Introduction
ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus Breaks Silence on Painful Truth Behind Their Breakup
For decades, fans of ABBA have speculated about the real reasons behind the group’s emotional breakup in the early 1980s. Now, after years of carefully choosing his words, Björn Ulvaeus — one of the band’s core members and main songwriters — has finally opened up about the personal and professional tensions that ultimately tore the beloved Swedish pop group apart.
In a recent in-depth interview, Ulvaeus acknowledged what many fans have long suspected: that the band’s seemingly glamorous life was, behind the scenes, filled with emotional strain, heartbreak, and the crushing weight of international fame. While ABBA’s music continued to climb the charts with infectious hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” and “The Winner Takes It All,” the personal relationships within the group were beginning to crumble.
Björn, who was once married to fellow band member Agnetha Fältskog, admitted that the disintegration of their marriage — along with that of Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — created an environment that made it almost impossible to continue as a group. “It was devastating,” he shared. “We were trying to keep the music alive while our hearts were breaking. We were smiling on stage, but inside, we were exhausted and emotionally drained.”
He also spoke candidly about how fame had taken its toll on all four members. “People see the glamour, but they don’t see the loneliness of hotel rooms, the pressure of constantly being perfect, and the loss of privacy,” Ulvaeus said. “It got to a point where we didn’t know who we were without ABBA.”
Though the band reunited in recent years for the “Voyage” virtual concert project and a new album, Ulvaeus emphasized that nothing could ever fully erase the scars left by their turbulent past. However, he also expressed a deep sense of gratitude for the fans who never gave up on them and the legacy they built together.
“We didn’t just make pop songs,” he said. “We shared our lives — the joy and the sorrow — through music. And maybe that’s why people still listen, all these years later.”