Chiquitita Recorded By Laleh For Unicef

ABBA THE MUSEUM AND UNICEF SWEDEN COLLABORATE IN SUPPORT OF YOUNG GIRLS’RIGHTS. FIRST UP: LALEH.

UNICEF Sweden and ABBA The Museum have initiated a new long-term collaboration over the song “Chiquitita”in support of young girls worldwide. ABBA members, Frida Lyngstad Reuss, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, are all behind the collaboration and are donating their royalties from “Chiquitita,”as artists and rightholders, to the cause. The collaboration involves a number of activities both at the museum and online, including the launch of the pressplaytogive, an initiative that makes donating easy by simply playing the song. In order to reach an even more listeners, ABBA The Museum will be inviting several well-known artists to record their interpretation of “Chiquitita.”First up is Laleh. November 20 marks the 25^th jubilee of the UN Convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC), on which date Laleh will perform her version of the beautiful ABBA-songat the UN General Assembly in New York to a global audience.
 
On November 17, 2014, a new collaboration will begin between ABBA The Museum and UNICEF Sweden, with “Chiquitita” as a starting point. The collaboration will continue until 2019, the year the song celebrates its 40th jubilee. ABBA is behind the collaboration, with all members of the group, as artists and rightholders, donating their royalties from “Chiquitita” to UNICEF. Universal Music Publishing and Polar Music also donates its proceeds from the song Chiquitita. November 17, 2014 will also mark the launch of pressplaytogive, an initiative that makes it easy to donate – simply by playing “Chiquitita” on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, etc.

- Our new initiative aims to make donating easy, while spreading the word about children’s rights. We encourage more people to listen and donate by pressing play, says Véronique Lönnerblad, Executive Director, UNICEF Sweden.

ABBA The Museum has initiated a number of activities to bring the project to life, including a new permanent side-exhibit at the museum about “Chiquitita,” through which visitors can donate.
- As a visitor you can choose to sing “Chiquitita” in one of the song booths or watch the music video. Every time you choose “Chiquitita” at the museum you will be contributing to UNICEF, says Mattias Hansson, CEO of the museum.

ABBA built the Polar Studio in Stockholm in 1978 and the first song to be recorded there was Björn and Benny’s “Chiquitita.” Parts of the studio have been reconstructed at the museum with many original objects and instruments from that time. Each year, renowned artists will be invited by the museum to the Polar Studio to record their version of “Chiquitita,” thereby reaching a new audience. Royalties from the new versions of the song by these artists will also go to UNICEF. The first artist to interpret her version of the lovely ABBA ballad is Laleh, the world premiere of which she will be performing in Stockholm today at the launch of the new collaboration at ABBA The Museum. The song is digitally released Tuesday 18 November.

- I think that “Chiquitita” can serve as a symbol for all the girls and young women around the world who are denied their rightful place in society. We can help educate them, enabling them to stand up to any cultural or religious patriarchy that holds them back. Laleh understands what I mean and I am proud and happy that she is supporting the cause with her great version of “Chiquitita, says Björn Ulvaeus.

This year marks the 25th jubilee of the UN child convention and while much has improved for children, many are still being denied their rights. Girls and young women are particularly at risk. The collaboration between ABBA The Museum and UNICEF Sweden over the song “Chiquitita” will help generate more discussion about the discrimination and abuse that girls are exposed to every day. The royalties from the song will go to designated UNICEF projects around the world. In November the UN child convention jubilee will be celebrated at the UN headquarters in New York. Björn Ulvaeus and Laleh have been invited to the gala at which Laleh will perform her version of “Chiquitita” for a global audience. In this way, ABBA has passed the baton on to the next artist to generate more funds through “Chiquitita” in support of girls’ rights worldwide.

MORE FACTS
Thirty-five years ago, ABBA donated part of their royalties for the song “Chiquitita” to UNICEF in support of children worldwide. Since then, “Chiquitita” is ranked as one of the highest contributing songs of all time to a philanthropic cause. Thanks to this donation, hundreds of thousands of children have been vaccinated – and got to go to school. The starting point for the collaboration between UNICEF and ABBA dates back to January 9, 1979, when ABBA participated in the inauguration of The International Year of the Child at a benefit concert at the UN General Assembly in New York. At the “The Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song, many of the biggest names of the time performed, such as ABBA, The Bee Gees, Earth Wind & Fire, Olivia Newton John, and Donna Summer in support of children around the world. ABBA performed the song “Chiquitita” at the benefit concert.
FACTS LALEH
Laleh is one of the biggest artist in modern time in Sweden, Laleh is the well kept secret of Scandinavia, she just released her first EP in the USA called ”BOOM”. She has won multiple prizes over the years in Sweden. Among them multiple Swedish grammys "Artist of the Year", "Producer of the year" and "Rookie of the Year". She has also got National Radio P3 Gold: "Female Artist of the Year” and "Rookie of the Year” back in 2006 when she started making albums, by her self, producing engineering and writing her songs. Before releasing her first album back in 2005 she worked as an actress, playing Yasmin in the Swedish movie from 2000 called "Jalla! Jalla! ". Her latest album ”Colors” has passed Platinum in Sweden with over 80 000 sold copies, she was also voted this year's artist, composer, song of the year by the Swedish charts ”Svensk Toppen”. Her song ”Some Die Young” sold 14x Platinum and is included in her EP ”BOOM”. It was the most streamed song in Norway on Spotify and Wimp Norway.

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