Aqua, The Group Behind ‘Barbie Girl’, Announces Their Band Breakup
The year is 2026 and Aqua have just announced they are calling it quits after three decades together. I mean, would you want to continue singing Barbie Girl until the day you die?
The Danish-Norwegian Eurodance legends had some absolute bangers back in the day; the aforementioned 1997 classic Barbie Girl and the criminally underrated and often forgotten Dr Jones, as well as somehow landing a gig with a song for the Sliding Doors soundtrack called Turn Back Time.
Members Lene Nystrøm, René Dif and Søren Rasted shared the news on Instagram this week, posting a joint statement in both Danish and English:
They wrote: “After many incredible years, we have decided to close the chapter of AQUA as a live band. When you’ve been together for this long, you also learn when it’s time to protect what you’ve created together. For us, this feels like the right moment to say goodbye, while the memories are still strong, and while the love for the music, the story, and each other remains intact. From the bottom of our hearts: thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey over the past 30 years.”
The band formed in Copenhagen in 1995, originally comprised of four members — Nystrøm, Dif, Rasted and Claus Norreen. They became international mega stars just two years later with Barbie Girl – the third single from their 1997 debut album Aquarium.
The song was so huge that Mattel sued them in 2000, claiming the song damaged the brand’s reputation. However, that didn’t really go anywhere, and they ended up working together instead.
They’re the best-selling Danish band of all time, with over 33 million albums and singles worldwide! In fact they were even back in the UK Top 40 recently, for the first time in 25 years, after Nicki Minaj sampled Barbie Girl in 2023.
Absolute legends of the game. Just a shame everybody thought they retired 20 years ago! Who knows, though? Could be an Aqua reunion tour on the cards before you know it.
For a look at what Akon has been up to recently, click HERE.
