Björn Ulvaeus

Björn Ulvaeus

Swedish musician (born 1945)
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Björn Ulvaeus
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Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945; credited as Björn Ulvæus) is a Swedish songwriter, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA (1972–1982), and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!. He co-produced the film Mamma Mia! with fellow ABBA member and close friend Benny Andersson.

Björn Christian Ulvaeus began his performing career in a folk group. Producer Stig Anderson (who would later co-write ABBA`s "Dancing Queen") discovered them in 1963 and they moved to Stockholm. Anderson dubbed them the Hootenanny Singers and signed him to his label, Polar Records. Ulvaeus` song "Baby Those Are the Rules" was a Swedish Top Ten hit. He met Andersson, who had hits as a member of the Hep Stars, at a party and the two decided to form a writing and producing team.

Andersson met Anni-Frid Lyngstad in Malmo, Sweden, where they both were separately performing in nightclubs. Ulvaeus met singer Agnetha Faltskog when they both appeared on a television show. The couples were married for a time.

When Stig Anderson hired Ulvaeus and Anderson as staff producers for Polar, the two men began using their wives as background vocalists on recording sessions. With the recording of one of the duo`s songs, "People Need Love," the two women took over the lead vocals. "People Need Love" was issued in America as being by the group Bjorn Benny and Svenska Flicka. After entering the Eurovision Song Contest, one of the quartet songs, "Waterloo," won first prize becoming an international hit, due in part to the contest being televised all over the world. "Waterloo" issued in the U.S. by Atlantic Records went to number six pop on

-Billboard`s chart in summer 1974. Stig Anderson was tired of saying four names when he referred to the group, so he took the first letter of the group members` name and rearranged them into the name ABBA.

"Waterloo"`s follow-up "Honey, Honey, Honey" went to number 27 Pop in fall 1974. ABBA`s next charting singles, all on Atlantic, were "SOS," "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," "Mamma Mia," and "Fernando," which hit number one adult contemporary in fall 1976.

But it wasn`t until the shimmering million-selling "Dancing Queen" that ABBA had their first number one pop single in late 1976. Included on the gold LP Arrival, "Dancing Queen" was a massive disco hit. The hits continued: "Knowing Me Knowing You," "Money, Money, Money," "The Name of the Game," the gold "Take a Chance on Me" (number three pop), and "Does Your Mother Know." Besides The Arrival, other charting ABBA albums were the platinum LP The Album ("Take a Chance on Me"), the gold Voulez-Vous, the gold Super Trouper , and The Visitors.

After ABBA split in 1982, Ulvaeus and Andersson also collaborated on Murray Head`s 1984 number three pop hit "One Night in Bangkok" and tracks for Swedish singer Josefin Nilsson. The two also appeared with the rest of ABBA on VH1`s "Where Are They Now" in 1999.

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0zfwxqwgldae~T1

Date of Birth 25 April 1945, Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Birth Name Björn Christian Ulvaeus

Height 5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Bio (1)

Björn Ulvaeus was born on April 25, 1945 in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden as Björn Christian Ulvaeus. He has been married to Lena Källersjö since January 5, 1981. They have two children. He was previously married to Agnetha Fältskog.

Spouse (2)

Lena Källersjö (5 January 1981 - present) (2 children)

Agnetha Fältskog (6 July 1971 - 9 June 1980) (divorced) (2 children)

Trivia (13)

Was a member of the pop band ABBA

Used to write songs with Benny Andersson and Stig Anderson.

Two children with Agnetha Fältskog: Linda Ulvaeus (b. 1972) and Peter Christian (b. 1977).

He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best New Musical for Mamma Mia based on the music of Abba.

First music group was folk music act The Hootenanny Singers, who made their TV debut in a Swedish talent contest in 1963.

As a member of ABBA he won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, England, in 1974 with the song "Waterloo". (6th April 1974)

The name ABBA was comprised of the first letters of the names of its members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

In 2002, was nominated for two of Broadway's Tony Awards for "Mamma Mia!": as a co-producer cited in the Best Play nomination; and with collaborators Benny Andersson and ''Martin Koch for Best Orchestrations.

Daughter Emma was born on 13th January 1982

Daughter Anna was born on 29th April 1986

Son Christian Ulvaeus was born on 4th December 1977 in Stockholm Sweden

Is the grandfather of Tilda Frida Eliza Ulvaeus-Ekengren who was born on January 27th, 2001.

Winner (with Benny Andersson) of the 2002 Ivor Novello Special International Award.

Personal Quotes (44)

The British took us to their hearts and made us their own, which we are very proud of. Coming to England is like going home.

There is a very vibrant cultural scene in Stockholm. There are lots of places where there are concerts, and there are loads of museums and theaters.

Everyone should pursue whatever is original in oneself. That's the way for a long life in music.

Cultural variety is always worth striving for, but must never precede the declaration of human rights.

The UN declaration on human rights must always be first in line before religion or other cultural habits, in case of any conflict between them.

Every time I sit in the audience and watch a show that I have been involved with, it is such an amazing feeling to see all those people around me, knowing they are actually watching and enjoying something I have written.

Some values must be universal, like human rights and the equal worth of every human being.

I'm so incredibly tired of giving respect to a lot of delusions and crazy ideas just because they are regarded as religions.

There are still many places I haven't seen that I'd like to travel to. I've never seen the Pyramids, and I'd love to explore the culture in North India. I think walking in the Andes would also be awesome.

Stockholm is unique in that it's built on islands and surrounded by water, so you get this enormous sense of freedom. It's got everything you could possibly need - everything New York or London has but without all the people and traffic. It's also become a very creative city, not only for music but also for fashion and computer games.

There are days when I walk through the center of Stockholm when I get this sudden feeling of happiness - a sense of belonging and at the same time gratitude that I'm so privileged that I can live my life in my city.

And also a lot of Muslims are no more religious then the average Swede. For them it's natural that human rights come first.

I believe that religious faith schools are highly dubious.

In my career the push has always been to take another step, to try something new.

Well mostly in song writing my experience is that there isn't so much inspiration as hard work. You sit there for hours, days and weeks with a guitar and piano until something good comes.

I want people to remember ABBA as we were. I don't think that four geriatrics wheeled on stage is what we should leave as our legacy.

I hear a really good pop song every now and then. 'ROAR' by Katy Perry, I love that! 'Poker Face'... Oh! What a song! And 'Rolling in the Deep'... Oh!

All these years later, I have almost no memory of the shows themselves. It's a blur. I remember my jogging runs better - that was my way of getting my energy together. I used to try to get to the arena as late as possible; otherwise, I'd just be pacing around, waiting to go on.

Of course, we wore silly outfits, the pictures were corny, and some people still focus on that. But ABBA wasn't a big intellectual thing. We were a pop group.

Critics used to say that ABBA were formulaic or that our songs were rubbish. We never had time for those comments, though. We were sincere and devoted to what we did.

Every time I sit in the audience and watch a show that I have been involved with, it is such an amazing feeling to see all those people around me, knowing they are actually watching and enjoying something I have written. That is such a feeling of pure joy that never goes away, and that's why I guess I'm so attracted to work in the theater.

Before the Beatles, songwriters were very anonymous people and nobody paid any attention to them.

In a way, I'm kind of a bystander looking at this phenomenon that is ABBA, which is still around, and that I thought would be finished in 1981 and forgotten. I'm amazed how this could happen, and I don't know why it happened. I'm just grateful and humble. I just sit back and enjoy.

I believe that religion should be totally separated from the state. That's not the way it is today, not even in Sweden.

The story of Jesus is very fascinating. It still has such a tremendous power, even after 2,000 years! We don't really know if he existed as a historical figure.

In the beginning of my career, I wanted to be chased by girls more than anything - that's why I got the guitar. By the time we were in ABBA, the music was the only important thing.

If that doomsday scenario happens, will it help if you have heaps of paper money? I don't think so.

Lennon and McCartney have the best catalogue of songs ever produced. It will never be surpassed.

People ask me if I am going to write my memoirs. But even if I wanted to, I would not be able. I have extremely few memories.

I promise you, ABBA will never reform - I couldn't bear the stress of disappointing everyone.

If you were to ask me what I couldn't do without, it would be sashimi.

The music of ABBA is not that happy. It might sound happy, in some strange way, but deep within, it's not happy music. It has that Nordic melancholic feeling to it. What fools you is the girls' voices. You know, I do think that is one of the secrets about ABBA. Even when we were really quite sad, we always sounded jubilant.

Sweden is an open, liberal, secular and democratic country. We strive towards achieving equality; we are forward-looking and refuse to be pulled back by social constructs such as religion.

My concern is to keep religion and the state separated. I don't think that religion and politics go together. When you see political decisions colored by religion, decisions that affect us all... I thought: 'I do not want to go back to medieval times.'

I used to look so immature, like a young man without self-confidence. There was one particular light blue, shiny cape outfit I wore that still makes me cringe.

It could be seen as narcissistic to have your own museum, but for me, it's such a long time ago - I have perspective. That young man in the funny clothes - he's almost a stranger, so I can tell his story.

Mostly, in song writing, my experience is that there isn't so much inspiration as hard work. You sit there for hours, days and weeks with a guitar and piano until something good comes. But the urge to write is something you have to have. A conviction, an ambition to write and never stop until you think, 'This is the best I can do.'

Look at The Beatles: how they struggled, how they worked in order to become such a good little band. And that's why they had such longevity and are still admired today.

I do think that it's better for a musical to live its life first because if you see it on the screen, would you like to go to the theater after that? Probably not. You've seen it. And that's the mystery of a musical that hasn't been filmed. You're bloody meant to go there and buy your ticket.

England was always very special. It was so important because the reason Benny and I started writing was the Beatles. During the Sixties, England was everything. To be number one in England was more important than being number one in America because England set the tone.

Look at all the misery in the Middle East, for example. All these countries have Islam in common, and far too few dare to criticize Islam as an ideology, and what it's doing to these countries. I know I might get punched in the face for saying these things, but my conviction is that less religion in the world would be better.

Religion is the root of so much misery in the world, and I've always thought there is lack of criticism against it.

Folk music is where I come from originally. The very first thing that introduced me to playing guitars at all was skiffle - my cousin had been in London the summer that skiffle was big.

Wild horses couldn't drag me away from a summer on the Stockholm archipelago.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0880744/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

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Björn Ulvaeus was born on Wednesday, 25 April 1945 in Gothenburg, Sweden. His full name at birth was Björn Kristian Ulvaeus. He is best known as a musician. Ulvaeus' country of citizenship (nationality) is Swedish. For university, he studied at Lund University. His religion is listed as Secular Humanist. He is 5' 9½" (177 cm) tall with an average build. He has blue eyes and light brown hair (color). His net worth is reported to be $300,000,000 US dollars. Björn Ulvaeus is 80 years old and his zodiac star sign is Taurus.

You can find people similar to Björn Ulvaeus by visiting our lists Swedish lyricists and Swedish male composers.

Full name at birth
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus
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Claim to fame
Abba
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Date of birth
25 April 1945
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Place of birth
Gothenburg, Sweden
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Age
Occupation
Songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer
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Occupation category
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Nationality
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PERSONAL DETAILS

Height
5' 9½" (177 cm)
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Build
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Hair color
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Eye color
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Gender
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Ethnicity
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Sexuality
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Religion
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Zodiac sign
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ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Residence
Djursholm, Stockholm County, Sweden
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Net worth
$300,000,000 USD
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University
Lund University
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Partner: Christina Sas (Married)
2021-
Björn Ulvaeus and Christina Sas
  • Winner (with Benny Andersson) of the 2002 Ivor Novello Special International Award.
  • Is the grandfather of Tilda Frida Eliza Ulvaeus-Ekengren who was born on January 27th, 2001.
  • Son Christian Ulvaeus was born on 4th December 1977 in Stockholm Sweden
  • Daughter Anna was born on 29th April 1986
  • Daughter Emma was born on 13th January 1982

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