Gays, it’s time to rush to the dance floor!
ABBA star and longtime LGBTQ+ ally Agnetha Fältskog has inked a new record deal and is set to release her first album in a decade. The lead single, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, drops… tomorrow!
According to the British tabloids, Fältskog has been in contact with a production team in London, and they’ve helped her develop a brand new sound. “Agnetha loved being back in the studio with ABBA and it inspired her to relaunch her solo career,” said a source.
While the beloved pop group haven’t performed together since 1982, they returned with a new album called Voyage in 2021. The album sold 2.5 million copies and was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for the songs “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down”.
Though ABBA’s other members (Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad) are also beloved in the gay community, Fältskog has embarked on the most successful solo career. A regular presence on the European charts throughout the ’80s, she released her most recent album, A, in 2013.
Her single from the album, “Dance Your Pain Away,” brought her back to the glory days of when ABBA soundtracked dance floors everywhere. The song, which is about dancing away life’s troubles, resonates with gay men everywhere.
The single’s admittedly low-budget music video highlights its cult-like status among ABBA fans. In it, different people are seen dancing to the track, giving the production a TikTok vibe years before the app was invented.
Nearly 50 years ago, ABBA, a then-unknown Swedish quartet, rose to prominence with their iconic performance during the Eurovision Song Contest. They produced many queer favorites in the decades that followed, including “Mamma Mia,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” and, of course, “Dancing Queen.”
With their flamboyant costumes, ABBA instantly rocked the stage at one of the queerest cultural events in Europe. They’ve been an iconic gay band ever since.
Earlier this summer, we listed 25 reasons why ABBA is one of the greatest, gayest bands of all-time. From their bittersweet lyrics to revolutionary music videos (they popularized the famous “ABBA shot”), they’ve always hit the queer notes we’re looking for.
The proof of ABBA’s popularity is in their gay airplay. Even after the music world moved away from disco in the 1980s, gay-friendly stations kept playing ABBA’s songs long after they left mainstream play.
Though we’re now in the streaming era, ABBA’s gay airplay phenomenon still holds true. Queers of all ages still go berserk for “Dancing Queen.”
There probably aren’t more iconic lyrics than the hit song’s chorus: “You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life.”
Ten years ago, Fältskog, who’s now 73, dismissed the idea she would return to the stage. “No, I can’t,” she said. “That’s my weakest [thing], the live thing. And also the fact I’m older now, so I can’t do that. I don’t want to disappoint people.”
On that note, Fältskog doesn’t have to worry: she could never disappoint her gay fans. We’re so anxiously awaiting her new album, we might just have to hit the dance floor to get it all out!
Jack
Cray. If you asked me to guess which singer would be coming back with a new song, I’d have started guessing dead people before Agnetha. Awesome! Maybe there’s hope for another ABBA album. She’s always assumed to be the one who won’t agree to do it.