Celebrities | Music | Pop Culture | 90s
Seeing Aqua 20 Years After "Barbie Girl" Will Make You Say "My, Oh My"
If you were to think of the 90s, there are a few bands that would come to mind. Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Aqua. They may not have had quite as many hits as the others, but their songs were truly unique and iconic.
Their hit breakthrough single "Barbie Girl" came out in 1997, almost ten years after the Danish band was originally formed. They finally were able to get worldwide success and grow their fan base to an impressive level.
The band ran into some legal trouble over their mega-hit because the company who made Barbies didn't like the suggestive song. Aqua actually managed to win this case after the judge ruled that there was no issue.
20 years after their first hit song was released the band decided they would reunite. They took part in the "We Love the 90s" music festival that was in both Sweden and Denmark. They had seven concerts where they would perform their old hits that we all used to love.
However, there were some issues that came up on their reunion tour...
The band was all set to reunite for this anniversary show, but one of the members wasn't going to join them.
The four original members of the band included Lene Nystrøm, René Dif, Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen. They had been together since 1989 but even though they have seen some major success, one of the band members was unhappy.
Claus Norreen released a statement explaining that he wouldn't continue on the tour. He said that "the last 20 years with my friends in Aqua has been one long magical journey through time and place. It has been a great privilege to be a follower of a musical adventure that has brought us land and riches and has offered experiences and experiences for several lives."
He said that he felt that "it would be disrespectful to colleagues, audiences and myself if it was just done halfheartedly from my side. That's why I've decided to get off the bus now and say 1000 thanks for the trip after a long time, in full understanding with the rest of the band and everyone around me."
Even though he wasn't a part of the tour, he was still very supportive of his friends saying that he was "infinitely grateful for having been able to see this marvelous world through its music and meet its people."
What do they look like now? Their hair may not be as colorful as it used to be, but they are still very good friends.
The remaining members of the band were able to perform all their hit songs around Europe. Maybe one day they will make the jump across the ocean so we can see them here!