WASHINGTON – The iconic Swedish pop group Abba has requested that US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cease using their music and videos at his campaign rallies, the band’s record label Universal Music announced on August 29.
The demand comes after Abba’s hits, including “The Winner Takes It All,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “Dancing Queen,” were played at a Trump rally on July 27 in Minnesota, which also featured accompanying videos. Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported the unauthorized use of the music at the event.
Universal Music issued a statement asserting that no permission or license had been granted to the Trump campaign for the use of Abba’s music, and requested that any such use be immediately removed and discontinued.
The band members, who declined further comment, fully supported Universal’s statement according to a representative. The Trump campaign has not yet responded to the request for comment.
Abba joins a growing list of artists who have objected to their music being used at Trump events without authorization. Over the years, several artists, including the late Tom Petty, British singer Adele, and rock band R.E.M., have all made similar demands. Recently, the labels of late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor and Canadian singer Celine Dion also issued complaints regarding the unauthorized use of their music by the Trump campaign.