ABBA ( AB-ə, Swedish: [ˈâbːa]) (often stylised as ABBA) were a Swedish pop music group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are among the most renowned and commercially successful musical groups in history.
In 1974, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden with their song "Waterloo". In 2005, "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the competition's history during its 50th anniversary celebration. During their peak, ABBA comprised two married couples: Fältskog and Ulvaeus, and Lyngstad and Andersson. As their fame grew, their personal lives suffered, leading to the dissolution of both marriages. These relationship changes were reflected in the group's later music, which featured darker and more introspective lyrics.
After ABBA disbanded in December 1982, Andersson and Ulvaeus continued their success writing music for stage, musicals, and films, while Fältskog and Lyngstad pursued solo careers. Ten years after the group's breakup, the compilation ABBA Gold was released and became a worldwide best-seller. In 1999, ABBA's music was adapted into Mamma Mia!, a stage musical that toured globally. As of October 2024, it remains one of the ten longest-running productions on Broadway (closed in 2015) and the West End (still running). A film of the same name, released in 2008, became the highest-grossing film in the United Kingdom that year. A sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, was released in 2018.
ABBA are one of the best-selling music acts of all time, with sales exceeding 150 million. Their compilation album ABBA Gold is, as of April 2026, certified platinum over 128 times across more than 28 countries/territories worldwide and has been in the UK top 100 album chart for a record 1,248 weeks. The group are ranked as the third best-selling singles artist in the United Kingdom, with a total of 11.3 million singles sold as of 3 November 2012. In May 2023, ABBA received the BRIT Billion Award, which honours artists who have surpassed one billion UK streams in their careers. They were the first group from a non-English-speaking country to achieve consistent success on the charts in English-speaking countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. ABBA are recognised as the best-selling Swedish music act of all time and the best-selling band originating from continental Europe. The group achieved eight consecutive number-one albums in the UK and also enjoyed significant success in Latin America, recording a collection of their hit songs in Spanish.
In 2016, the group reunited and started working on a digital avatar concert tour. Newly recorded songs were announced in 2018. Voyage, their first new album in 40 years, was released on 5 November 2021, to positive critical reviews and strong sales. ABBA Voyage, a concert residency featuring ABBA as virtual avatars, opened in May 2022 at the purpose built ABBA Arena in London to universal acclaim. The seven times weekly concerts passed the 4 million attendance mark in April 2026 and are estimated to have contributed in excess of £2 billion to the UK economy. ABBA Voyage concerts, in their fourth year, continue to play to packed houses.
