On May 27th, the ABBA avatars will perform the first virtual concert of their “Voyage” show at their London arena. The stage outfits the avatars are said to be wearing were reportedly designed for the Swedes by Italian designer label Dolce & Gabbana.
First designed, then digitized
According to reports from “The Sun”, the band itself is said to have approached the luxury company. The stage costumes designed for Agnetha Fältskog, Frida Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and their avatars are said to have been digitized. This means that the real ABBAs will not wear the outfits, only their likenesses.
A photo that has already been released shows Fältskog’s avatar in a white Greek-style dress with a gold waistband. No other pictures exist yet.
Dolce & Gabbana has been involved in the project for “years”.
Dolce & Gabbana was involved in the development of the show early on and has been working on the outfits for years, it is said. This is due, among other things, to “the fact that every thread on the stage is like this [bewegen soll]as it would if worn by a real person”.
Virtual show should also include audience interaction
The upcoming Avatar show is set to feature 20 songs, including two from their comeback album Voyage, which was released last November. The so-called “Abbatares” should also be able to speak to their audience during the concerts. To prepare the Abba copies, the band would have performed for several weeks in front of countless cameras and computers. The result is rejuvenated likenesses of the four band members that look straight out of the 1970s. Musician colleague Noel Gallagher has recently been rather critical of this concept.
All ABBA members present at the opening show
Björn Ulvaeus recently announced that all ABBA members want to appear in person at the tour opening night. It is unclear whether they will then also “real” enter the stage together. For Ulvaeus, the entire project is a “privilege” and he is looking forward to seeing himself on stage: “No artist has ever experienced that. You stand on the stage and yet you can see and feel it.”
Most recently, a deepfake video by fans titled “Don’t Shut Me Down” caused a stir among their followers. The latest video actually posted by the band themselves is a fresh, colorful lyric video for the Eurovision hit “Waterloo”. This was released as part of an ongoing music video series designed to showcase the lyrics to all tracks from the greatest hits album ABBA Gold. An ABBA box set featuring all of their studio albums will be released in May.