ABBA star Björn Ulvaeus made a surprise appearance during the Grand Final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest with a special message on the show’s impact.

Saturday’s spectacle saw Sweden’s returning champion Loreen break records by becoming the first female artist to win twice, this time with her global hit Tattoo.

It means the Contest will return to Sweden in 2024 – exactly 50 years since ABBA won in 1974 with Waterloo. 

Speaking during a video montage that aired before the final voting was revealed, the musician shared: “The lives of some of the acts that you’ve seen tonight could be about to change forever.

“When ABBA walked onto that stage, we couldn’t even have imagined, 50 years later, we would have a museum about us, and that we would perform as avatars in ‘ABBA Voyage’.

“Our international success all began with Eurovision. So I want to say to all the acts who are waiting nervously right now – I just want to say ‘good luck’, and who knows where this journey will take you?”

Watch the full clip below. 

ABBA won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their classic song Waterloo and Sweden have topped the scoreboard a total of seven times – in 1984 (Herreys – Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley), 1991 (Carola – Fångad av en stormvind), 1999 (Charlotte Nilsson – Take Me to Your Heaven), 2012 (Loreen – Euphoria) and 2015 (Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes).