Björn Ulvaeus | |
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 Ulvaeus in 2025 | |
| Born | Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (1945-04-25)25 April 1945 (age 80) Gothenburg, Sweden |
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| Years active | 1963–present |
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| Children | 4, includingLinda |
| Musical career | |
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| Formerly of | Hootenanny Singers,ABBA |
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Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (Swedish:[ˈbjœːɳɵlˈvěːɵs]ⓘ; born 25 April 1945)[1] is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical groupABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicalsChess,Kristina från Duvemåla, andMamma Mia! He co-produced the filmsMamma Mia! andMamma Mia! Here We Go Again with fellow ABBA member and close friendBenny Andersson. He is the oldest member of the group.
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born inGothenburg[2] on 25 April 1945. At age 6, he moved with his family toVästervik,Kalmar County.[3] His parents were Aina Eliza Viktoria (née Bengtsson; 1909–2005) and Erik Gunnar Ulvaeus (1912–1999). Ulvaeus has one sister, Eva Margareta (born 1948). He was influenced byMuddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf,John Lee Hooker,Jimmy Reed andLittle Walter. Ulvaeus didmilitary service.
Before gaining international recognition withABBA, Ulvaeus was a member of the Swedish folk-schlager bandHootenanny Singers, known earlier as the "West Bay Singers", who had an enormous following inScandinavia. While on the road in southern Sweden in 1966, they encountered theHep Stars, and Ulvaeus quickly became friends with the group's keyboard player,Benny Andersson. The two musicians shared a passion for songwriting, and each found a composing partner in the other. On meeting again that summer, they composed their first song together: "Isn't It Easy To Say", a song soon to be recorded by Andersson's group. The two continued teaming up for music, helping out each other's bands in the recording studio, and adding guitar or keyboards respectively to the recordings. In 1968, they composed two songs together: "A Flower in My Garden", recorded byHep Stars, and their first real hit "Ljuva Sextiotal", performed by popular Swedish artistBrita Borg, for whichStig Anderson wrote lyrics. The latter, a cabarét-style ironic song about the 1960s, was submitted for the 1969 Swedish heats for theEurovision Song Contest, but was rejected. Another hit came in 1969 with "Speleman", also recorded by Hep Stars.
While filming a nostalgic schlager special for television in May 1969, Björn met eighteen-year-old future wife and singer-songwriterAgnetha Fältskog.
Björn Ulvaeus continued recording and touring with Hootenanny Singers to great acclaim while working as in-house producer atPolar Record Company (headed by future managerStig Anderson), with Benny as his new partner. The twosome produced records by other artists and continued writing songs together. Polar artist Arne Lamberts Swedish version of "A Flower in My Garden" ("Fröken Blåklint") was one of Björn & Benny's first in-house productions. In December 1969, they recorded the new song "She's My Kind of Girl", which became their first single as a duo. It was released in March 1970, giving them a minor hit in Sweden and a top-ten hit in Japan two years later.
The Hootenanny Singers enteredSvensktoppen, the Swedish radio charts, in 1970 with "Omkring Tiggarn Från Luossa", a cover of an old folk-schlager song. It remained on the charts for 52 consecutive weeks, a record which endured until 1990; the song was produced by Björn and Benny, and had Ulvaeus's solo vocal and Benny's piano.
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Björn Ulvaeus's girlfriendAgnetha Fältskog eventually joined Björn&Benny, which was afterwards called Björn, Benny & Agnetha,Frida eventually shortening it toABBA. Björn was the guitar player in the band, but he also sang lead vocals in the following songs: "People Need Love", "Merry Go Round", "Santa Rosa", "Another Town Another Train", "I Saw It in the Mirror", "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)", "He Is Your Brother", "Rock'n Roll Band", "She's My Kind of Girl", "Honey Honey", "Sitting in the Palmtree", "King King Song", "Watch Out,Man in the Middle,Rock Me,Crazy World", "Why Did It Have To Be Me?", "Summer Night City", "Does Your Mother Know", "Two for the Price Of One".
On 6 July 1971, Björn and Agnetha married.In July 1980, Björn and Agnetha Fältskog divorced, and the band broke up shortly after the divorce.
After ABBA went on hiatus in 1982, Ulvaeus and Andersson created the musicalsChess, a collaboration with lyricistTim Rice,[4]Kristina från Duvemåla (based onThe Emigrants novels by Swedish writerVilhelm Moberg), andMamma Mia! (based on ABBA songs).
Together with Andersson, Ulvaeus was nominated for theDrama Desk Award in the category "Outstanding Music" (for the musicalChess), and for aTony Award in a category "Best Orchestrations" (for the musicalMamma Mia!). The original cast recordings for both musicals were nominated for aGrammy Award.
For the 2004 semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest inIstanbul, thirty years after ABBA had won the1974 contest inBrighton, UK,[5] Ulvaeus appeared briefly in a special comedy video made for the interval act, entitled "Our Last Video". Each of the four members of the group appeared briefly incameo roles, as did others such asCher andRik Mayall. The video was not included in the official DVD release of the Eurovision Contest, but was issued as a separate DVD release. It was billed as the first time the four had worked together since the group split. In fact, they each filmed their appearances separately.
Ulvaeus also shared with Andersson "The Special InternationalIvor Novello Award" from theBritish Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, "The Music Export Prize" from the Swedish Ministry of Industry and Trade (2008),[6] and "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Swedish Music Publishers Association (SMFF).
On 15 April 2013, it was officially announced by theEBU and theSVT that Ulvaeus and Andersson, with the late Swedish DJ and record producerAvicii, had composed the anthem for the2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The song was performed for the first time in the Final on 18 May.[7]
In 2016 American media reported that British entrepreneur Simon Fuller had approached Ulvaeus and other members of ABBA with his idea to create a virtual reality ABBA using new technology.[8][9] In November that year Fuller was photographed in London meeting with Ulvaeus.[10] In September 2017,Benny Andersson told Swedish newspaperExpressen that there were plans for ABBA to tour "virtually", using digital avatars of the group[11] and Ulvaeus told theBBC that the idea had been proposed to the band bySimon Fuller.[12] In April 2018, the four members issued a statement saying that during preparations for the tour, they had regrouped with Fuller in the studio and recorded two new songs, titled "I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down".[12]
In 2019, Ulvaeus worked with Swedish songwriterAndreas Carlsson to arrange an English dub ofTomas Ledin'sjukebox musical filmEn del av mitt hjärta (English:A Piece of My Heart) directed byEdward af Sillén. Ulvaeus was asked to write English lyrics for Ledin's songs as they are long-term friends.[13]
In 2020, Björn Ulvaeus has been appointed President ofCISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers.[14]
On 2 September 2021, via YouTube livestream, ABBA announced their virtualconcert residency "ABBA Voyage", as well as the release of a studio album, recorded between 2017 and 2021. The new record, their first in 40 years, features ten tracks, including "I Still Have Faith In You" and "Don't Shut Me Down", which were first shown in the aforementioned livestream event and released as a double A-side single. On 5 November 2021, theVoyage album was released worldwide, and on 27 May 2022, ABBA Voyage opened in a purpose-built venue named the ABBA Arena at theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
Since November 2021, Ulvaeus and British actorIan McKellen have postedInstagram videos featuring the pairknittingChristmas jumpers and other festive attire.[15][16] In 2023, it was revealed that Ulvaeus and McKellen would be knitting stagewear for Kylie Minogue as part of herMore Than Just a Residencyconcert residency at Voltaire atThe Venetian Las Vegas.[17]
In October 2023, it was confirmed that Ulvaeus would be thekeynote speaker for The Business Day atBridlington Spa in theUnited Kingdom on Friday 7 June 2024. Ulvaeus would discuss the creation of ABBA Voyage, leadership,entrepreneurship,artificial intelligence (AI), Technology, Innovation,Meta Data and the complexity of business in themusic industry.[18]
On 21 March 2024, shortly before the 50th anniversary of their win at the Eurovision Song Contest, all four members of ABBA were appointedCommander, First Class, of theRoyal Order of Vasa by His Majesty KingCarl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. This was the first time in almost 50 years that the Swedish Royal Orders of Knighthood was bestowed on Swedes. ABBA shared the honour with nine other people.[19]
On 6 July 1971, Ulvaeus marriedAgnetha Fältskog. They had two children:Linda Elin Ulvaeus (born 23 February 1973), and Peter Christian Ulvaeus (born 4 December 1977). The couple separated in early 1979, and their divorce was finalised in July 1980.
Ulvaeus married music journalist Lena Källersjö on 6 January 1981. They have two daughters. Ulvaeus and Källersjö lived on a private island inDjursholm, an upscale area inDanderyd Municipality north of Stockholm. From 1984 to 1990, they lived in the United Kingdom, where Ulvaeus founded an IT business with his brother. In February 2022, Ulvaeus and Källersjö announced their separation.[20]
In 2021, while producingVoyage, Ulvaeus met Christina Sas, a product manager atUniversal Music Group, and they began dating the following year. Ulvaeus and Sas were married on 21 September 2024 inCopenhagen, Denmark. The ceremony was conducted bySandi Toksvig.[21]
Ulvaeus is one of the four owners (along withPer Gessle) of NoteHeads, a Swedish company which publishes themusic notation programIgor Engraver.[22]
Ulvaeus is a member of theInternational Humanist and Ethical Union's Swedish member organisationHumanisterna, and was awarded their annual prize,Hedenius-priset, in 2006. Ulvaeus describes himself as an atheist. He has appeared on several shows discussing his views about religion.[23]
Ulvaeus suffered from severelong-term memory loss. However, in a 2009 interview, he stated that reports of his memory loss were "hugely exaggerated".[24] In a TV interview withFredrik Skavlan, Ulvaeus said the memory loss pertained toepisodic memory. He said that, for instance, he was not nostalgic for his days with ABBA: "It was good while it lasted."[25]
The Guardian called him Sweden's "highest-profile cash-free campaigner", explaining that "after his son was robbed several years ago, Ulvaeus became an evangelist for the electronic payment movement, claiming that cash was the primary cause of crime and that 'all activity in theblack economy requires cash'".[26] He has reportedly been living cash-free for more than a decade, andABBA The Museum has operated cash-free since it opened in May 2013.[27]
TheSwedish Tax Agency accused Björn Ulvaeus of failing to pay 90 millionkronor (US$12.8 million) inback taxes for eight years ending in 2005. The agency claimed that he "laundered" his musicroyalty income through institutions in several foreign countries. Ulvaeus paid the taxes as a precautionary measure during the 2½-year dispute. In October 2008, the county administrative court decided the case in Ulvaeus' favour, ruling that he never owed any of the 90 million kronor.[28][29][30][31]
In 2016, Ulvaeus co-founded the "Music Rights Awareness Foundation" with the Swedish songwriterMax Martin and the pop songwriterNiclas Molinder.[32][33] This political foundation aims to increase knowledge of music rights worldwide, through education and support, and to help music creators to take control of their rights and be able to live on their music – regardless of economical, geographical and cultural conditions.[34]
TheWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Music Rights Awareness Foundation (MRAF) have established a consortium,WIPO for Creators,[35] to promote awareness ofintellectual property (IP) rights and support creators in securing recognition and fair remuneration for their work. The initiative, launched through an agreement signed by WIPO Director GeneralFrancis Gurry and MRAF co-founders Björn Ulvaeus,Niclas Molinder, andMax Martin, seeks to engage public and private stakeholders in global education and support programs. Emphasizing the importance of effective copyright systems, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis and the growing complexity of the digital marketplace, the consortium aims to strengthen creators’ understanding of IP rights and data management to ensure proper compensation and credit for their contributions.[36] Bjorn Ulvaeus, shared a video explaining how knowledge of IP rights is key to a successful music career.[37]
Sweden:Royal Order of Vasa, Commander First Class (21 March 2024)[38]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE | SWE (Svensktoppen) | JAP | ||||
| "She's My Kind of Girl"[a] | 1970 | — | — | 6 |
| Ring Ring |
| "Hej gamle man"[b] | 5 | 1 | — | Lycka | ||
| "Livet går sin gång"[c] | — | 14 | — | |||
| "Hey, Musikant" (Germany only) | 1971 | — | — | — | Lycka (2006 reissue) | |
| "Det kan ingen doktor hjälpa"[b] | — | 9 | — | |||
| "På bröllop"[d] | 9 | |||||
| "Tänk om jorden vore ung"[b] | — | 1 | — | Lycka (1972 reissue) | ||
| "Love Has It’s Ways" (Japan only)[e] | 1972 | — | — | — | Lycka (2006 reissue) | |
| "En karusell"[f] | — | 12 | — | |||
| "Att finnas till" | 6 | |||||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released. | ||||||
Quotations related toBjörn Ulvaeus at Wikiquote
Media related toBjörn Ulvaeus at Wikimedia Commons| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 (as part ofABBA) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 (as part ofABBA) | Succeeded by |
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