ABBA, the iconic Swedish pop band that has rocked the world since 1972 embarks on their new tour in the digital realm. The pop group return with their groovy music after 40 years and is all set to light up their unique digital concert in their de-aged 3D VR avatars, or as they call it “ABBAtars”.
ABBA
If you are born between the 1960s and 1990s, there is no chance that you have not tapped foot with the iconic music of the Swedish pop group ABBA. The band holds the same popularity even after 40 years they first came out. Be it Dancing Queens or The Winner Takes It All, the foot-thumping music and soulful melodies still have us on the hook. And how can we forget Mamma Mia! Arguably the best musical album that has been ever produced in our lifetime.
Comeback
If you miss ABBA’s music, then there is good news for you. The band is once again making their comeback with a unique concert to promote their new album Voyage. But this time, it will be a digital concert where the singers will appear as 3D avatars.
Digital concert
Thanks to cutting-edge 3D digital and virtual reality technology, the ABBA fans will once again be able to see their favorite singers as their younger selves, dubbed as “ABBAtars”. The extraordinary digital concert will take the audience to marvellous time-travel where the ABBA members, including Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog will perform the brand-new songs from their latest album, along with a 10-piece live band.
Motion-capture suits
To bring the ABBAtars to life, ABBA’s creative team has utilized motion capture, the same technology used by blockbuster Hollywood franchises such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. The ABBA members were so fascinated with these cool motion-capture suits that they decided to release a photo of themselves wearing them in a recent press release. To be honest, we fans are no less fascinated by their looks!
Blending together
Voyage, ABBA’s latest concert, will be using a pre-recorded performance by the four singers in their motion-capture suits. The accompanying 10-piece band, however, will perform off the screen, but in real-time. To blend these two performances’ ABBA’s creative team has joined forces with Wayne McGregor, legendary choreographer and the resident artist of London Royal Ballet. The animations will be created by Industrial Light and Magic, who is also responsible for developing the de-aged ABBAtars that will appear live on stage during the digital concert.
Simon Fuller
The concert was announced in 2016 by ABBA’s then-manager Simon Fuller. Although he doesn’t represent the band anymore, it was his idea to relaunch the iconic group in their prime using 3D and VR technology. To realise his vision, the performers were transformed into digital characters and animated using the performance capture technique. The outcome, as one would expect, is truly life-like and makes them look as real as it could be.
Voyage
Voyage is scheduled to release on November 5th, 2021, and is now available for pre-order. The concert experience, however, will be launched around March next year and will be held in a custom-built arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Arena, being referred to as ABBA arena.
