ABBA announce reunion of some description

'[We're] creating something new and dramatic here'

A waxwork of ABBA, which seemed a more apt illustration for this story than the real band given the whole VR thing (Getty/Madame Tussuads)

ABBA are back, though I’m not sure exactly how.

The full band have partnered with Universal Music Group and Simon Fuller for a “new digital experience” that is short on specifics but intriguingly involves virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

The reunion, launching in 2018, is billed as “a groundbreaking venture that will utilize the very latest in digital and virtual reality technology.

“The aim is to create an original entertainment experience with the Swedish Pop Superstars, which will enable a new generation of fans to see, hear, and feel ABBA in a way previously unimagined.”

Pop mogul Fuller has apparently been quietly investing in virtual reality technologies for several years, developing hyper-realistic digital humans in the field of entertainment. The prospect of a hyperrealistic, virtual ABBA was too much for my brain to handle/elaborate on at press time.

All members of ABBA will be involved with the project, in the hope of ‘maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the band's original vision’.

"The creativity and ideas flowing from the members of ABBA over the past few months have filled me with great excitement,” Simon Fuller commented. “We are exploring a new technological world, with Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence at the forefront, that will allow us to create new forms of entertainment and content we couldn’t have previously imagined.”

Benny Andersson added: “We’re inspired by the limitless possibilities of what the future holds and are loving being a part of creating something new and dramatic here. A time machine that captures the essence of who we were. And are.”