ABBA Torbjo¦êrn Calvero Premium RockshotSTOCKHOLM AND LOS ANGELES, October 26, 2016 – Nearly 35 years after their last public performance together, the members of ABBA are preparing to give their fans around the world what millions of them have long dreamed of but considered impossible: a new entertainment experience.

World-renowned entertainment entrepreneur Simon Fuller, the members of ABBA, and Universal Music Group are partnering together in a groundbreaking venture that will utilize the very latest in digital and virtual reality technology. The aim is to create an original entertainment experience with the Swedish pop superstars that will enable a new generation of fans to see, hear, and feel ABBA in a way previously unimagined.

Simon Fuller has been at the cutting edge of social and technological change for three decades, using his insights to transform popular culture. For the past several years, his businesses have been quietly investing in virtual reality technologies and developing hyper-realistic digital humans in the field of entertainment. The collaboration with the four members of ABBA, who first formed in Stockholm in 1972 and who remain among the most iconic and enduring talents in the world, marks a key “ahead of the curve” step towards fully realizing the possibilities of virtual reality—and in the process transforming the face of popular entertainment.

The members of ABBA will be involved throughout the creative process, maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the band’s original vision within this exciting new realm of entertainment possibilities.

Benny Andersson: “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.”

Frida Lyngstad: “Our fans around the world are always asking us to reform and so I hope this new ABBA creation will excite them as much as it excites me!”

Simon Fuller, Founder and CEO of XIX Entertainment: “The creativity and ideas flowing from the members of ABBA over the past few months have filled me with great excitement. We are exploring a new technological world, with Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence at the forefront, that will allow us to create new forms of entertainment and content we couldn’t have previously imagined.”

Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group: “Having the privilege of working closely with the band for over two decades, I can comfortably say there are few recording artists who like ABBA bring together their mastery of craft, a high level of professionalism and enormous commercial success. I’m thrilled to be involved in this innovative new project that will introduce the band who are responsible for some of the greatest songs and melodies in pop music to a new generation of fans.”

Further details of this pioneering collaboration will be announced in 2017.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries.  Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world.  Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.

Photo credit: Torbjörn Calvero © Premium Rockshot

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