ABBA comment on Grammy nomination: 'They should be mandatory for those who dare leave 40 years between album releases'

ABBA has released their first comment on their 2022 Grammy nomination for I Still Have Faith in You as Record of the Year, poking fun at their 40-year hiatus between albums.

Upon the release of the 2022 Grammy nominations last month, some people were surprised to see ABBA’s first song in almost 40 years as a contender for Record of the Year.

Despite the surprise, there is no denying that ABBA are one of the most influential groups in music history. Often dismissed as a goofy pop at during their 1970s-80s run, their not-to-be-taken-too-seriously image masqueraded their deceptively complex storytelling and arrangements. After they announced their hiatus in 1983, their popularity grew exponentially and the world caught up with their sophistication. Films such as the 1994 Muriel’s Wedding and the 2008 Mamma Mia! and its sequel only added fuel to the fire that was an ABBA takeover.

Their hiatus however went on for so long that journalists and audiences alike began to stop asking whether the group would get back together again, and resigned to the fact that the possibility was growing smaller as the years drew past.

In 2018, the groups co-founders, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson revealed that they had reunited with singers Agentha Falkskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad to record two new songs and were preparing a virtual concert experience of some sort. The plans were delayed due to the global pandemic, but after a long wait, ABBA are finally back in business.

After their long wait, ABBA are back with their first ever Grammy nomination as a welcome. Whilew the group has remained quiet about the recognition, when asked by Variety earlier this week, they mocked themselves for the 40-year gap batween the 1981 ‘The Visitors’ and this year’s ‘Voyage’.

“A Grammy should be mandatory for those who dare leave 40 years between album releases,” they wrote. “We suggest a new category.” The statement was signed: “ABBA / Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid.”