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
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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."



Jon M. Chu’s Immersive ‘Wicked’ Readies for Release

US singer and actor Ariana Grande (L) and British actor and singer Cynthia Erivo (R) on the green carpet at the UK premiere of "'Wicked" at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 18 November 2024. (EPA)
US singer and actor Ariana Grande (L) and British actor and singer Cynthia Erivo (R) on the green carpet at the UK premiere of "'Wicked" at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 18 November 2024. (EPA)
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Jon M. Chu’s Immersive ‘Wicked’ Readies for Release

US singer and actor Ariana Grande (L) and British actor and singer Cynthia Erivo (R) on the green carpet at the UK premiere of "'Wicked" at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 18 November 2024. (EPA)
US singer and actor Ariana Grande (L) and British actor and singer Cynthia Erivo (R) on the green carpet at the UK premiere of "'Wicked" at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 18 November 2024. (EPA)

The worldwide premiere tour for "Wicked" landed in London on Monday for a final outing ahead of the musical film's release, with director Jon M. Chu saying he hopes audiences will be moved by the spectacle.

The London leg of the tour, with previous stops in Sydney, Los Angeles, Mexico City and New York, was called "Emerald City," and featured a green carpet flanked with decorations inspired by the capital city of the Land of Oz.

Under a persistent drizzle, lead actors Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and their co-stars Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Ethan Slater greeted screaming fans.

Chu was happy to soak in the atmosphere after missing the Los Angeles premiere due to the birth of his fifth child.

"It's a lot of emotions. We've worked many years on this movie. I worked just a little bit on the baby. To have them come out at the same time, that has to be a sign from somewhere to say that this movie is blessed," he said in an interview.

"Wicked" is based on Stephen Schwartz's musical of the same name, adapted from the 1995 book by Gregory Maguire. It tells the story of the green-skinned young woman Elphaba (Erivo) who goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West from the classic children's novel "The Wizard of Oz".

Pop star Grande plays the privileged and popular Glinda whom Elphaba befriends at university.

"This is Wizard of Oz, this is Oz. It's iconic in cinematic history. We didn't want to disappoint," said Chu.

"We wanted to immerse people in the Land of Oz. We wanted to make you touch it and feel it in ways that you haven't been able to do. We wanted to make a big spectacle on the scale of 'Ben-Hur' and 'Lawrence of Arabia'."

The second installment of the two-part film series is slated for release in November 2025.

"We've shot part two. I'm cutting it right now, and it's a doozy. It's very exciting. If you like part one, get ready for a whole new ride!" Chu promised.

"Wicked" begins its global cinematic rollout on Nov. 20.