Aqua is a Danish/Norwegian dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single Barbie Girl. The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK singles chart with their first three singles. The group released two albums: Aquarium in 1997 and Aquarius in 2000, before splitting up in July 2001. The group sold an estimated 33 million albums and singles, making them the most successful Danish band ever.
In their prime, Aqua’s singles managed to chart top ten in a number of countries where European pop acts would not normally succeed, including the United States, Australia, and Japan. The group also caused controversy with the double entendres in their Barbie Girl single, with the Barbie doll makers Mattel filing a lawsuit against the group. The lawsuit was finally dismissed by a judge in 2002, who ruled ‘The parties are advised to chill’.
The band’s members are vocalists Lene Nystrøm Rasted and Rene Dif, keyboardist Søren Rasted, and guitarist Claus Norreen. During their split, Nystrøm, Dif and Rasted have all achieved solo chart success, and Norreen has continued in the music industry remixing other artists’ material.
Australian pop fans embraced Aqua making this country one of the most successful markets for the group. Featuring the original line-up of vocalists Lene Nystrøm and René Dif, keyboard player Søren Rasted and Claus Norreen on guitar, Aqua are set to rekindle their Australian love affair by bringing the pure pop delight they are famous for to life right across the country. See Aqua at the Coolangatta Hotel on Friday.
