Abba to 'reunite' after splitting more than 30 years ago

Swedish pop group Abba are to formally "reunite" for the first time since splitting more than 30 years ago.

The quartet, made up of Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, will come back together to work on a project with music mogul Simon Fuller.

Fuller, who notably managed the Spice Girls, will work with the group on what is being described as a "groundbreaking venture that will utilise the very latest in digital and virtual reality technology".

Full details of the project have not yet been announced, but an official release says the group, which reached the peak of their popularity in the 1970s, will seek to maintain the "authenticity and integrity of the band's original vision".

(Left to Right) Bjorn Ulvaes, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson. Credit: PA Wire

"I hope this new Abba creation will excite [fans] as much as it excites me," Lyngstad said.

Andersson added: "We're inspired by the limitless possibilities of what the future holds, and are loving being a part of creating something new and dramatic here. A time machine that captures the essence of who we were. And are."

The project aims to bring the Abba experience to a new generation of fans, and enable them to see, hear and feel the band "in a way previously unimagined".

Benny Andersson and Bjoern Ulvaeus at the premiere of the musical Mamma Mia! Credit: PA Wire

Abba parted ways in 1982 after a 10-year stint. In June, the band performed together for the first time in 30 years to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

With a string of hits under their belts including Dancing Queen, Waterloo and Mamma Mia, Abba was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Their music was adapted into the successful theatre show Mamma Mia! which was made into a 2008 film starring Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth.

The full details of Abba's new project will be announced in 2017.

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