Aqua (band) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aqua
Aqua at the Grøn Koncert in 2008.
Background information
Also known as	Joyspeed (1995–1996)
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Pop dance-pop bubblegum pop Europop Eurodance
Years active	1995–2001 2008–2012 2016–present
Labels	Universal Music Denmark MCA Mercury Geffen
Associated acts	Lazyboy Hej Matematik
Members	René Dif Lene Nystrøm Søren Rasted
Past members	Claus Norreen

Aqua is a super popular Danish-Norwegian Europop band. They are best known for their huge hit song "Barbie Girl" from 1997. The group started in 1995 as Joyspeed. They became famous all over the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Aqua has released three albums: Aquarium in 1997, Aquarius in 2000, and Megalomania in 2011. They have sold about 33 million albums and singles. This makes them one of the most successful Danish bands ever!

The band's members are singers René Dif and Lene Nystrøm. Søren Rasted plays keyboards, and Claus Norreen used to play guitar. After the band took a break, Lene, René, and Søren all had success with their own music. Claus worked on remixing songs for other artists.

In 2007, the group announced they were getting back together for a tour. They also released a greatest hits album with some new songs. Their third album, Megalomania, came out on October 3, 2011.

Aqua's Journey to Fame

How Aqua Started (1994–1995)

The band's story began when Søren Rasted and Claus Norreen won a contest. They were hired to create music for a movie called Frække Frida og de frygtløse spioner. At that time, René Dif was a DJ in clubs. He was asked to help with some of the movie's songs. The three of them got along well and decided to work together again.

A few months later, René saw Lene Nystrøm singing on a ferry between Norway and Denmark. He asked her to join their group as the lead singer. This new group was called Joyspeed. Søren and Claus would produce the music. René would do the rapping, and Lene would sing the main parts.

In 1995, a small record company in Sweden signed them. Their first song, "Itzy Bitzy Spider", was released in Sweden. But it didn't become popular. It only stayed on the charts for a short time. So, the band ended their contract with that record company.

Becoming Famous with Aquarium (1996–1998)

With a new manager, the group started fresh. They began writing and producing songs in a different style. This new sound caught the eye of a big record company, Universal Music Denmark. The band changed their name to Aqua. They picked the name from a poster they saw in their dressing room. In 1996, they signed a recording deal with Universal Music Denmark.

Their first song as Aqua was "Roses Are Red". It was a dance song with a fun, bubblegum pop sound. It came out in Denmark in September 1996. The song stayed on the music charts for over two months. It sold so many copies that it was certified platinum. This means it sold over a certain number of copies, showing it was very popular. Aqua was even nominated for "Best Danish Dance Act."

Their next song, "My Oh My", came out in February 1997. It was also very popular. This song broke all sales records in Denmark. It was certified gold in just six days! This means it sold a lot of copies very quickly. The song went straight to number one in Denmark. Aqua became a household name in the country.

Aqua released their first album, Aquarium, in Denmark on March 26, 1997. The album had 11 songs. These included their first two hits and their upcoming third song, "Barbie Girl". Universal Music Group started promoting Aqua in other countries. "Roses Are Red" was released in Japan and other parts of Europe. It was popular everywhere, which showed Universal that Aqua could be a worldwide success.

Aqua released their third single, "Barbie Girl", in May 1997. This song was a massive hit! It was number one in the United Kingdom for four weeks. It was also number one in Australia for three weeks. It even made it into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. This was a big deal for a European pop band at that time.

Even though the album sold well, some people thought Aqua was just a "one-hit wonder." But Aqua had become famous all over the world. After "Barbie Girl", Aqua released "Doctor Jones" in Australia, Canada, and the UK. Another song, "Lollipop (Candyman)", was released in the United States. "Doctor Jones" went to number one in many countries. It stayed at number one in the UK for two weeks and in Australia for seven weeks. "Lollipop (Candyman)" also did well in the US, reaching number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Aqua's next song was "Turn Back Time". This song was in the movie Sliding Doors. It was played a lot on the radio and in music videos. It became their third song to reach number one in the United Kingdom. It also did well in other places, like Australia, where it reached number 10.

In August 1998, "My Oh My" was released again in Denmark and other European countries. After a song called "Good Morning Sunshine" had limited success, Aqua focused on their second album. They also toured Australia. On December 1, 1998, the group released a documentary. It showed live performances and interviews with the band members.

In 1998, Lene Nystrøm won a special award. It was called the "Special Price of the Jury" at the Norwegian music awards Spellemannprisen. This was for her great work with Aqua in 1997.

New Sounds with Aquarius (1999–2001)

Aqua recorded over 30 songs for their second album, Aquarius. Only twelve of these songs made it onto the final album. The group released Aquarius in February 2000. This album had many different music styles.

"Cartoon Heroes" was the first song released from the album. It sold well in Europe and Australia. It reached number one in Denmark, number seven in the UK, and number 16 in Australia. The next song, "Around the World", came out in June 2000. It reached number 26 in the UK and number 35 in Australia. It was number one in Denmark. "Around the World" was Aqua's last single released in the UK.

Aqua then released "Bumble Bees" as a single in Scandinavia, Europe, and Australia. It was quite successful. "We Belong to the Sea" followed as a fourth single in fewer countries. It didn't make it onto the charts in most places. Aqua spent the first few months of 2001 touring around the world. They also worked on new songs for their third album. The group performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. They worked with the Safri Duo and provided music during the voting part of the show.

Getting Back Together: Megalomania (2008–2012)

In 2008, Aqua got back together. They planned a tour with 25 concerts starting in the summer. They received offers from Denmark, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Aqua ended up performing 8 concerts in Denmark as part of the "Grøn koncert" festival.

They released a greatest hits album on June 15, 2009. It had 16 old songs that were improved, and three brand new songs. One of the new songs, "Back to the 80s", went straight to number one in Denmark. It stayed there for six weeks! This became the band's fifth number-one song. It was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). This means it sold 30,000 copies in Denmark.

Aqua also toured Scandinavia from May to August 2009. They played shows in Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. The greatest hits album was released in North America and many European countries in September 2009.

Aqua started recording their album Megalomania in early 2010. It was planned for release in spring 2011. Aqua released the first song from the album, "How R U Doin?", on March 14, 2011. A preview of the song was put on the band's Facebook page a few days earlier. This song was co-written by Thomas Troelsen. It reached number four in Denmark. This was the band's tenth song to reach the top ten. It was certified gold by the IFPI for selling 15,000 copies in Denmark.

After Megalomania had some success in Denmark, Aqua toured Australia in March 2012. The band included all four original members: Lene Nystrøm Rasted, René Dif, Søren Rasted, and Claus Norreen. They also had new touring musicians. They first announced six concerts but quickly added three more shows because so many people wanted to see them. Aqua appeared on Sunrise, an Australian morning TV show. They performed a slower, acoustic version of "Barbie Girl". It was shared that Lene had pneumonia, but the concerts would still happen. The group was proud that they had never canceled a show. They then appeared on The Morning Show and performed "Doctor Jones". After this tour, the band took another break.

In 2014, the band announced a tour in Australia and New Zealand.

Aqua's Second Return (2016–Present)

In September 2016, it was announced that Aqua would perform "at least 10 concerts". These were part of the "Vi Elsker 90'erne" ("We Love the '90s") music festival. This was the first time Aqua had played live in Denmark since 2011. On September 20, 2016, Aqua announced that Claus Norreen would not be returning to the group. Claus said that his "musical focus" had changed. He no longer wanted to tour with Aqua. But he still said the other members of Aqua were "his family."

On May 29, 2018, Aqua announced "The Rewind Tour" in Canada. They toured with other 1990s music acts like Prozzäk and Whigfield. In June 2018, Aqua released a new song called "Rookie".

In July 2021, the band released a cover of "I Am What I Am". They did this for Copenhagen Pride 2021.

On April 29, 2022, during a concert in Tivoli, Copenhagen, the band announced a tour that would continue through 2023.

In 2023, Aqua worked with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. They created a song for the soundtrack of the movie Barbie. The song was called "Barbie World". It debuted at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was Aqua’s second song to reach the Top 10. It was their first since "Barbie Girl". "Barbie World" also reached the Top 5 in the UK Singles Chart. In the same week, "Barbie Girl" returned to the UK Top 40 for the first time in 25 years!

"Barbie World" was a big hit around the world. It reached the top ten in many countries. These included Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Awards and Nominations

Aqua Members

Current members

• René Dif – vocals (1995–2001, 2008–2012, 2016–present)
• Lene Nystrøm – vocals (1995–2001, 2008–2012, 2016–present)
• Søren Rasted – keyboards, piano, guitar, bongos, backing vocals (1995–2001, 2008–2012, 2016–present)

Former members

• Claus Norreen – guitar, keyboards, keytar, backing vocals (1995–2001, 2008–2012, 2016)

Touring and session members

• Steffen Drak – guitar, keyboards, keytar, backing vocals (2016–present)

Aqua's Albums

• Aquarium (1997)
• Aquarius (2000)
• Megalomania (2011)

See Also

In Spanish: Aqua (banda) para niños