ABBA Singer Agnetha Makes Comeback as Solo Artist

Agnetha Faltskog stands second left in ABBA's wax figures displayed at Stockholm's ABBA museum. Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP/File
Agnetha Faltskog stands second left in ABBA's wax figures displayed at Stockholm's ABBA museum. Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP/File
TT

ABBA Singer Agnetha Makes Comeback as Solo Artist

Agnetha Faltskog stands second left in ABBA's wax figures displayed at Stockholm's ABBA museum. Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP/File
Agnetha Faltskog stands second left in ABBA's wax figures displayed at Stockholm's ABBA museum. Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP/File

Two years after iconic Swedish pop group ABBA returned with a new album, singer Agnetha Faltskog has announced she will unveil a new single as a solo artist this week.

"So... where do we go from here?," the 73-year-old asked in a post to Instagram late Tuesday.

She said the single -- also titled "Where Do We Go From Here?" -- would be premiering on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday, AFP said.

Singers Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad represented the double A in the ABBA acronym alongside Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

The artist had last week teased that a new release was in the works, in an Instagram post that just said "Where Do We Go From Here?", without further explanation.

While it took ABBA nearly 40 years to return with a new album after the band split in the early 1980s, Faltskog has since produced several solo albums, the last "A" came out in 2013.

ABBA were propelled to global stardom after their 1974 Eurovision Song Contest win with "Waterloo" but they split in 1982, a year after the album, "The Visitors".

In 2018 the supergroup confirmed rumors they had returned to the studio to record new music.

ABBA finally announced a new album in September 2021 and released the singles "I still have faith in you" and "Don't shut me down" ahead of the 10-track "Voyage" two months later.

ABBA also made a return to the stage with a London show the following year in the form of projected holograms -- dubbed "ABBAtars."



Comedian Conan O'Brien to Host Oscars

(FILES) US television host and comedian Conan O'Brien visits the briefing room of the White House December 15, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
(FILES) US television host and comedian Conan O'Brien visits the briefing room of the White House December 15, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
TT

Comedian Conan O'Brien to Host Oscars

(FILES) US television host and comedian Conan O'Brien visits the briefing room of the White House December 15, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
(FILES) US television host and comedian Conan O'Brien visits the briefing room of the White House December 15, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

Comedian Conan O'Brien, a former late-night television host, will be the emcee for the Oscars for the first time, taking over from fellow funnyman Jimmy Kimmel, organizers said Friday.
O'Brien, 61, will preside over Hollywood's biggest night next March, hoping to maintain -- and even perhaps improve -- on an uptick in ratings seen earlier this year, AFP reported.
"America demanded it and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars," O'Brien quipped in a statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang called O'Brien "the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies and his live TV expertise."
"His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best -- honor the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year," they said in the statement.
Executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan hailed O'Brien as "incredibly witty, charismatic and funny."
O'Brien, a five-time Emmy winner, hosted several late-night talk shows, including "The Tonight Show," and currently hosts the podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend." He previously served as a writer for "Saturday Night Live."
Kimmel first hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018. He was then brought back in 2023 after the previous year's ceremony featured actor Will Smith's infamous on-stage slap of Chris Rock. Kimmel also hosted the gala this past March.
Almost 20 million tuned in for the last Oscars -- a welcome upward trend for organizers of live awards shows, which have been shedding viewers as they compete for viewers with streamers and social media highlight clips.
The 97th Academy Awards will be held on March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.