It was loud enough already, then Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad walked in.
At the Abba Arena in east London on Tuesday, the Abba Voyage virtual concert residency launched an expanded education program aimed at helping young people across the area get into the creative industries. The new initiatives include an autumn school program, a mentoring scheme and apprenticeship opportunities within local entertainment venues, many of which relocated to or expanded in Stratford after the area’s regeneration for the 2012 Olympics.
Abba Voyage invited several local schools to the launch event to watch the live concert experience. Earplugs were handed out for free before the show, more to protect ears from the children’s screams than from the concert acoustics. Teachers encouraged students out of their seats, and children swung their hi-vis jackets over their heads and sang along to hits including Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! and SOS.
At the end of the performance, Andersson and Lyngstad made a surprise appearance and led a rendition of Thank You for the Music before meeting some of the children.
Speaking after the concert, Andersson, 79, said songwriting still takes patience. “To write a bad song is easy, to write a good song, you need to sit down there for hours and days and weeks before something might pop up.”
He said he still sits at the piano every day to try to write music. “Sometimes things come out, the dragon comes out of the cave, but very rarely nowadays.”
Asked if the four members of Abba were still friends, Lyngstad said: “We’re always friends, even if we live in different countries.”
Shazia Hussain, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, which worked with Abba Voyage on the program, said the initiatives could “transform early inspiration into tangible career pathways”.
Craig Hartenstine, chief executive of Abba Voyage, said the program aimed to help young people “build the skills and confidence that can lead to real opportunities in the future”.
He added: “We’re proud of what has already been achieved alongside our partners, and excited to deepen that impact through new mentoring, training and employment pathways in the years ahead.”
The launch came a week after Alan Milburn’s report into youth unemployment warned of a “lost generation” with significant economic costs for the rest of the UK. The report found about one in eight young people across the UK are not in education, employment or training.
Abba Voyage has already engaged with 8,500 young people through existing initiatives, including twice-yearly concerts for nearby London state schools. As part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Talent Pathways program, it has also supported ticket schemes aimed at improving access to live music experiences.
The venue has also committed to local employment, agreeing to source a minimum of 50 percent of its employees from the surrounding area.
Abba Voyage opened in 2022 and features de-aged, realistic holograms of the Swedish pop group’s members. The show drew more than two million visitors and generated at least £1.4 billion for the UK economy in its first two years.
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