ABBA "Little Things"
Courtesy PhotoFor ABBA, the firsts have come in threes this year. In November, they landed their first top 10 album on the Billboard 200. Later that month, they received their first Grammy nomination. Now, they are releasing their first Christmas single, “Little Things.”
The simple song is a gentle reflection on the joy of Christmas morning and family time around the holidays. The ballad has specific holiday references, including “As a brand-new day is dawning/ It’s a lovely Christmas morning.” And “Oh, what joy Santa brings/ Thanks old friend for packing Christmas stockings full of nice little things.”
The song was written by ABBA masterminds Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who wrote all the songs on Voyage, their first studio album in nearly 40 years.
“Little Things” is the third single from Voyage, following “I Still Have Faith in You” (which received a Grammy nomination for record of the year) and “Just a Notion.”
Proceeds from the sale of “Little Things” will go to UNICEF to support the Global Child Protection Fund. The members of ABBA — Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Andersson and Ulvaeus — said in a statement, “We think it is impossible to eradicate poverty without the empowerment of women. That’s why we support UNICEF in protecting girls from sexual violence and empowering them through the Global Child Protection Fund. We have done so for many years with our song ‘Chiquitita’ and now we have decided to give UNICEF a Christmas gift in the form of a second song.”
Sophie Muller, a top video director who is described in a press release as a “longtime ABBA fan,” directed the “Little Things” video. Muller was just beginning her career as a video director in 1982 when ABBA retired. Muller won a BRIT Award for British video of the year for Shakespear’s Sister’s “Stay” in February 1993. Eight days later, she won a Grammy for best music video, long-form for Annie Lennox’s Diva. Muller has also worked with such artists as No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Sade, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Radiohead and Björk.
The “Little Things” video is a take on the production behind ABBA Voyage, the series of concerts featuring digital versions of ABBA that will open in London next year. Centered around a group of school-age children, many of whom are close to (or related to) the creative team behind the concerts, the kids are inspired to create an ABBA Voyage Christmas Special. They embark on the enterprise of motion capture, choreography, costume design, stage lighting and band rehearsals, culminating with the arrival of parents and family members to watch a performance by the re-imagined ABBA.
Voyage entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 on the chart dated Nov. 20, beating the quartet’s previous high of No. 14, set with The Album in 1978. Voyage opened with 82,000 album-equivalent units, including 78,000 in album sales, which made it the top-selling album of the week.
Voyage reached the No. 1 spot in 18 countries, including the U.K., Germany, Australia and Sweden.
Next year will see the opening of ABBA Voyage, which will see the group’s members as digital avatars at their own especially built ABBA Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. They will perform a set of ABBA’s greatest hits along with two songs from Voyage, “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down,” alongside a 10-piece live band.
ABBA Voyage is directed by Baillie Walsh, and produced by Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson.
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
