saying we won't be working anymore. There's always a chance. I hate to say this... I'm just saying it looks like we won't be recording a new song."

ABBA, formed by two married couples in 1972, has sold more than 385 million albums since the hit Waterloo, they remained at number one on the world's charts until their disbandment in the early 1980s.

"ABBA Gold", a compilation of their hit songs originally released in 1992, recently passed its 1000th week on the UK album charts.

"Voyage" is the first album containing new songs since "The Visitors", in 1981, released before the group's disbandment which coincided with the end of their member Agnetha Faltskog's marriage to Bjorn and Benny's marriage to Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

Rumors circulated for years that ABBA would be playing together again. But many of its members turned down offers, including a $1 billion offer to tour again.

"In that case, the reason is health... for reasons beyond money, just for health," Ulvaeus told Reuters in an interview before the launch of "Voyage".

This new album is born out of ABBA's new concert project, also called "Voyage", featuring digital representations of ABBA members created with motion-capture technology. "Voyage" contains ten songs, all of which have never been released other than Just a Notion which was recorded in 1978.

Ulvaeus said he and Benny weren't trying to make music the way it is today and this album might be more appealing to longtime ABBA fans.

"You can definitely feel 40 years have passed. There's depth to the sound, the music, and the lyrics," he said.

"There's an element that comes with age, I think in all albums."

They reveal the secret behind songwriting success.

"Just writing the melody and lyrics is good enough," says Ulvaeus.

"Not easy, but simple. Whether it will be successful, depends on the audience. We just do our best," Reuters stated as quoted on Sunday, November 7.