ABBA guitarist Lasse Wellander and the secret story behind their great comeback
IN THE spring of 2017, Swedish guitarist Lasse Wellander was driving in his car when his phone rang.Like millions of fans, he never expected Benny, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog to get back together. At the time of those recording sessions, their sound engineer, Michael Tretow, revealed how the "mood" had become sadder, especially since Benny and Frida and also Bjorn and Agnetha had divorced.
ABBA wouldn't rule out writing the UK's 'Eurovision Song Contest' entry - but they'd want Dua Lipa to sing it.
© Bang Showbiz Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA The Swedish pop icons shot to fame after winning the televised singing competition in 1974 with mega-hit 'Waterloo'.
And band members Bjorn Ulvaeus, 76, and Benny Andersson, 74, have said it's "promising" that the 'Physical' hitmaker's management, TaP Music, is to scout a pop star to compete at next year's show, which will be held at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, Italy after Rome's Maneskin won the 2021 competition with 'Zitti E Buoni'.
What's more, they've even said they'd like to see the 26-year-old star herself sing the country's entry and insisted they would be up for penning the track for the right act.
Eurovision 2022. 41 countries will compete in Italy, France already in the final
© Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP The Italian group Maneskin won the Eurovision 2021 competition in Rotterdam (Netherlands). Montenegro and Armenia come back in the Eurovision competition of the song whose final is scheduled on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Palaolimpico de Turin (Italy). France will be, of course. The musical competition of the EUROVISION song , which will take place in May 2022 in Turin ( Italy ), will bring together 41 countries.
Appearing on 'BBC Breakfast', the pair were asked what they thought of the UK's "new tactic", to which Benny replied: "Good."
And Bjorn said: "Promising."
Benny continued: "Picking an act is one thing, writing a song is different. So you need both a great song and a good act."
And when asked if they would consider writing the UK entry, he said: "Oh, a UK entry? I don't know."
Benny then turned to his bandmate, who outright said: "No."
Gallery: Hello - Adele RETURNS! Everything you need to know about her new album and comeback (BANG Showbiz)
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Adele is back!
It’s been six long years since Adele released her last studio album '25'. Led by the phenomenal chart-topper 'Hello', Adele's LP conquered the charts all over the globe and made her the biggest music star in the world. Now, she's back! New single 'Easy On Me' drops on October 15 and excitement is mounting for the album. Here's everything we know so far...
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The Title: 30
You know it’s an Adele album when the title is a number. This is Adele’s way of showcasing a body of work dedicated to that time period in her life and expressing the emotions she was feeling at those ages. So far we’ve had '19', '21' and '25' all based on periods of her life and now it’s time for Adele to unleash '30'. Although the title is not yet confirmed it is widely accepted it will be the name, and Adele added to the speculation by talking about how 30 was an important age in her life in an interview with Vogue. Talking about her split from husband Simon Konecki, she said: "We got married when I was 30 … and then I left..."
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A global album campaign
In order to debut the title of her album Adele and her team concocted a bright little publicity stunt in order to capture the world’s attention. A number of landmarks across the globe had the number 30 projected onto them. Some locations where they were spotted include the Eiffel Tower in Paris, NYC’s Empire State Building, the Venice Grand Canal in the Philippines as well as the Tate Modern in London. The logo also managed to make it’s way to Poland, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia, Manchester and South Korea.
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Heartbreak on the mind
During the writing and recording process of this new album, Adele separated from her husband, Simon Konecki. The charity entrepreneur and the music icon began their relationship in mid-2011 when Adele was at the height of her success with the '21' record. The pair welcomed a son, Angelo James, in October 2012 before she confirmed that the pair had tied the know at a show in Brisbane, Australia in March 2017. However the pair were not destined to be as it was confirmed in April 2019 that the pair had split before Adele later filed for divorce in September of that year. Not one to shy away from a heartbreak ballad, Adele could have us all in floods of tears if she lays her heart bare for the world to see on '30'. Speaking about the split to Britain's Vogue magazine, Adele said: "I’m not gonna go into that detail, remember I am embarrassed. This is very embarrassing. It wasn’t very long... “So, when I was 30, my entire life fell apart and I had no warning of it.”
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New love songs?
With her heartache behind her there is a chance we may get to see a new side to Adele if she sings about her dating life post-divorce. Adele is now in a relationship with sports agent Rich Paul and she is currently very content. Speaking to Vogue about their PDA at a recent basketball match, she said: "We're very happy. And I didn't get dragged along to the [basketball game the other night] because that's his line of work. I was like, 'We're going to the game.' "I didn't mean to go public with it. I just wanted to go to the game. I just love being around him. I just love it."
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An ode to her dad?
Could Adele sing about her relationship with her father on the LP? In an interview with Vogue, Adele revealed she had made "peace" with her father Mark Evans before he died from cancer. Adele, 33, said: "We actually got our peace, again contrary to reports. I played him my album just a week before he passed, over Zoom. "One thing that definitely happened in my divorce was that it humanised my parents for me. Big time. I went to hell and back! "And in that I found the peace to forgive him. He was ready to go and he lasted a long time with it."
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A plethora of performances
No stranger to an iconic award show performance, we expect to see Adele belting out her new hits up on stage very soon and it could be coming sooner than we think. New reports indicate that Adele’s team are shopping a TV special to coincide with the release of her new album with multiple networks around the world reportedly having been approached. Adele worked alongside the BBC and NBC on a similar project in 2015. Reports claim she has signed a deal with ITV in the UK to host the special and she has paired with the creative team who worked on her Carpool Karaoke sketch on 'The Late Late Show with James Corden'. We can’t wait to see what she has planned.
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Easy On Me
Whilst most of the record is still shrouded in some secrecy, one thing we know for sure is the lead single and when we can all get to hear it. Adele dropped a 20-second black and white teaser clip to confirm the release of ‘Easy On Me’. The video lit up social media and confirmed that it would be releasing on October 15. The teaser clip was very reminiscent of 2015’s 'Hello' video. The clip shows Adele playing the aforementioned song through her stereo whilst driving in a pick-up track down a quiet lane as her belongings begin to topple over losing some sheet music and papers along the way. What this means only time will tell but it’s sure to bring the world to a halt on October 15.
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Image overhaul
It’s safe to say that this album campaign Adele will be looking rather different. After undergoing a lifestyle change, Adele has been displaying her new svelte figure. During her 2020 Saturday Night Live appearance Adele joked: “I know I look really, really different since you last saw me, but actually, because of all the Covid restrictions, I had to travel light and I could only bring half of me. And this is the half I chose.” With that being said, Adele may be keep to put her stamp on the fashion world this time around as well as the music.
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Light up Las Vegas
Adele could further be taking a bold move when it comes to promoting her music. Reports indicate that she is considering a Vegas residency for 2022. She would be following in the footsteps of Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga if she were to take up this landmark career move. Sources have told Billboard she is considering either the Park Theatre at Park MGM Las Vegas or the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, both of which are owned and operated by Live Nation. This rumor would also align with the fact Adele’s team have not placed any holds on any major arenas or stadiums for a North American tour, something booking agents often do when carving out a tour calendar.
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When is 30 coming
Now this is something we still don’t technically know but one pop star might hold the key to this information. Taylor Swift rescheduled the rerelease of her updated 'Red' album by bringing it forward a week to November 12. This has left a big gap for November 19 where no major albums are currently scheduled to drop. Is this coincidence or is Taylor making way for Adele to reclaim her crown and glory at the top spot? What we do know for sure is that new Adele is coming and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.
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However, the former insisted: "But what's the risk? You can't be worse than last."
Create ABBA with "just a note" finally in place again?
ABBA starts with "just a note" in the race to place one of the UK single charts and has to stand there against music sizes such as Elton John, Queen Guitarist Brian May or Ed Sheeran. © Provided by www.rollingstone.de abba starts with "just a note" shortly before the publication of your long-awaited album "voyage" into the race to place 1 of the UK-Single Charts Abba starts with "just a note" in the race to place one of the UK-single Charts and has to assert itself against music sizes such as E
Bjorn said: "No, but it needs to be a really good act to write for, yeah."
Benny then suggested: "Dua Lipa."
To which, his bandmate agreed: "Yes."
The 2022 entry song is set to be released on a major record label to further boost the nation's chances of victory.
'Levitating' hitmaker Dua said: “I’m a proud Brit whilst also being a proud Kosovan … I’m happy to lend my manager to the cause… I’ll be cheering them on.”
The UK once again suffered a major blow after James Newman - the brother of 'Love Me Again' hitmaker John Newman - scored nil points in May with his performance of 'Embers' in Rotterdam.
Co-founder of TaP Music Ben Mawson said: "We’re really excited to be teaming up with the BBC for this event and will use 'Eurovision' to authentically reflect and celebrate the rich, diverse and world-class musical talent the UK is globally renowned for.
"For many years, we’ve witnessed the United Kingdom not doing as well as we would’ve liked, when pop music is something we usually excel at. The simple fact is it’s time to show what we can do and the wonderful musical talent we have – ultimately we can’t blame politics."
Kate Phillips, controller of entertainment commissioning for the BBC, said: “In the UK our love for 'Eurovision' is as big as ever and we have grand ambitions for the 2022 Contest, so we’re really excited to announce this collaboration that will enable us to tap into some great music talent.”
The managing director for BBC Studios, Suzy Lamb, added: “BBC Studios are proud to once again be producing the coverage of the biggest music competition in world.
“We’re excited to be collaborating with TaP Music. Their expertise in managing world class artists and finding huge international hit records speaks for itself and we look forward to working with them on the UK act and song for the 2022 contest.”
Eurovision Junior Paris 2021: Elodie Gossuin, Olivier Minne and Carla Animate The Show, Laurence Boccolini and Stéphane Bern to Comments .
© Dr / France Télévisions Eurovision Junior Paris 2021: Elodie Gossuin, Olivier Minne and Carla Animate The Show, Laurence Boccolini And Stéphane Bern at comments while the 19th Eurovision Junior contest, retransmitted on France 2, will be held in Paris in a month, the public service has just revealed the name of the animators and commentators of the show.
IN THE spring of 2017, Swedish guitarist Lasse Wellander was driving in his car when his phone rang.Like millions of fans, he never expected Benny, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog to get back together. At the time of those recording sessions, their sound engineer, Michael Tretow, revealed how the "mood" had become sadder, especially since Benny and Frida and also Bjorn and Agnetha had divorced. 
© Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP The Italian group Maneskin won the Eurovision 2021 competition in Rotterdam (Netherlands). Montenegro and Armenia come back in the Eurovision competition of the song whose final is scheduled on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Palaolimpico de Turin (Italy). France will be, of course. The musical competition of the EUROVISION song , which will take place in May 2022 in Turin ( Italy ), will bring together 41 countries. 
ABBA starts with "just a note" in the race to place one of the UK single charts and has to stand there against music sizes such as Elton John, Queen Guitarist Brian May or Ed Sheeran. © Provided by www.rollingstone.de abba starts with "just a note" shortly before the publication of your long-awaited album "voyage" into the race to place 1 of the UK-Single Charts Abba starts with "just a note" in the race to place one of the UK-single Charts and has to assert itself against music sizes such as E 
