Abba Demand Trump Halt Use of Their Music at Rallies
Swedish pop icons Abba have demanded that former US President Donald Trump cease using their music at campaign events. The group's record company, Universal Music, issued a statement condemning the unauthorised use of Abba's songs and videos at a recent rally held by Trump in St Cloud, Minnesota.
The rally, held on Tuesday, saw Trump play several of Abba's biggest hits, including "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It All" and "Dancing Queen". Footage of the group was also projected onto a large screen, accompanied by messages encouraging attendees to donate. St Cloud, with a significant Swedish population, was chosen as the venue for the rally.
Universal Music, representing the group's interests, clarified that they had not granted permission for the use of Abba's music or videos at the event. A spokesperson stated, "Together with the members of Abba, we have discovered that videos have been released where Abba's music/videos have been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately taken down and removed."
The statement further emphasised that no request had been received for permission, and therefore, no licence was granted for the Trump campaign to use the group's music.
Björn Ulvaeus, one of Abba's founding members, reportedly confirmed via text message to Swedish newswire TT that "Our record company Universal makes sure it is taken down."
Abba joins a growing list of musicians and artists who have publicly objected to the use of their music by Trump's political campaigns.
Céline Dion voiced her disapproval of the use of "My Heart Will Go On" at a campaign rally in Montana. Beyoncé, in a similar move, blocked the use of her song "Freedom", featured in a Trump campaign video, after it was used by Kamala Harris's campaign.
Other instances have included legal action or demands for the cessation of music use by Trump's campaign. These include Johnny Marr of The Smiths, the family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes, and the estate of the late Sinead O'Connor, who had converted to Islam and adopted the name Shuhada' Sadaqat.
During his 2020 presidential campaign, Phil Collins and the estate of Tom Petty sent cease and desist letters to the Trump campaign. Petty's estate, in a statement, expressed their belief in America and democracy but declared that Trump did not represent their ideals.
The Rolling Stones, in a twist of irony, restricted the use of their 1969 hit song "You Canât Always Get What You Want" by the Trump campaign. Other music greats who have publicly expressed disapproval of Trump include Bruce Springsteen and REM.
The Trump campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this latest controversy.
