SHOCKING REVEAL: Before ABBA Became Music Legends, the Name Belonged to a Food Company Famous for Pickled Herring and Kalles Kaviar. Only in 1974 Did Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid Claim It — Turning a Fish Brand Into a Global Music Empire.
Long before “Dancing Queen” topped the charts and ABBA became synonymous with pop brilliance, the name belonged to something far more ordinary: a Swedish food company known for its pickled herring and the beloved fish-egg spread Kalles kaviar. In early 1970s Sweden, ABBA was just another brand on the grocery shelves.
When Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad came together, their initials spelled out the same name. At first, it was little more than a playful coincidence, but by 1974 — the year they won Eurovision with “Waterloo” — the group formally adopted it. With the blessing of the food company, the four transformed “ABBA” from a seafood label into one of the most iconic names in music history.
The irony has not been lost on fans. What started as a corporate trademark became a cultural one, a brand no longer tied to fish jars in Scandinavian supermarkets but to a global catalogue of timeless hits. Today, “ABBA” conjures up visions of glittering jumpsuits, stadium anthems, and a pop legacy that has outlived its commercial namesake.
It remains one of the most unexpected brand transformations in modern history — proof that sometimes, greatness can rise from the unlikeliest of places.