ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus is proving that curiosity doesn’t diminish with age. At 80, the Swedish songwriter behind some of pop music’s most enduring hits is pioneering a new frontier in musical theater: creating a musical with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
“Right now I’m writing a musical, assisted by AI,” Ulvaeus revealed during a talk at SXSW London on Wednesday, describing himself as “three-quarters” through the creative process. The project represents his latest experiment in pushing musical boundaries, following the massive success of ABBA’s groundbreaking avatar show “Voyage.”
For Ulvaeus, AI isn’t the creative threat many industry veterans fear – it’s a powerful collaborator. “It’s fantastic. It is such a great tool,” he enthused. “It is like having another songwriter in the room with a huge reference frame. It is really an extension of your mind. You have access to things that you didn’t think of before.”
The songwriter, who also works with the International Confederation of Songwriters and Composers (CISAC), has developed a nuanced approach to working with AI. While acknowledging the technology’s limitations—”It’s lousy at [writing a whole song]” and “very bad at lyrics”—he’s found it invaluable for breaking through creative blocks.
“You can prompt a lyric you have written about something, and you’re stuck maybe, and you want this song to be in a certain style,” Ulvaeus said. “You can ask it, how would you extend? Where would you go from here? It usually comes out with garbage, but sometimes there is something in it that gives you another idea.”
This experimental approach is characteristic of Ulvaeus’s career-long fascination with technological innovation. He recalls how he and ABBA bandmate Benny Andersson “always wanted the latest thing” during their songwriting partnership, from acquiring the first Mini Moog synthesizer to being among the first to use digital recording machines in their studio.
“We were always on the lookout for, you know, you would hear a sound on the record. How was that done? And then you get that stuff,” he remembered.
The AI musical project emerges from Ulvaeus’s ongoing work with Pophouse Entertainment, the company behind ABBA Voyage where he serves as a creative force. Pophouse has been acquiring catalogs of legendary artists, with Ulvaeus envisioning it as “a kind of creative hub” for reimagining musical legacies through new technologies.
Despite his embrace of AI as a creative tool, Ulvaeus remains a staunch advocate for artists’ rights in the digital age. At CISAC, he’s been at the forefront of negotiations ensuring that AI music generators pay royalties to the original creators whose work trains these systems.
“These AI models wouldn’t exist without the songs that we wrote,” he emphasized, comparing the needed compensation model to streaming services where subscription fees partially flow back to rights holders.
The legendary songwriter’s current AI-assisted musical continues his lifelong commitment to storytelling through music. Throughout his career, from ABBA’s narrative-driven hits to the stage musical “Mamma Mia!” and its sequel, Ulvaeus has consistently woven stories into his compositions.
“I always ended up with a little story in the songs,” he reflected on his ABBA days, when he envied writers who could craft simple “I love you” pop lyrics. “Whatever you’re doing, you had to tell a story.”
This storytelling instinct, combined with his technological curiosity, positions Ulvaeus at the vanguard of music’s AI revolution. While many artists view artificial intelligence with suspicion, the ABBA songwriter sees it as the latest evolution in a career built on innovation.
“I actually wake up curious every morning,” Ulvaeus said, explaining the drive that’s kept him creating decades after ABBA’s peak. “Everything’s really after our wanting to try new things.”