Benny Andersson News

BAO in Globen - Stockholm

On Friday October 26th BAO with Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg performed in Globen in Stockholm. Benny gave an exclusive interview for the Swedish TV4.

BAO - the new CD

The new CD of Benny Andersson Orkester was released in Sweden on October 24th, 2007. The album contains 12 tracks most of them sung by Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg - two great singers belonging to BAO's musical team since many years. Both Helen and Tommy sing wonderfully and their voices are on their tops.

Lyrics were written by another "B" - Björn Ulvaeus. So almost ABBA album... The only ABBA-related think here can be the song "Crush on you" which Benny started to compose already in 1979 and which finally saw its release on this BAO album 28 years later. The question is if this song was worth releasing. Neither Tommy nor Helen seem to have found the right way of singing it and the song itself is not any interesting piece of music a bit chaotic as the period 1978/79 was in ABBA's life as well as the album "Voulez-Vous". Absolute favorite which has been performed by BAO on their concerts since 2005 is "För dig" (For you).

Helen Sjöholm sings a very typical Benny Andersson composition "Upp till dig" (Up to you) which is a copy of the 1982 B & B composition "I Am The Seeker" released on the B-side of Frida's & BA Robertsons' single "Time"!!! Some passages are almost identical with "I Am The Seeker" and the question is if it was Benny's intention.

Already known "Bonde söker fru" (Farmer is seeking wife) sounds a little bit stupid but maybe better than during its premiere live performance in Allsång på Skansen in August. The last song with Helen's and Tommy's vocals has lyrics written by Swedish female poet Kristina Lugn who is known for her very special way of writing and talking as well as her hair. The song is entitled "Nu mår jag mycket bättre" (I feel much better now) which gives some hope that maybe Kristina starts writing more positive poems in the future. The other 5 instrumental compositions are very typical Benny Andersson pieces with the touch of folk music.

Allsång på Skansen

Traditionally Benny Anderssons Orkester performed in "Allsång på Skansen" on August 7th, 2007. For the first time Helen Sjöholm was missing but just this time as she had became mother at the end of July and she needed some time for herself and her child. Tommy Körberg performed both new songs which will appear on the forthcoming BAO album. Benny said in the short interview that the album was planned for release in October 2007 and it contained one song in English "Crush on you". Even an English language album was planned for recording in the nearest future. One of the new songs performed in Skansen had a wonderful ABBA sound remaining of "I Let The Music Speak" - pity that Frida couldn't perform it on stage as she was in Stockholm that day...

The new BAO album is recorded and right now it is being mixed. The release is planned in October. BAO will record a record in English according to Benny Andersson but it is quite unknown when and whether it will be promoted abroad. The filming for the movie "Mamma Mia" continues in London and Meryl Streep has already recorded several songs. In September the film team will move to Greece.

Take your cake and run... or Benny celebrates BAO's chart success in Sweden

The BAO hit "Du är min man" has been on the Swedish chart "Svensktoppen" for 143 weeks and it is absolute record on the chart. Benny and Helen Sjöholm were invited to the Swedish Radio for celebration with cake. Everybody was surprised when Benny after 5 minutes announced that he had to go... He took the cake with him and one person from the radio staff managed to catch him and take back the tray which belonged to the radio when he was leaving the Svensktoppen-studio in the Radio House in Stockholm... It seems that Benny wanted the whole cake for himself.

As it is already known there will be no BAO tour in 2007 as Helen Sjöholm will be mother in July. As she said to Aftonbladet she does not feel good all the time but she is not afraid of giving birth to her first child - not yet.

The Royal Music Academy

In the spring 2007 Benny became a member of The Royal Music Academy.