By royal appointment, the Swedish supergroup ABBA have finally received recognition for their musical contribution to Sweden and international culture with a knighthood for their pop career that started at Eurovision. Sweden's said a big 'Thank you for the music' to its most famous pop exports by honouring the supergroup with one of the country's most prestigious awards, the Order of the Vasa. It's the first time it's been bestowed in nearly half a century in recognition of ABBA's "very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life.
" The band, which consists of Agnetha Faltskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, sprang to international stardom by with their infectious love song 'Waterloo'. The Eurovision victory turned ABBA into a pop juggernaut and easily the most successful band to win the pan-continental music contest. ABBA’s melodic disco pop sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide.
The stage musical “ ” based on its songs is 25 years old and spawned two movies. Although, the Swedish band members have not performed together live for four decades, they released a comeback album, “Voyage,” in 2021 and a year later, the digital “ABBA-tars” opened in London. The royal recognition as "Commander of the First Class" is one of several Swedish orders, including the Royal Order of Seraphim awarded to heads of state and foreign royals, and the Royal Order of the Polar Star that is given to foreign citizens and stateless perso.