Aqua’s careers began in Copenhagen in 1995 when the Danish members – multi-instrumentalists Søren Rasted and Claus Norreen, along with vocalist René Dif, enlisted Norwegian singer Lene Nystrøm to form a group called Joyspeed. In 1996 after Joyspeed’s debut tanked, the band left their label and changed their name to Aqua, signing a bigger deal with Universal Music Denmark as well.

Their first two singles from 1997 debut album ‘Aquarium’, ‘Roses Are Red’ and ‘My Oh My’ were both Number Ones in Denmark, but third time was the charm when ‘Barbie Girl’ dropped. The Eurodance beats thumping behind Dif’s low rumbling vocals and Nystrøm’s saccharine, girly pop singing made the song an instant classic, both on the radio and in clubs. ‘Barbie Girl’ peaked at Number One in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Norway among others, selling 8 million units. Its follow-up ‘Doctor Jones’ brought the same sound and energy, and also topped charts in the UK, Europe and Australia.

The year 2000 saw Aqua release second album ‘Aquarius’ before Barbie toymakers Mattel engaged the band’s label in a high-profile lawsuit over ‘Barbie Girl’, claiming it damaged the brand’s reputation. The trial went in the band’s favour, but following worsening chart performances, the group split in 2001. They came back in 2007, released third album ‘Megalomania’ in 2011, split again in 2012, and reformed for the last time in 2016 minus Norreen. Their last big hurrah came with Greta Gerwig’s movie ‘Barbie’ in 2023 – while ‘Barbie Girl’ did not make the soundtrack (despite lead actress Margot Robbie’s insistence), a reimagined version named ‘Barbie World’ was produced for the score, which sampled Aqua’s classic with vocals by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice.

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After 30 years in the industry, Aqua signed off for the last time this week. Their post from the 19th of May on Instagram reads “Dear everyone. After many incredible years, we have decided to close the chapter of AQUA as a live band. AQUA has been such a huge part of our lives, and together we’ve had the chance to experience more than we ever dared to dream of.” It’s closed with a message from the three final members of the group “From the bottom of our hearts: thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey over the past 30 years. Thank you for the love, the energy, the support, and for all the moments we’ve shared together. Nothing but love and gratitude from here on. Endless love – Lene, René & Søren.”