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25
years after the victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, ABBA
reappears, this time as four young artists performing the catchy tunes of
the 1970’s - the A*TEENS: Marie Serneholt, Sara Lumholdt, Dhani
Lennevald and Amit Paul. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, the A*TEENS
recorded their first album, ABBA Generation, showcasing modern versions of
ABBA's smash hits. "We all have grown up with ABBA since we were very
small because we are all from Sweden." Dhani comments on modeling
A*TEENS after ABBA, "And that feels quite natural to do this because
we know them so much and so long..." |
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Sara,
Marie, Dhani and Amit were enrolled in the same dance school in Stockholm,
Sweden; seeing limitless possibilities for them, their dance instructor
encouraged them to audition for what was to be a group that covered ABBA
songs. After an impressive audition in 1998, displaying their natural
singing and dancing abilities, the A*TEENS line-up was complete. Working
in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway, the A*TEENS began working on their
debut album in November of 1998. The band, with help from their producers
narrowed down numerous ABBA tracks and picked out twelve songs for their
first album, ABBA Generation. The first single, "Mamma Mia,"
stormed the summer airwaves of 1999 and topped the European charts exactly
one-quarter of a century after ABBA took the song to number one.
"It’s a lot of fun singing and dancing to ABBA songs." Marie
comments, "To mix contemporary music styles with ABBA’s fantastic
material is exciting. We look at A*TEENS as a tribute to ABBA…"
Other ABBA favorites on ABBA Generation include "S.O.S.,"
"Take A Chance On Me," and "Dancing Queen," which hit
the #21 spot on U.S. charts. |
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With their ABBA covers topping the charts worldwide, the A*TEENS took ABBA
Generation on the road. The A*TEENS have toured with music's biggest names
including *NSYNC, Britney Spears and caravanning across the United States
with Nickelodeon's All That Music and More Festival! Performing in front
of thousands of screaming fans, the A*TEENS have grown accustomed to life
on the road and are finding that as they grow individually, they have also
grown closer together as a band. "We’ve done so much since last
year. So much has happened…we've been recording a new album that's
developing us as singers and dancers as well…stuff like that has
developed us as a band," says Amit.
The A*Teens have come a long way - touring the globe with ABBA hits and
embarking on a sophomore journey to their second album that will break
away from ABBA esque covers to musical genres including pop, dance and
R&B. "It was really fun to do this ABBA thing," Sara
explains, "but the thing is, we wanted to grow as our own band, do
our own songs. It's really important to change stuff." Amit adds
"We are all huge fans of ABBA, but at the same time we feel like we
want to do something different, more modern."
The A*Teens are indeed growing individually and as a group. The foursome
began their individual careers in a Sweden dance studio and have formed
into a group known worldwide. Sara, Marie, Dhani and Amit have traveled
the sphere with music's biggest acts — yet they have been able to stay
grounded and grateful amidst all the excitement around them. "I would
like to thank everybody who's out there and likes us," Amit confides,
"It's nice to go onstage and know that people like you…we're having
so much fun." Marie smiles and says "If it wasn't for our fans,
we wouldn't be here. You make my dreams come true…we hope we can give
something to you, so thank you." |
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