Aqua are breaking up. The Danish Eurodance band best known for the 1997 hit "Barbie Girl" announced today that they're calling it quits. Their last performance was in November of last year at the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival in India, and their final album was 2011's Megalomania.
"After many fantastic years we have decided to close the chapter with AQUA as a live band," their statement began, continuing:
AQUA has been a huge part of our lives and together we have been able to experience more than we ever dared to dream of.
We have travelled the world many times, met countless wonderful people, sung with millions of you and shared memories that we will carry with us forever.
When you've been together for so long, you also know when it's time to take care of what you created together. For us, it feels right to stop here while the memories are strong and while the love for the music, history and for each other is still intact.
From the bottom of our hearts: thank you to all of you who have been part of the journey over the last 30 years. Thank you for the love, energy, support and all the moments we shared together.
We're only sending love and gratitude from here.
Aqua formed in 1995 in Copenhagen and took off with "Barbie Girl," the third single from their debut album Aquarium. In 2000, Mattel launched a lawsuit against the band claiming they damaged the reputation of the Barbie brand with the salacious suggestions in their lyrics. The judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying, "The parties are advised to chill."
Aquarius, their sophomore effort, arrived in 2000, and the group broke up the following year. They reunited in 2007 and shared a greatest hits album in 2009, followed by Megalomania a couple years later. They ended up splitting again, then reunited again. Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice sampled "Barbie Girl" on their song "Barbie World" for the soundtrack of the 2023 Greta Gerwig blockbuster Barbie, causing "Barbie Girl" to return to the UK Top 40 for the first time in 25 years.
