STOCKHOLM , Sweden ( CNN ) -- Bjorn Ulvaeus was one half of the songwriting genius behind Swedish pop legend ABBA . After the band split up in 1982 Ulvaeus turned his talents to writing musicals , including `` Mamma Mia , '' now a blockbuster movie . Bjorn Ulvaeus on the ABBA phenomenon : `` I 'm amazed how this could happen . I 'm just grateful and humble . '' He took My City_My Life on a tour of his home town of Stockholm and talked about his past and future as pop royalty . CNN : What is the secret of ABBA 's success ? Bjorn Ulvaeus : I think the secret behind the fact that our songs are still around and that ABBA became so big is a lot of factors together . But one of them was definitely that we put so much effort into song writing . We hardly ever toured , we just wrote and wrote and produced the records over a period of seven or eight years . So it 's the songs , plus I think the two girls , the voices -- the blend was unique and very special . CNN : Where did get the inspiration for your songs ? BU : Well mostly in song writing my experience is that there is n't so much inspiration as hard work . You sit there for hours , days and weeks with a guitar and piano until something good comes . But the urge to write is something you have to have . A conviction , an ambition to write and never stop until you think , `` This is the best I can do . '' Watch Bjorn Ulvaeus take CNN on a tour of Stockholm » . CNN : What drives you ? BU : In my career the push has always been to take another step , to try something new . That means that after ABBA , when we split up in 1982 , we were onto writing a musical [ `` Chess '' ] because we had n't done that before . CNN : How do you feel about working in the theater ? BU : Every time I sit in the audience and watch a show that I have been involved with , it is such an amazing feeling to see all those people around me , knowing they are actually watching and enjoying something I have written . That is such a feeling of pure joy that never goes away and that 's why I guess I 'm so attracted to work in the theater . CNN : How did `` Mamma Mia ! The Movie '' come about ? BU : When you have a big hit on the West End and on Broadway with a musical , as we had with `` Mamma Mia , '' there is always the question , `` when are you going to do the movie ? '' Some people say you should n't do it until the actual stage musical is on its last legs , but I do n't think that matters . We had been on Broadway for seven or eight years and eight or nine in the West End and we thought now is the time to make that movie . CNN : How has Stockholm changed over the years ? BU : A city like Stockholm , being so dynamic and following trends , develops all the time . It 's gradually changing but you can hardly see that . It is changing in a very healthy way that cities should change . CNN : How would you describe Stockholm in a few words ? BU : Stockholm is unique in the world in that it 's built on , I think , 14 islands . There are so many bridges and it does n't have any high-rise buildings to speak of . It 's quite spread out and open and airy with lots of parks . See photos of Bjorn Ulvaeus in Stockholm » . CNN : Let 's talk about the cultural scene in Stockholm . BU : There is a very vibrant cultural scene in Stockholm . There are lots of places where there are concerts and there are loads of museums and theaters . There is everything really , and eventually there is going to be an ABBA museum as well . CNN : When will that happen ? BU : I do n't know -- I like to be arm 's length when it comes to a museum about oneself . Other people should do that . CNN : That 's quite a Swedish trait ... BU : A lot of Swedes are quite modest and unassuming . I think that 's actually the closest you can get to a national trait , if there is one . CNN : How does it feel that people from different generations are still enjoying ABBA songs ? BU : In a way I 'm kind of a bystander looking at this phenomenon that is ABBA , which is still around , and that I thought would be finished in 1981 and forgotten . I 'm amazed how this could happen and I do n't know why it happened . I 'm just grateful and humble . I just sit back and enjoy . CNN : What would you like your legacy to be ? BU : I would like for my children to feel that what I left behind was something that I did whole heartedly and with honesty , and something that was the best I could do and hopefully that they too can enjoy .
Henrik Ulvaeus is half of the songwriting pair behind Swedish pop group ABBA . He lives in Stockholm , which he describes as being ` ` dynamic '' and trendy . Ulvaeus thought ABBA should be forgotten and is ` ` amazed '' by its popularity . An ABBA museum is being planned for Stockholm .