Aqua, authors of one of the most legendary hits of the 90s, ‘Barbie Girl’, who lived a second life in 2023 thanks to the mega-success of the film ‘Barbie’, have announced their separation in an emotional statement in which they assure that they prefer to end this stage now, “while the memories are still alive and the love for our music, our history and each other is also still alive.”
The news comes just ten months before the 30th anniversary of ‘Barbie Girl’ and Aqua’s fantastic debut album, ‘Aquarium’, one of the best albums of 1997. Will they suddenly surprise with a 30th anniversary tour, like so many groups that break up do? We doubt it: for that to look good, perhaps they should have separated a little earlier.
Every Aqua fan will remember that this is by no means the first time the group has broken up. They originally announced their breakup in 2001, a year after the release of their second album, ‘Aquarium’. They reunited in 2007, released a greatest hits in 2009 and released their third studio album, ‘Megalomania’, in 2011.
After that stage, the group once again entered a period of inactivity, although it has continued to perform specific performances in subsequent years. The success of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ brought them together again, leading them to once again enter the charts and perform at Spanish festivals such as BRAVA Madrid. Their last concert took place in India last year.
“After many incredible years, we have decided to close the chapter of AQUA as an active band,” the Danes say in the statement, its three current members: René Dif, Søren Rasted and Lene Nystrøm. “AQUA has been a hugely important part of our lives and, together, we have had the opportunity to live much more than we ever dared to dream. We have traveled the world countless times, met so many wonderful people, sung alongside millions of you and shared memories that we will carry with us forever.”
‘Barbie Girl’ and its satire of American artificial life have become one of the most enduring pop anthems of recent decades. Although the song was re-released in 2023 with a remix with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, the original song continues to accumulate the majority of views on platforms. In addition, it was the subject of a famous lawsuit by Mattel that ultimately came to nothing.
But ‘Barbie Girl’ was not the only standout single from her repertoire, which also included hits like ‘Doctor Jones’ or ‘Turn Back Time’, more underrated songs like ‘Roses Are Red’ and others equally recommended like ‘Freaky Friday’, ‘Cartoon Heroes’ or ‘Around the World’, already contained on her second album, ‘Aquarium’ (2000). That was only the second album of their career, which would add a third album eleven years later, ‘Megalomania’, while its members would focus on developing solo projects.
