'We share that experience with you': Abba thank fans as they celebrate 50th anniversary of Eurovision win

6 April 2024, 10:11 | Updated: 6 April 2024, 12:40

Abba won Eurovision in 1974.
Abba won Eurovision in 1974. Picture: Alamy

By Emma Soteriou

Abba have thanked fans for their support as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of their win at Eurovision.

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The group won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton on April 6, 1974, with the song Waterloo, subsequently topping the charts in several countries.

It came after they had just missed out on competing in 1973 with their entry Ring Ring.

Abba went on to have a string of hits, including Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen. But despite their continued success, they broke up less than a decade later in 1982.

Their popularity has continued on to this day, with the release of Mamma Mia the musical and two films based off their music.

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Abba performed Waterloo.
Abba performed Waterloo. Picture: Alamy

Marking the occasion, Abba said in a statement: "It’s slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several.

"We see evidence of that every time one of us visits Abba Voyage in London and it’s because of this we can celebrate the 50th Anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world.

"It's difficult to comprehend that 50 years have gone by since the four of us waited backstage for the verdicts of all the juries around Europe at the Dome in Brighton."

They continued: "Many of you were there from the very start and have followed us ever since - for over half a century!

"Music you discover and learn to love when you grow up or even later in life has a way of staying with you forever.

"We share that experience with you and to know that our music has become a constant in your lives is a wonderful thing.

"Throughout the years we have been blessed with the outpouring of love from you, our fans.

"We feel it and we want you to know that hardly a day goes by when we're not reminded of it."

The group concluded: "It is a happy and at the same time solemn moment and we can only hope that you understand how deeply grateful we are for a long, successful career and for your steadfast loyalty and support through the years. Thank you!"

Abba launched their virtual concert residency in London in 2022, giving fans the chance to watch digital versions of themselves decades after their split.

The group are now thought to have agreed a multi-million dollar deal to take their Voyage show to Vegas next.

"Abba has been secretly in talks for a while about getting a deal in Vegas," a source told the Daily Star.

"The music of Abba is well liked in the US and the unique selling point of avatars makes it more than an Abba show as the spectacular is something that could well wow audiences."

Eurovision is set to return to Sweden this year, after Loreen won the contest for a second time in 2023, but the group has already ruled out a reunion.

It will mark the seventh time Sweden has hosted the contest.