Aqua Форум

"Мания Величия" - третий студийный альбом группы Aqua и первый после воссоединения группы. Официально поступил в продажу 3 октября 2011, однако в датских магазинах появился 30 сентября.

01. Aqua – Playmate To Jesus (04:48)
02. Aqua – Dirty LIttle Pop Song (03:51)
03. Aqua – Kill Myself (03:31)
04. Aqua – Like A Robot (03:39)
05. Aqua – Viva Las Vegas (03:24)
06. Aqua – No Party Patrol (03:22)
07. Aqua – Come N’ Get It (03:27)
08. Aqua – Sucker For A Superstar (03:20)
09. Aqua – Be My Saviour Tonight (03:18)
10. Aqua – How R U Doin? (03:23)
11. Aqua – If The World Didn’t Suck (We Would All Fall Off) (03:21)

For many of us, Aqua defined the 90s. The band
not only sold 30million albums but also created
Barbie Girl, the iconic and most successful
Scandinavian single ever. Reuniting in 2008,
Aqua is now ready to releaseMegalomania, their
first album in ten years.

For many of us, Aqua defined the 90s. The band not only sold 30 million
albums but also created Barbie Girl, the iconic and most successful
Scandinavian single ever. However, after their second album, the four
pop treasures decided to split up; rumours as to what had caused the
bestselling Danish band of all times to dissolve were inevitably rife, but
whatever it was, it was not enough to keep themapart. Reuniting in 2008,
Aqua is now ready to releaseMegalomania, their first album(apart from
a greatest hits collection) in ten years. Scan Magazine had the privilege
of speaking to Lene, Claus, René and Søren.

The laughter bounces off the bare walls in
the large grey room where I and the four
world-famous members of Aqua have
been seated for our interview. It does so
many times during our talk, but this time
the cause is my question regarding the
quarrels that led to the band’s breakup.
“Were there any difficulties in getting back
together?” I ask. “A lot!” they reply almost
simultaneously, and then the liberating
laugh. “There is nothing not complicated
in this band,” explains Søren Rasted, who,
together with Claus Noréen, has written
and produced most of Aqua’s songs. “But
I always think that we reach something
somewhere that I never expected to reach,
and that’s the essence of why we are good
together; we are all very passionate about
our own things.” His wife, Aqua’s Norwegian
singer, Lene Nystrømagrees: “Music
put us together and I don’t necessarily
think that we would be friends if we did
not have the music in common, but together
the four of us can do something
that nobody else can.” “But we are also
more tolerant compared to the old days
when we could snap in five seconds,” adds
her co-lead singer René Dif. “Now...,” he
hesitates, and Rasted quickly completes
his sentence: “Now we still snap!” After
the ensuing laughter, Dif gets a chance to
finish: “Yes, now we snap within half a
second! But we also respect each other
more. We were a lot younger, and things
were happening a lot faster at that time,
so obviously we developed some kind of
big-headed superstar syndrome.”

Pop legends
If the four musicians did develop some
kind of superstar syndrome, it is hardly
surprising.When Aqua released their first
two singles Roses Are Red andMy Oh My
in 1996/1997, they broke various Danish
records, went straight to the top of the
Danish charts and stayed there for
months; Aqua mania began to engulf
Denmark - and the band. But it was the
third single, Barbie Girl, that took the
Aqua phenomenon abroad. Within no
time, people in Japan, Australia, Europe
and the US were all singing along and
mimicking Nystrøm’s doll-face expressions.
“It’s surreal to write something that
goes around the globe on that scale,” says
Norréen. In 2000, the band’s second albumAquarius
was released, but although
it produced several hits, it was not long
before Aqua announced their split because
“the sparkle had left.”
Seven years later at a BBQ party, the band
sensed that the sparkle had returned and
decided to reunite for a tour of Denmark.
“We just have this very special energy together,
and we missed each other as a
band. It was not a calculated decision; it
was just pure love for each other I guess,”
explains Nystrøm.
The tour was a success with both old and
new fans, and the recognition led Aqua to
release a greatest hits album containing
three new songs, including Back to the
80s, which became the most played song
in Denmark ever.
Megalomania
When I arrive for my interview at a studio
in Copenhagen, the band is in themidst of
shooting the cover pictures for their new
album Megalomania. The first person I
spot is Noréen - probably because of his
conspicuous black feathery angel wings
and shiny orange tights. Meanwhile, Nystrømis
the first to greetme; in a pair of incredible
high heels, net stockings, a short
green military jacket and a Mohican hairstyle,
she looks every inch the sexy superstar.
Although they are slightly behind schedule,
the atmosphere is very relaxed; as
with the album, deadlines are not allowed
to affect the process. Megalomania was
first expected in June, then August and
now finally the release is set for October.
“During the work process, we realised
that although we could have finished in
June, we were in no rush; we wanted to
wait until we had a good feeling about the
album,” explains Rasted.
As with the previous albums,Megalomania
will be amix of tongue-in-cheek songs
like Barbie Girl and more serious songs
like the recent My Mamma Said. Still, we
should not expect the Aqua sound from
the 90s to re-emerge unaltered. “We have
developed our style, and we are probably
a bit more aware of what we are today,”
stresses Noréen - now without his wings.
“We always had a lot of attitude, and on
this album, we put in even more: more
slam sounds, the energy from rock and a
bit more guitar. But it’s not like we turned
into a rock band all of a sudden.”
“No,” Rasted continues. “It’s important to
us that we have a very distinct sound;
that’s why we spent a year in the studio.
We are in no hurry; we just want to find
that sound and the good stories.”
Taking back the Scandinavian pop crown
Althoughmuch has happened since Aqua
left the Scandinavian pop scene, loads of
enthusiastic Facebook and YouTube responses
from fans prove that their reign has not ended. But competition is fierce.
“Swedish and Norwegian songwriters and
producers are some of the best in the
world; there has always been a tradition
for writing good pop songs in Scandinavia,”
concedes Rasted.
So, how would Aqua’s top five list of Scandinavian
bands look like? “Well, they all
start with ‘A’, don’t they?” says Noréen.
“So, Abba, Aqua, Ace of Base, Alfabeat and
A-ha.” “But we would be at the top!”
laughs Dif. “No we can’t rate ourselves;
that’s unfair,” Nystrøm interjects. Having
tried for a while to agree on a list, Dif
shakes his head. “No, we would never be
able to agree on this,” they all laugh. In reality,
their place on the list willmost likely
be decided by what they have agreed on -
the 11 tracks on their third studio album
Megalomania. The album is awaited with
mixed expectations;many are eager to see
if the Barbie Girl can keep the party going
in a new decade. What about the band’s
own expectations? Nystrøm smiles confidently:
“They are huge; they always are!”