Let the world adore you

Let the world adore you is the start of my journey in the footsteps of the famous pop band ABBA. It's also a reflection on our relationship to pop culture in a globalised world where the stories of youth and celebrity are being told regardless of borders.

After winning the Eurovision song contest held in Brighton in 1974, ABBA became a symbol of Sweden across Europe. Young, blond and reserved they became stars overnight.

As a Swede in the United Kingdom I found that their songs have been kept alive here through the large number of tribute bands dedicated to the legendary pop band.

In this work I want to explore how the tribute artists are making their own individual interpretation of the original ABBAs and in the pictures representing both the original members of the band and their own individuality. Lingering between performance and reality the artists are not fully them self but not fully the character, or maybe both at the same time.

The title is a piece of the lyrics of the unpublished song Get on the Carousel, only performed during ABBA’s tour in Australia 1977. For me it refers to a general human strive to be adored and loved by others.