To celebrate a quarter century of “Barbie Girl,” we spoke with Aqua about the formation of the group, the song's iconic music video, its global explosion, the lawsuit from Mattel that followed, and their life in the aftermath.
Girl.” And even if you’ve never heard of the Danish-Norwegian Europop group Aqua, you’ve definitely heard their song that proudly declares, “Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.” “Barbie Girl” was inescapable when it arrived 25 years ago, and it’s never truly gone away. This past February, the video racked up its billionth view on YouTube, landing it an elite club alongside Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain.
To celebrate a quarter century of “Barbie Girl,” we spoke with Aqua members René Dif, Lene Nystrøm, and Søren Rasted about the formation of the group, the creation of “Barbie Girl,” the iconic music video, the song’s global explosion, the lawsuit from Mattel that followed, and their life in the aftermath. We also interviewed “Barbie Girl” video director Peder Pedersen; actor Mads Tagel, who played Ken in the video; and attorney Russell J.
Along the way, we listened to “Barbie Girl” more times than we can count. And we must say that our 2011 readers were incorrect. The song is a pop masterpiece and we hope people are still celebrating it when its 100th anniversary comes around in 2097.The roots of Aqua go back to a meeting between Danish musicians Søren Rasted and Claus Norreen in the late Eighties.Claus and I were about 18 when we met. I was into Simple Minds, David Bowie, and U2.
He got a job as a DJ on a boat that went back and forth between Norway and Denmark. One day, he noticed the young hostess of aIt was a totally silent role [like Vanna White]. When I look at the show now, it was totally corny. But the last program I did, I was allowed to sing a cappella. I loved that since I grew up on classic rock like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Michael Jackson has always been my favorite, but when it comes to female singers, I have to go with Annie Lennox.
It became clear that the unique combination of Nystrøm’s sugary vocals and Dif’s gravelly raps was a compelling sound that nobody had ever quite heard before.People really opened their eyes and went, “What is this? It’s super catchy, but what is this? How can she sing like that? How can he growl like that? Is it rap? Is it singing?” It became our signature sound.We had huge dreams and we were working on music night and day. We didn’t see friends or family, but we became the best of friends.
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