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My 12 year old niece is into ABBA. What other bands should I suggest?
Basically the title. I want to increase my cool aunt cred by suggesting music she might like but I don't know enough to make good choices. I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
That's awesome! I think it kind of depends on what aspect draws her to Abba.
If it's the disco inferno pulling her in then I'd try these bands:
Baccara: Yes Sir I Can Boogie
Amazing pop from the 70s with all of the sass and glitz of Abba.
The Beegees: More than a Woman
I always think of the Beegees as Abba's counter part from the disco era. The discography is great, but More than a Woman is my favorite.
Hot Chocolate: Everyone's a Winner
Known for "You Sexy Thing" but I love their hit, Everyone's a Winner. Ty Segall did an amazing version too.
Boney M - Rasputin
Boney M has a deeeeeeep discography and they are goofy in the same way as Abba. Another solid choice.
Edwin Birdsong - Coke Bottle Baby
Another banger and quite a few Abba-esque songs among his deep cuts.
Kiki Glan - Disco Dancer
A little more soulful than Abba but sooooo funky.
Chemise - She Can't Love You
We're getting into the 80s sound at this point but it still has that funky, disco inspired sound.
Marco Valle - Estrelar
Portugese but just as buttery as any Abba song.
Elia y Elizabeth - Alegria
It's Spanish and just a fun banger of a hit!
Chicco - I Need Some Money
Chicco is a South African artist that gives another international taste of the 80s disco flair.
I think your niece and I might have similar taste in music and I'll try to think of other artists she might enjoy throughout today!
EDIT: As balooga said, Michael Jackson. My personal choices for introduction would be Blame it on the Boogie or PYT
fun fact -- Boney M is actually Franz Reuther / Farian who was also behind Milli Vanilli.
What is it specifically about the band that she loves? If it’s the catchiness of their melodies, I might suggest Hall & Oates, Queen, or maybe Michael Jackson. If it’s the vocal ensemble quality, maybe Pentatonix or another a cappella group, or broadway showtunes, or maybe another harmony-heavy group like the Beach Boys. If she’s drawn to the Scandinavian camp angle, that’s a trickier one to nail down but it could be fun to dive into other Eurovision songs. She might like AURORA.
Since I didn't see it mentioned yet, I think Fleetwood Mac might be worth a try. Especially Everywhere, Little Lies, Edge of Seventeen, and Go Your Own Way would be my top picks.
Here's other artists that my kid was into when they were into ABBA:
Fleetwood Mac, especially Rumors.
Meatloaf
Bonnie Tyler
Janice Joplin
The Bangles
This is as good a time as any to introduce her to Eurovision Song Contest
Don't suggest any other music and just make everyday an ABBA party. :)
In all seriousness, most people only know a handful of their "best" songs and they have a lot of other songs that have slipped through everyone's collective memories, so there might be some gems she might be happy to discover.
I imagine a lot of the love comes from Fältskog and Lyngstad in front, but if there's ever a production of the musical Chess near you maybe take her, since it was written by Andersson and Ulvaeus? The original recording has a lot of their sensibility to it since it was more a concept album than a musical at first, but I got into it through the great concert version with Josh Groban, Adam Pascal, and Idina Menzel doing an incredible job.
A*teens of course! Originally ABBA-Teens. A*teens was a band created at ABBAs 25 year anniversary specifically to play ABBA covers. I'm mostly joking, but there's some alternate versions of the songs to at least vary things up a bit.
For me Roxette scratches a similar itch. Probably because I listened to them at the similar time in my life, but it's worth a shot.
Agneta Fältskog has a solo career as well, the music is a bit different, but it's the same voice, so maybe that's something =)