ABBA Teens interviewed by Dutch Television, July 1999

T= Tooske, the interviewer

T: We knew them as the Abba Teens from the single Mamma Mia. At the moment they are called A Teens. Later we will ask them why but first we ask them to introduce themselves. Hi there and welcome to the Netherlands. Can you please introduce yourself to us?

A Teens: I'm Sara, I'm Dhani, I'm Marie and I'm Amit.

T: And you are still Abba Teens or A Teens now?

A: We are still Abba Teens, but we are going to be A Teens soon.

T: Ok, we'll talk about that a bit later. Now how did you meet eachother?. How did you get together and become this group?

S: We all go to the same danceschool in Stockholm so that's where we've first met. We have known eachother for three years.

T: Allright, so you're quite good friends. And then was it your idea to start a group or how did Abba Teens come to be?

D: No it was a man at the recordcompany who came with the idea of Abba Teens.

T: And he came to the danceschool and said: " oh you 20 or 30 people, hey I'm looking for 4 people, do audition for me.

A: No actually he came to our danceteacher and our danceteacher picked 30 people which he thought was adequate for this project. Buy they also looked in other places like different registers and other schools and stuff like that. But after the auditions they were shown that we are the right people.

T: When you did the audition did yu already know that this was going to be a group performing Abbasongs or did you know what it would be like?

M: At the second audition we knew. They told us you are going to record a cd and you are going to be Abba Teens.

T: Had you ever listened to Abba. Were you fans of Abba. Did Abbamusic mean anything to you?

S: Yeah, when I was in third grade, around 10, Abba was my idols.

T: So you were the right person for the group, and you Marie?

M: I listened to Abba through my parents in the car and so on. They are not my idols but I fancy them.

T: Right, you like the music.

M: Yeah, I like the lyrics.

T: Since you have become Abba Teens have you ever met the real Abba?

A: No, we haven't.

T: Do they know about you. Have you ever sent them your music?

A: They certainly know about us since they said ok to the project but they have not commented on our work personally and we haven't met them.

T: Would you like to?

A: Yeah that would be nice.

T: You want their affirmation, and them say ok that's good. How about the single Mamma Mia. Did you pick it yourself. Is this the song you like best of all Abbasongs? Why did this become the first one.

D: I think it is a song we like best. We four and the recordcompany liked it as a single.

T: Was it difficult to record since it is not a new song, everybody knows the song so everybody knows exactly what it sounds like and then you have to do it again. Did that make it extra difficult.

M: We are doing it in our own way. Ofcourse it was hard but it was quite easy.

T: Cause Abba uses many many many different vocal things and tricks and it sounds less complicated then it is. But that was ok for you. Had you be singing cause you met at a danceschool?

A: We all have been singing in different choirs and stuff like that.

T: So your voices were picked for these parts too?

A: Yeah.

T: How about the video. Tell me the story of the video, what happens in the video?

A: We are working at an artgallery. We are cleaning up and stuff like that and we don't like it very much. And one day this old fellow who owns the gallery is going to have an exibition and we are forced to be there very early in the morning and we have to clean up and serve these old boring people.

M: (giggles) Old!

A: Old for us. And then me and Dhani suddenly see one of the pictures on the wall, they live, it moves, and we run and tell the girls. And then we understand we have some magical power. So we use the power and start this party.

T: It sounds fun don't you think. Do you think the youth, young people have more power then they think they do?

A Teens: Yeah.

T: In august the album is going to be released. Is it finished yet?

A Teens: Yeah.

T: The album is going to be called A Teens. You will be called A Teens by that time. Why that change of name?

S: Because we and the record company dedided to get a step form Abba, get our own group.

M: So in the future we can do our own stuff.

A: We are not bound to Abba, we don't have to do Abbamusic.

T: Was that already decided before you started. They thought let's first call them Abba Teens, because everyone knows Abba and that will be a good introduction and then we will change it or were you called Abba Teens and after a couple of months people thought or you yorself thought wow this is so succesfull maybe we should change our name.

A Teens: We don't really know.

T: Was it your idea to do more of your own music in the future?

A: It is a combination. The recordcompany came up with the idea and we like it so it is a combination.

T: Is it something you're excited for, you're waiting for. Cause I can imagine only doing somebody elses music... You might sometimes feel that people don't really see all of you.

M: I want to do this now, maybe in the future.

T: Can you name us some of Abba's songs that will be on the album. Cause there made so many ofcourse it's only a selection.

A Teens: One of us, Take a chance, Gimme Gimme, Dancing Queen, Voulez Vous, Sos, Our last summer, Name of the game.

T: It's going to be a busy time for you, are you still in school?

M: Yeah but we have a 10 week holiday.

T: Summervacation now, good for you! These 10 weeks you will be using for promotion, where are you gonna go, what are you gonna do?

D: Last week we were in Norway and UK. Yesterday in Belgium. Today Holland. Later on in the summer we may be going to UK again and Europe.

T: Have you ever travelled that much?

A: No, not in one summer!

S: I travelled a lot when I was a small kid.

T: Cause your parents think it is important or.....

S: No, I think they like it too.

T: So they took you to places. You have become very succesfull in a very short period of time. What were you doing when somebody phoned you and told you you're in the band.

M: When they said you're in the band I just said, oh fun. But when I hung up I just screamed. OH YEAH. My mother said what is it and I said I'm in the band.

T: And your mother said OH NO what is going to happen to my daughter.

M: Yeah.

T: Were you all at home?

D: It was my mum who picked up the phone. When I came home my mum said you're in the band. I said: NO. She said: Yeah! It was a shock for me I think. I didn't believe it for a week or so.

T: It took you a while....until you were actually in the recording studio and they said: sing this. And then somebody called you and said: In Sweden your song Mamma Mia is number one.

A: Actually we were together, we were in the studio and they said: you're number one, just like that. And we went OH DEAR.

T: Really. OH DEAR

A Teens: Yeah OH MY DEAR

M: And now we have been number one for 7 weeks or something.

T: Are you used to it yet?

M: Yeah, " you're number one this week too" Oh fun.

T: It must be so strange cause there is a million of bands out there working years and years to become succesfull and you start and in a couple of weeks BOOM BOOM BOOM, done. Do you think it is scary sometimes cause you don't kjnow how long it will last?

M: Yeah, sometimes.

A: I think it might be not so good. Because if the next single goes up on the second place we might think oh only second.

T: Yeah oh, not number one this week.... Ofcourse now Abba is such a big thing and you have the perfect timing for coming out now with these Abbasongs. Cause there is this boost out there. Do you have any idea why now, 25 years after Abba's Waterloo was a major hit, why that is now.

A: It is because it was 25 years.

T: You think so, it just got so much media attention.

A Teens: Yeah.

A: It is to honour Abba and to give our generation who has missed Abba the music. Because they were so great and I don't think anyone should miss Abba totally.

T: So now, when you went to school the next day, you heard you were in, and said at school, ok I'm in this group and we are going to perform Abbasongs.

M: They didn't believe me. They just, oh oh ok.

T: Was that a little like, Abba they're old, that was 25 years ago, do something new.

A: Yeah a bit.

M: Yeah a bit, but when they heard Mamma Mia, they just: OH this is great, what a great song.

T: Now about the personal things? Do you have boyfriends, girlfriends?

A Teens: No

A: I actually have a girlfriend.

T: You do? One of them?

A: No, (laughter)

T: Because Abba were two couples. Do you think that could work?

A: No we are too good friends. Since we have known eachother for 3 years. 3 Years is a long time. We are too good friends.

T: Do you think that would make things more difficult?

M: Yeah.

A: Not while it lasted but afterwards.

T: Right, if it finishes....So now what if, suppose, I don't want to be negative, what if in a couple of years this Abbathing will flow away. What type of music would you want to make then?

M: I want to do many kinds of...... Maybe R &B, pop, happy music like dance music.

T: What if in a couple of years you decide: ok I've been number one 10 times, I've seen the world 2 times, I've performed for I don't know how many people, I've had enough of music. Do you think that will ever happen and if so then what would you do?

S: I don't think that's gonna happen to one of us,.....none of us ( A Teens laughter)....One of us. But if it so happen I think I will go do somthing creative, like make up artist or designer.

D: I don't know. Now I'm going to do this and after when I think this is boring or something, let me see, I don't know. My biggest dream is to be a dancer. Yeah I don't know.

A: I don't know. I don't think I'm going to get tired of being famous or doing this because music is really my life. I've always been singing or playing the piano. So....If it would happen, really IF, I would do whatever I want to do right then, like quit everything, go swim in the ocean, buy an island or something.

T: I would like that! Buy an island. Hi Oprah Winfrey, we are neighbours now.

M: Like Amit said, if I think this would be boring....I don't know, maybe a tv presenter like MTV or something. I don't know, a journalist.....

T: So we will definetely hear about you.

A Teens: Yeah.

T: You're not only here for the Abbaboost, you'll be staying on after that too.

M: Yes I think so.

T: How about the next single?

M: Supertrouper.

T: I love that one, that's one of my Abbafavourites. Have you made a video for that yet?

A Teens: Yes.

T: Can you tell me something about that or is it a big secret?

S: What is it about really? It's about a family, one daughter, one son, one mum and one dad.

T: Are you the mum and dad?

S: No it's another. They come home one day and suddenly we take places in ......

A: Like newspapers, posters, pictures on cups, teacups stuff like that. Then they are going to zoom in and it's going to be snap.

D: We start dancing.

T: So it's a happy video?

A Teens: Yeah.

T: How was it to record a video?

M: I think it is very fun.

T: Well this was your second. But when you made your first video ofcourse you didn't know what to expect of making a video. How long did it take, for example one day two days?

A: 18 hours in one day.

T: That was a long day.And you had to do it how many times over and over again. Cause people don't know, we see the video and think oh that looks like fun but you don't know what it takes.

M: It is hard work, all day. But it was fun. We had all our friends there too. The dancers is our friends from the danceschool.

T: From the same danceschool, that must be fun. Has there ever sofar in your career, until now pretty short career, has there ever been a time since the day you heard you were in Abba Teens, has there ever been a time when you thought I had not expected this, this is not as much fun as I thought it would be?

A Teens: No.

M: This is a dream come true.

T: Well then, perfect then! Thank you very much for your time and I'm sure we will hear more about you.

Special thanks to Monique Hoevens, ABBAMAILer in The Netherland