Björn Ulvaeus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Björn Ulvaeus
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Ulvaeus in 2023
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Björn Kristian Ulvaeus
25 April 1945 Gothenburg, Sweden
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| Years active | 1963–present |
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Lena Källersjö
(m. 1981; div. 2022)Christina Sas
(m. 2024) |
| Children | 4, including Linda |
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Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is most famous for being a member of the supergroup ABBA. Björn also helped write the music for popular musicals like Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia! He also helped produce the Mamma Mia! movies with his friend and ABBA bandmate Benny Andersson. Björn is the oldest member of ABBA.
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Early Life
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 25 April 1945. When he was six years old, his family moved to Västervik. His parents were Aina and Erik Ulvaeus. Björn has one sister named Eva.
Music Career
Before ABBA
Before ABBA became famous worldwide, Björn was part of a Swedish folk-pop band called the Hootenanny Singers. They were very popular in Scandinavia. In 1966, Björn met Benny Andersson, who played keyboards for another band called the Hep Stars.
Björn and Benny quickly became friends. They both loved writing songs and found they worked well together. They wrote their first song, "Isn't It Easy To Say," which Benny's band soon recorded. They kept writing music together and helped each other's bands in the recording studio.
In 1969, Björn met Agnetha Fältskog, who would later become his wife and a member of ABBA. Björn continued to tour with the Hootenanny Singers. He also worked as a producer at Polar Record Company with Benny. They wrote and produced songs for other artists. Their first single as a duo, "She's My Kind of Girl," became a hit in Japan.
ABBA Years
Björn's girlfriend, Agnetha Fältskog, joined him and Benny. Later, Frida also joined, and they formed the group ABBA. Björn played guitar in the band. He also sang lead vocals on several ABBA songs. Some of these include "People Need Love", "He Is Your Brother", "She's My Kind of Girl", "Honey Honey", "Rock Me", and "Does Your Mother Know".
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Björn and Agnetha later divorced. The band decided to take a break shortly after.
After ABBA
After ABBA stopped performing together in 1982, Björn and Benny continued to work on new projects. They created several successful musicals. These include Chess, which they wrote with lyricist Tim Rice. They also created Kristina från Duvemåla and Mamma Mia!, which uses many ABBA songs.
Björn and Benny were nominated for awards for their musical work. This includes a Drama Desk Award for Chess and a Tony Award for Mamma Mia!. The recordings of these musicals were also nominated for Grammy Awards.
In 2004, Björn made a short appearance in a comedy video for the Eurovision Song Contest. This was 30 years after ABBA won the contest in 1974. All four ABBA members appeared in the video, but they filmed their parts separately.
Björn and Benny have received several other awards for their music. These include "The Special International Ivor Novello Award" and a "Lifetime Achievement Award."
In 2013, Björn and Benny, along with DJ Avicii, composed the anthem for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The song was performed for the first time during the final show.
In 2016, there were talks about creating a virtual reality ABBA show. This idea came from British entrepreneur Simon Fuller. In 2017, Benny Andersson confirmed plans for ABBA to tour using digital avatars. In 2018, the four members announced they had recorded two new songs: "I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down".
In 2019, Björn helped arrange an English version of a Swedish musical film called A Piece of My Heart. He wrote English lyrics for the songs.
In 2020, Björn Ulvaeus became the President of CISAC. This is an international group for authors and composers.
On 2 September 2021, ABBA announced their virtual concert series called "ABBA Voyage". They also announced a new studio album, their first in 40 years. The album, Voyage, was released on 5 November 2021. The "ABBA Voyage" show opened in London on 27 May 2022.
Since 2021, Björn and British actor Ian McKellen have posted fun videos on Instagram. They show themselves knitting Christmas sweaters and other festive clothes. In 2023, they even knitted stage clothes for singer Kylie Minogue.
In October 2023, it was announced that Björn would be a main speaker at an event in the United Kingdom. He is expected to talk about the creation of ABBA Voyage. He will also discuss leadership, business, artificial intelligence (AI), and the music industry.
Personal Life
On 6 July 1971, Björn married Agnetha Fältskog. They had two children: Linda (born 1973) and Peter (born 1977). They separated in 1979 and divorced in 1980.
Björn married Lena Källersjö in 1981. They had two daughters. Björn and Lena lived in the United Kingdom for a few years. In February 2022, they announced their separation.
In 2021, while working on the Voyage album, Björn met Christina Sas. They started dating in 2022 and got married on 21 September 2024 in Denmark.
Björn is one of the owners of NoteHeads, a Swedish company that makes music software. He is also a member of Humanisterna, a Swedish organization that promotes humanism. He describes himself as an atheist.
Björn has talked about having some memory loss, especially for past events. However, he has said that reports about his memory loss were "hugely exaggerated." He mentioned that he is not sad about his time with ABBA ending, saying, "It was good while it lasted."
Björn is known in Sweden for supporting a "cash-free" society. He believes that using less cash can help reduce crime. He has reportedly lived without cash for over a year. The ABBA Museum also operates without cash.
Awards
On 21 March 2024, all four members of ABBA received a special honor from the King of Sweden. They were appointed Commander, First Class, of the Royal Order of Vasa. This was the first time in almost 50 years that this Swedish honor was given to Swedes. It also marked 50 years since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest.
Sweden: Royal Order of Vasa, Commander First Class (21 March 2024)
Discography
Björn Solo Singles
- 1968: "Raring"
- 1968: "Fröken Fredriksson"
- 1969: "Saknar du något min kära"
- 1969: "Partaj-aj-aj-aj"
Björn and Benny Singles
- 1970: "She's My Kind of Girl"
- 1970: "Hej, gamle man!"
- 1971: "Hey, Musikant"
- 1971: "Det kan ingen doktor hjälpa"
- 1971: "Tänk om jorden vore ung"
- 1972: "En karusell"
- 1972: "Love Has Its Ways"
Björn and Benny Albums
- 1970: Lycka
- 1984: Chess (concept album with Tim Rice)
- 1986: Chess Pieces
- 1988: Chess: Original Broadway Cast Recording
- 1994: Chess in Concert
- 1996: Kristina från Duvemåla
- 1998: Från Waterloo till Duvemåla
- 1999: 16 favoriter ur Kristina från Duvemåla
- 1999: Mamma Mia! (Original Cast Recording)
- 2000: Mamma Mia! (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- 2002: Chess på svenska
- 2005: Mamma Mia! på svenska
- 2008: Mamma Mia! – The Movie Soundtrack
- 2009: Chess in Concert (London)
- 2010: Kristina at Carnegie Hall
- 2013: Hjälp sökes
Gemini
- 1985: Gemini
- 1987: Geminism
Josefin Nilsson
- 1993: Shapes
See also
In Spanish: Björn Ulvaeus para niños
- List of Swedes in music
- Abbacadabra
