ABBA passes yet another milestone as gen Z discovers 1979 hit
ABBA continues to win over new audiences, with gen Z music lovers propelling the ’70s supergroup to Spotify history.
Source: TikTok/Ellerzz
The Swedish pop group has entered Spotify’s elite Billions Club with 1979 hit Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! after surpassing one billion streams on the music platform.
The achievement comes just a month after the film clip of ABBA’s 1976 hit Dancing Queen surpassed a billion views on YouTube, and two years after the same song entered the Billions Club.
ABBA’s music has rarely been out of the public consciousness thanks to regular radio plays, countless tribute bands and, of course, Mamma Mia! the musical and movie franchise.
However, the latest success of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! has been attributed to gen Z social media users.
Several trending TikTok videos feature show young fans embracing the song’s disco sound with lively, choreographed routines.
You might like
Globally, gen Z fans account for about 50 per cent of ABBA’s total streams on Spotify in this year, according to the platform.
There have also been more than 11 million ABBA “discoveries” – or referrals – by gen Z listeners on Spotify, which makes up half of the band’s discoveries from all users worldwide.
Major comeback
Stay informed, daily
The past few years has seen a succession of milestones for the band, which rose to global prominence thanks partly to its massive success in Australia.
In April last year, ABBA – made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – celebrated the 50th anniversary of its 1974 Eurovision Song Contest win with Waterloo.
A month earlier, in March 2024, the four members of the group were awarded the Order of the Vasa – one of the most prestigious knighthoods in Sweden – for “very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life”.
In 2021, ABBA released its first new music in almost 40 years with the album Voyage and a similarly titled series of virtual concerts featuring avatars – or “ABBA tars” – of the group.
Trump turn down
But while ABBA has been happy to welcome a new generation of fans, it does draw a line.
In September last year the group asked the Trump campaign to stop using its music at rallies and for promotions.
ABBA hits, including The Winner Takes It All, Money, Money, Money and Dancing Queen, were reportedly played at a Minnesota rally held by Trump and his running mate JD Vance in July 2024, and sparked backlash from the Swedish band.
“Together with the members of ABBA, we have discovered that videos have been released where ABBA’s music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down,” Universal Music said in a statement “fully supported” by the band members.
