ABBA appear to agree they’d write UK Eurovision song if Dua Lipa sings it
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson seem to favour Dua Lipa representing the UK
ABBA have appeared to consider writing the UK’s next Eurovison Song Contest entry – provided that Dua Lipa sings it.
The Swedish group’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson said in a new interview that they wouldn’t write the next song for the UK, however, smiled at the idea that it could be with the British- Kossovan pop star.
ABBA‘s Andersson told BBC Breakfast today (November 5): “Picking an act is one thing, writing a song is different. So you need both a great song and a good act.”
He was referencing the recent news that TaP Music, the management behind Dua Lipa and others, is scouting for a UK pop star and a strong major label song contender to compete at next year’s show in order to boost the nation’s chances of winning.
At the 2021 contest the UK scored zero points with James Newman’s ‘Embers’. In 2019, Michael Rice’s ‘Bigger Than Us’ finished in 26th place after amassing 11 points, making it the fourth time since the turn of the century that the UK had finished last.
Ulvaeus called TaP’s mission “promising” ahead of next year’s event, which will be held at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, Italy after Rome’s Måneskin won the 2021 competition.
When the BBC asked the Swedish hitmakers, who rose to fame after winning the competition in 1974 with ‘Waterloo’, if they would consider writing the UK entry, Andersson said: “Oh, a UK entry? I don’t know.”
Ulvaeus made a firm reply of “No” when Andersson turned to him.
But then Andersson said: “But what’s the risk? You can’t be worse than last”, to which Ulvaeus replied: “No, but it needs to be a really good act to write for, yeah.”
Andersson then suggested, smiling: “Dua Lipa”, to which, his bandmate agreed: “Yes.”
The 2022 entry song is set to be released on a major record label to further boost the nation’s chances of victory.
Lipa previously told The Sun: “I’m a proud Brit whilst also being a proud Kosovan…I’m happy to lend my manager to [TaP’s] cause…I’ll be cheering them on.”
Co-founder of TaP Music Ben Mawson said in a statement at the time of the announcement: “We’re really excited to be teaming up with the BBC for this event and will use ‘Eurovision’ to authentically reflect and celebrate the rich, diverse and world-class musical talent the UK is globally renowned for.
“For many years, we’ve witnessed the United Kingdom not doing as well as we would’ve liked, when pop music is something we usually excel at. The simple fact is it’s time to show what we can do and the wonderful musical talent we have – ultimately we can’t blame politics.”
Kate Phillips, controller of entertainment commissioning for the BBC, said: “In the UK our love for ‘Eurovision’ is as big as ever and we have grand ambitions for the 2022 Contest, so we’re really excited to announce this collaboration that will enable us to tap into some great music talent.”
Suzy Lamb, managing director for BBC Studios, added: “BBC Studios are proud to once again be producing the coverage of the biggest music competition in world.
“We’re excited to be collaborating with TaP Music. Their expertise in managing world class artists and finding huge international hit records speaks for itself and we look forward to working with them on the UK act and song for the 2022 contest.”
Meanwhle, ABBA have released never-before-seen footage from their upcoming hologram tour alongside more dates for their London residency.