COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The four members of the Swedish pop quartet ABBA, which triumphed in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the passionate love song “Waterloo,” are set to receive one of the most prestigious knighthoods in Sweden at a ceremony on Friday.
For the first time in nearly 50 years the Order of Vasa will be awarded. Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad will be awarded the Royal Order of Vasa as “Commander of the First Class” for their “very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international musical life”.
Sweden has several orders, including the Royal Order of the Seraphim, awarded to heads of state and foreign royalty, and the Royal Order of the Polar Star, awarded to foreign citizens and stateless persons.
The Royal Order of Vasa, which is awarded for personal efforts for Sweden or Swedish interests as well as for the successful performance of public duties and assignments, was inactive until the end of 2022, when it was reactivated after rules reopened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens.
Earlier this year, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government and King Carl XVI Gustaf approved the nominees, which included four members of ABBA.
The Eurovision win made ABBA a major force in the pop world, becoming the most successful band to ever win the pan-continental music competition. ABBA’s melodic disco pop sold millions of records worldwide. The stage musical “Mamma Mia!” based on its songs is 25 years old and has spawned two films.
Coincidentally, the 2024 Eurovision was held in southern Sweden. Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th contest with “The Code”, an operatic pop-rap song about the singer’s journey to embrace a non-gender identity.
The Swedish band members have not performed live together for four decades, but released a comeback album, “Voyage,” in 2021. The digital “ABBA-tars” opened in London in 2022.
The monarch will bestow the order on “13 exceptional Swedish people”, including the 2023 Nobel laureates: French-Swedish physicists Anne L’Huillier and Svante Pääbo, who won the prestigious prize in physics and medicine. They were made Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star for “outstanding research efforts”.
The royal family said the ceremony would take place at the Royal Palace in Stockholm in the presence of the winners and their invited guests.
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