On April 6, 1974, a musical turning point occurred with ABBA‘s victory at Eurovision thanks to their song Waterloo. This event quickly became iconic. It was only the beginning of a series of successes that would propel Swedish pop internationally. With 400 million albums sold, ABBA is now among the giants of music. The group even surpasses Elvis on streaming platforms and rivals the Rolling Stones!
Waterloo symbolizes not only a musical victory, but also the beginning of an extraordinary saga for the Swedish quartet. The city of Waterloo, near Brussels, currently hosts an exhibition retracing ABBA’s epic journey. Indeed, before their victory, ABBA had been sidelined from auditions a year earlier with a song in Swedish. Their revenge in 1974 forever changed their destiny, propelling them from anonymity to global fame.
The group, recognized as the emperor of disco, churned out hits until their split in 1982. However, interest in their music has never really disappeared. The group has been revived by films, a musical, and recently by revolutionary hologram concerts. The members of ABBA have since separated.
The blonde, Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn ended their story and the beauty, having become agoraphobic, remains a homebody… Despite this separation, the members continue to fascinate and inspire millions of fans around the world. A certain Madonna even covered one of their melodies in 2005.
Sweden, proud of this success, remains a major player on the international music scene through the group. ABBA paved the way for many Swedish artists and musicians. The group has helped establish Sweden as a net exporter of music, just behind the United States and Great Britain.
The legend of ABBA, far from fading, continues to be written, testifying to the indelible impact that a single group can have on the music industry and on generations of fans. While some celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision victory with Waterloo, the ABBA phenomenon is more alive than ever, proving that music transcends time and borders.