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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Aqua look unrecognisable as they reunite 25 years after Barbie Girl hit the charts


Back in 1997, the airwaves were ruled by Aqua's super catchy number hit single Barbie Girl.

25 years on from the peak of their global success, the Danish-Norwegian pop group have wowed fans with a drastically different new look.

Reuniting for a Top of The Pops special, Lene Nystrøm, René Dif, and keyboardist Søren Rasted all looked miles away from the image they rocked back when they ruled the charts in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"We had a great talk with Ryan Saunders from @ bbc for their "Top Of The Pops 1994-1997" show the other day," the band captioned a trio of snaps shared with their fans on social media earlier this month.

"This took us down memory lane. Woooow! Your first AQUA-moment was?"

Barbie Girl singers Aqua looked drastically different in the trio of snaps taken earlier this month (Instagram/ @aqua.dk)

With no wacky hairstyles or bold outfits anywhere to be seen, the pop act all look much more understated in the pictures shared with their 41,700 followers on Instagram.

Lead vocalist Lene Nystrøm, who was known for her love of bright and colourful hairstyles, can be seen in the snaps sporting long, chic jet black tresses - a stark contrast to her wilder hair experiments from back in the day.

The singer, 48, kept her outfit choice casual for the reunion - rocking a trendy denim ensemble with a simple gold necklace.

Aqua's lead singer seems to have developed a more muted sense of style over the years (Instagram/ @aqua.dk)
Back in Aqua's heyday, Lene would often sport wild and wacky hairstyles (Getty Images)

Søren Rasted has also had a style transformation since the Barbie Girl days of the late 1990s.

The keyboardist has ditched his bright yellow spiky hairstyle in favour of a more traditional style -sporting a slicked back cut and a beard speckled with grey for the trio of snaps.

Far from being a one-hit wonder, Aqua have sold an estimated 33 million albums and singles over the years, making them the most profitable Danish band ever.

The Europop even managed to top the UK Singles Chart three times, with 1997's iconic anthem Barbie Girl and follow-up singles Doctor Jones and Turn Back Time.

Fans looked the reunion snaps posted by the trio earlier this month, and took to the comment section to share their memories of the Barbie Girl era.

"backyard party in 2nd grade. Bunfire, sugar coated soda drinks. A little ghettoblaster with a cd, outdoor candles along the path," one fan recalled on Instagram, to which the band replied: "good old times."

Barbie Girl featured many cheeky double entendres (MCA Records)

Chatting to their fans on Instagram, Aqua revealed the Top of The Pops special will air on BBC2 in late April, and shared plans to visit the U.K in July this year.

The double entendres littered amongst the lyrics the band's most iconic hit back in 1997 actually caused Barbie doll makers Mattel to file a lawsuit against the group.

The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed by a judge in 2002, and the Danish-Norwegian are still free to perform their much-loved anthem to this day.

Aqua are still super proud of their 1997 hit single (Instagram/ @aqua.dk)

After the group disbanded, all members of the group continued to work in the industry and enjoyed successful solo chart success.

Much to fan's delight, in 2007 Aqua announced a reunion tour, alongside the release of a compilation album featuring new material.

In 2019, lead singer Lene revealed the group were working on even more new music.

"We're working on new music but we are our own toughest judges. We will not release anything until it's absolutely perfect," the star told TMZ.

"We are crossing our fingers that something amazing will come out of it."

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