Benny Anderson of ABBA And Elton John Collaborated on a Brand-New Song Mash-Up For TikTok
Elton John and Benny Anderson of ABBA remotely performed a live rendition of each of their songs before they were combined in the TikTok audio app.
John performed his 1973 classic, ‘Bennie And The Jets’, while Anderson performed ABBA’s 1979 hit ‘Chiquitita’.
Before the camera pans to John, who is sitting at his piano and playing ‘Benny And The Jets’, Anderson can be seen sitting at his piano playing the first few notes of ‘Chiquitita’.
“Heard that ‘Chiquitita’ was trending again… with Elton John!” the caption on the official ABBA TikTok account reads.
The TikTok user captioned the source video: “For all your gorgeous summer transitions.” Over 54,000 videos on the app have subsequently utilised the audio.
On 15th June, John started the UK leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Norwich.
He had planned to perform a string of rescheduled UK headline events between October and December 2021 after first announcing the first UK dates for his final-ever run of concerts in 2018. However, due to a hip injury sustained during an awkward fall, he had to push back those performances until 2023.
By the time the tour is complete in July of next year, John will have performed at more than 300 concerts on five continents.
In an NME cover story last October, John said that this tour will really be his last, explaining: “It’s something I wanna finish. I’m looking forward to doing it and going out on the high that we were on – we were an express train that hit the buffers. At the moment I finish supposedly in 2023, in the summer, by which time I’ll be 76 – and that’s it, baby.”
He continued: “I can’t wait to do it and have a great time, and I can’t wait to finish and say, ‘No more – I’ve had enough.’”
In ABBA-related news, the band is currently promoting ABBA Voyage, their virtual concert residency. It takes place within the ABBA Arena, a specially created space at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, and features a digital replica of the group as they were in 1997 as well as a live performance by a custom-made band playing a set list of their iconic songs.
The current runtime for the ABBA Voyage concert, which debuted in May, is set through the middle of 2023. However, the live band recently informed NME that they hope to perform for several years.
NME’s Andrew Trendell gave the opening show a five-star review, writing: “We for one welcome our new ABBAtar overlords, if only for giving these songs back to us in a totally new and joyful way.”
—Silviya.Y
