ABBA
| RPF Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name(s): | ABBA |
| Scope/Focus: | ABBA real-person fiction |
| Date(s): | 1970s-present |
| See also: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
ABBA are a very popular Swedish band originally active from 1972 to 1982. The members consist of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, with their initials forming the band's name. They are the most successful musical act to come out of Sweden and their songs inspired the hit musical Mamma Mia!.
Fandom
ABBA's fandom has been strong ever since their victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo". That said, for a long time, the band was seen as "uncool" and "corny", so many felt embarrassed to admit to liking ABBA. This attitude seems to be fading as people reappraise their work more seriously.
Fanfiction
Fanfiction about ABBA started becoming common in the 2010s, particularly on Wattpad. After the release of their ninth album Voyage in late 2021, AO3 saw a big increase in the number of stories for the group, although that number is still small compared to other bands of the same generation.
Shipping
ABBA famously consisted of two romantic couples: Agnetha/Björn and Frida/Benny. Their break-ups shortly led to the decline and eventual dissolution of the band. Given their love stories made and broke the band (and romance was one of the main subjects of their songs), it's unsurprising that there are still many fans who ship them together.
Aside from the two canon couples, the other major ship is Frida/Agnetha, whose fandom became more outspoken throughout the 2010s. Frida/Agnetha is by far the most popular ABBA ship on AO3, although that's not necessarily the case elsewhere; on Wattpad, Agnetha/Björn and Frida/Benny are still more popular. Björn/Benny is also known to exist on AO3, as is shipping all four band members as a polyamorous unit.
Interestingly, ABBA themselves were not averse to playing around with the idea of Frida/Björn and Agnetha/Benny in their performances (the former moreso than the latter), though these pairings don't appear to have much, if any, following.
The fandom is fond of using portmanteaus for the ship names (e.g.: Björnetha, Bennyfrid, Fridnetha, Björnny).