United Kingdom’s ABBA Re-Björn group, made up of members including Sam, Kelly, Toby, and Marcus, never cease to surprise and entertain the world with classic and top notch performances over the years. The group that has always referred themselves as a full-time professional ABBA tribute act that has toured many countries around the world, have always praised themselves as authentic among other attributes.
The group got in touch with our writer Emuk Benjamen two weeks before their two shows in Uganda and talked a series of to-do-list, winning several awards, life beyond performances and Sam (Anni-Frid), disclosing her love and thirst to work on a project with Uganda’s singer and Presidential advisor Eddy Kenzo. Let’s get right into it!
- On different occasions, you have talked about being authentic and that, unlike many other ABBA Tribute groups, you are a full-time professional ABBA Tribute act. How many other ABBA groups do you know or hear of?
So while there are many ABBA Tribute groups out there, very few can claim to be full-time professionals dedicated solely to capturing the essence of ABBA. We pride ourselves on being the best, performing at high-profile events and festivals, ensuring that every show is a true homage to the original Swedish Quartet.
- Have you ever gone beyond Europe and the US to go on your tour?
Yes, we have travelled to many destinations in Europe including Cyprus, The French Alps, Sweden and Latvia but outside of Europe, we have performed in the United Arab Emirates at a Grand New Year’s Eve party for the owner of Palm Island. The love for ABBA’s music knows no borders and we are lucky to share the joy of their music with fans around the world.
- What challenges have you had to put behind and those you still face just to keep your bar high, going about your business of different performances and tours?
In our line of work, there is always a lot of competition, this can cause animosity at times, especially earlier on in ‘Re-Björn’s’ career. However, we continue to work extremely hard as a band and have overcome these hurdles together over the years and that has made our team stronger. We are not just work colleagues, we are first and foremost friends, and we believe that is the difference in keeping our bar very high! Maintaining a high standard of performance requires constant dedication and hard work.
Over the years we have also faced technical and logistical issues, but have never had to cancel a show. There is always pressure to innovate our show whilst remaining true to ABBA’s legacy. However, we embrace these challenges, they make us grow stronger together and only elevate our performances.
- You have had outstanding performances in the previous years; call it high-level performances; what is that special one that can’t get off your mind, and why?
Yes, there are so many high-profile performances to choose from and every single one is special in its own unique way. However, I think the one that stood out to us was our performance earlier this year in Kiruna, Sweden. We performed in a huge array of TeePees on a frozen lake at the tip of the Arctic Circle. To perform in Sweden where ‘ABBA’ originates from was spectacular but during our break, the Northern Lights made an appearance and that was just so magical. We will never forget this performance (Photo attached).
- You know, it is fantastic and a noble thing every artist would want to have to its name, awards; you have over 12 different awards to your name, including IMA Best ABBA Tribute 2017, Festival Live: Best ABBA Tribute 2019 and European Border Breakers Award among others, and wow! That’s incredible, congratulations! I just want you to highlight the ‘See it Safely #BackOnStage Award. What does it mean to the group, and what did it take for you to win such an award?
Thank you! It is always lovely to receive awards but the ‘See it Safely #BackOnStage Award was amazing for us to receive as it signaled us getting back to work and doing what we loved best after 18 long months in and out of Lockdowns due to Covid19. It really did mean the world to us as it represented resilience and the passion for bringing live music back during challenging times. It took a great deal of effort and creativity to adapt our show and performances to ensure safety while delivering the same high-energy experience that our audience expects.
- Now, this goes straight to Sam (Anni-Frid); you had a successful musical journey right from when you had to support renowned comics, Mike Reid and Jim Davidson, so I get to ask, what were you exactly doing for the comics? Let us talk about your involvement with Boney M a while back. What was your best experience with Boney M?
So yes this does sound like a strange mix, we worked with the comics entertaining the Armed Forces while on tour abroad. We performed before the comedians did their set.
I have worked with Boney M on a few separate occasions. The first was a long time ago I think around 2003, I was part of a 4-piece girl band and we were Boney M’s warm-up act at a festival in Portsmouth. The most recent interaction with Boney M was at an Oxford University Ball in 2003, they were our warm-up act! ‘Re-Björn’ was headlining the Ball on that occasion. They may have changed the lineup over the years but they still have it!
- And lastly, with your musical background and taking us back to when you took a solo career, if you were to feature any artist in Uganda, who would it be, if any? And which song(s) do you like of theirs?
Now Benjamen, this is a difficult question for me as I am a fan of so many artists and genres that there is not just one person or band that has impacted my singing career. Thinking about my life over the last few years and the things that have happened, there is one song I can relate to currently as a singer and that is ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ by Taylor Swift. We all have personal lives outside of performing and when awful things happen we still have to put on a face and give 100% for our audience, it is not always that easy!
I may have misunderstood the question, so if you were relating to an artist from Uganda then I would love to work with the incredible Eddy Kenzo. His energy and passion for music resonate deeply. It would be amazing to blend our styles and create something unique together!
A look at Kampala Shows
Hosted by TV personality Dagy Nyce, the buildup to the performances by ABBA Re-Björn featured classic mixes by House DJs, that mainly dropped Classic Pop, Disco, and retro hits from the 70s and 80s.
The playlist included names like Boney M, Commodores, Billy Ocean, Kool & The Gang, Madonna, Billy Vera, Ace of Base, Michael Jackson, and the like, that warmed up revelers for the performance on day one.
Day two featured old school Hip-hop, RnB, Calypso, and some Amapiano.
On each day, at 9:25 PM, the band, donning ABBA replica costumes, took to the stage and started off their performance with ABBA’s 1979 classic- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”
The song hit No. 1 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, and Switzerland, and reached top 3 in Austria, West Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Norway.
They followed up with ABBA’s 1980s classic Super Trouper, and by that time the crowd, featuring diverse races, was truly warmed up and on their feet, ready to pull all the best retro dance moves!
The mood was enhanced by the creative setup of the venue, which included an open space for revelers to dance, along with disco balls that created a true retro feel.
Knowing Me, Knowing You, Voulez-Vous, Should I Laugh or Cry, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, Does Your Mother Know, Take a Chance on Me, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, On and On and On, Chiquitita, and Fernando were some of the other classics that the band performed.
The band was very interactive with the audience, and even took off sometime to celebrate a few people that were celebrating birthdays, and had selfie moments with the audience after the Saturday performance.
