ABBA received one of their country’s most coveted accolades as they received the top honor, which has not been awarded in nearly 50 years. Members of the legendary pop quartet have been honored by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf for their cultural influence.
According to the Guardian, the decision was made to honor the band’s success in bringing Swedish pop music to a wide international audience. Benny Andersson, Anieta Falskog, Anni-Frid Lingstad and Björn Ulvaeus made a rare joint appearance in Stockholm to collect their titles.
ABBA has been awarded the Royal Vasa Order, one of Sweden’s highest honors since 1772, awarded to Swedish citizens for services to the state and society – “for outstanding contributions to the Swedish and international music scene”.
Sweden stopped awarding royal orders to its own citizens in 1975, but continued to award them to foreigners. However, the country’s parliament reinstated the practice in 2022, and last Friday’s ceremony marked the first time in half a century that a Swede has been awarded the medal.
Two couples of the group, who have experienced two marriages and a corresponding divorce, reunited on the same stage to receive their titles. Anieta Bjorn and Ani-Frid married Benny. They broke up at the height of their fame – the first two in 1980 and the other two a year later.
ABBA remain one of the world’s most successful pop groups, despite not having performed live since 1982 on BBC’s The Late, Late Breakfast Show. After their breakup, Anieta, already a big star in Sweden, had a successful solo career. followed, but the group’s early hits never faded — and became staples of modern pop culture for decades.
They have sold more than 400 million albums and singles and in 1974 became the first Swedes to win the Eurovision Song Contest – their digital versions known as Abbatars played to sold-out crowds in London as part of ABBA. “Travel” event.
The group’s popularity was fueled by the stage and later “Mamma Mia!”, which introduced their music to a younger generation of music lovers. rekindled with the movie musical. ABBA’s men and songwriters shared a €1.20m dividend from the musical’s international profits last January.
Although rumors of a return to this year’s Eurovision contest in their home country were quickly dispelled, the digital ABBAtars stopped by one of the main intermissions of the contest, singing the song that won the contest 50 years ago, “Waterloo”.
A total of 13 Swedes were honored at the ceremony at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, including two Nobel laureates – geneticist Svante Paabbo and French-Swedish physicist Ann L’Huillier.