Copenhagen, Denmark — The four members of Swedish pop quartet ABBA, who triumphed in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the upbeat love song “Waterloo”, will receive one of Sweden’s most prestigious knighthoods at a ceremony on Friday.
The Order of the Vasa will be awarded for the first time in almost 50 years. Agnetha Faltskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad will receive the Royal Order of Vasa as “Commander First Class” for “outstanding efforts in Swedish and international musical life”.
Sweden has several orders, including the Royal Order of Seraphim, awarded to heads of state and foreign royalty, and the Royal Order of the North Star, awarded to foreign citizens and stateless persons.
The Royal Order of Vasa, which is awarded in recognition of Sweden’s personal efforts or Swedish interests as well as the successful performance of public duties and assignments, lay dormant until the end of 2022, when it was reactivated after regulations opened the Royal Orders to the Swedes. citizens again.
Earlier this year, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government and King Carl XVI Gustaf approved the nominees that included the four members of ABBA.
The Eurovision victory transformed ABBA into a pop juggernaut, by far the most successful band to win the pan-continental music competition. ABBA’s melodic pop record sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide. The stage musical “Mamma Mia!” based on his music is 25 years old and has spawned two films.
Coincidentally, Eurovision 2024 was held in southern Sweden. Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th contest with “The Code,” an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward a non-gender identity.
The Swedish band members haven’t performed live together in four decades, but released a comeback album, “Voyage,” in 2021. The digital “ABBA-tars” debuted in London in 2022.
The monarch will hand over orders to “13 exceptional Swedes,” including two 2023 Nobel Prize winners: French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier and Svante Pääbo, who won the coveted prize in physics and medicine. Both were named Commanders of the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star for “outstanding research efforts.”
The ceremony will take place at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, in the presence of the recipients and their guests, the royal family said.
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