Aqua

Pop quiz: You have conquered all the territories on Planet Earth from the United States to Asia. You have provided millions of young fans around the world with one of the most successful debut pop albums ever. What do you do? Well, either you sit back and congratulate yourself, or you face the new challenge ahead and start working on the follow-up.

In January 1999 the band tucked themselves away in a house on the coast of Sweden. Their own recording studio was brought in, and the production of “Aquarius” began. Now the band members are putting the final touch to the album after having relocated to another house, this time in the U.K.

It has been a while since this remarkable pop group came from what appeared to be nowhere and flew almost straight to the top position of the charts all over the world. However, AQUAs history so far is as exciting as a fairy tale and can be told over and over again.

Their international breakthrough single was “Barbie Girl”, a wonderful, happy-go-lucky pop tune with a child-like approach, yet at the same time showing AQUAs unique talent for writing amazing songs with a twist and a twinkle in the eye. Had anybody dared to mistake AQUA for a one-hit wonder at the time when “Barbie Girl” paved the way for the new Scandinavian superstars, AQUA soon proved the sceptics wrong with singles such as “Turn Back Time”, “Doctor Jones”, “My Oh My and “Lollipop (Candyman)”.

Back home in their native Denmark (which at least applies to three-quarters of AQUA, Lene having been born in Norway) the group had already proved their massive potential by scoring three consecutive no. 1 hits – of which “Barbie Girl” was the third. With “Roses Are Red”, AQUAs debut single, the successor “My Oh My” and the debut album “Aquarium” going through the roof, everybody in and around AQUA was confident that the issue here was a band called AQUA and an entire album of great pop songs called “Aquarium”. Not just one or two strong singles.

More than 23 million records later, it seems that they were right. Not that anybody had expected it – least of all Claus, Ren, Lene and Sren. Who can honestly sit down during the making of their debut album and claim that they are perfectly certain that it is going to be a worldwide hit album? AQUA certainly could not. But after 20 months of massive, worldwide performance and promotion, they had to contemplate their situation.

Luckily, AQUA are not like anybody else. Claus Norreen, Ren Dif, Sren Rasted and Lene Nystrm are not only unique because they have great songs, charm and good looks. They also write, record, produce and mix their own music themselves. Responsibilities that you do not normally see assumed by todays average pop star.

And that is exactly why they are taking on the world once again with their brilliant and unique pop tunes. Tunes that can best be described as universal pop music.