Aqua – Still Partyin’ With Barbie And Lovin’ It

They’re referred to by many as that Barbie Girl band – and Aqua are proud of it.

Nearly 15 years since they released one of the most infamous songs of the 1990s – the band’s male vocalist and rapper Rene Dif said the group don’t cringe at having to recall the song that turned them into global megastars.

“We did something at the time that we were very proud of, and we’ll always be proud of it,” he said.

“I have my kids watching all the old videos we’ve done on YouTube and they think they’re extremely entertaining.

“You’ve always got to be proud of your past and we are very much so.”

And it’s almost certain that Barbie Girl will be blasted out to the joy of thousands of 90’s children when Aqua tours Australia later this month for club shows all across the country.

Showing that nostalgia hasn’t worn off – the reformed Danish popsters have sold out multiple shows in some cities – in what is their first tour outside of Scandanavia for their new album Megalomania.

Dif said the band has been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received from local fans.

“We’ve always had a really good time out there and we couldn’t think of a better place for us to start things off abroad again.”

“Our agent said they wanted five shows in the start and we were over the moon… and all of a sudden it’s now eleven shows!” he said.

“It couldn’t have come off better and it’s a dream scenario for us to go abroad and then have all these shows sold out as well.”

Megalomania represents a dramatic change in Aqua’s sound from their 1990’s heyday – with their bubblegum pop ditched for dirty dance and techno sounds.

The band even drop the F-word several times in tracks such as Like A Robot and Sucker For A Superstar – and Dif says they aren’t concerned about it.

“There’s a million rappers out there who do that too,” he said.

“If you put our current album up against our first or second album, the differences are incredible… it’s a lot more aggressive and a lot more like full-on party dance music.”

Megolomania is an expression of where we are at the moment and what it feels like when we’re together, because when we’re together we feel untouchable.”

Dif said a handful of songs from Megalomania will feature in the band’s setlist – along with old classics and a few surprises.

He’s telling punters to expect a “high energy show from start to finish.”

“I’m not going to give everything away, but obviously we’ll play the biggest hits, maybe a new version of some of the other songs, and of course some tracks off our new album too,” he said.

“There’s a big difference between what we’re like on the record and how we perform live – we more or less perform like a rock band with lots of energy, and we give 100,000%.”

“We’re looking forward to playing the old numbers and the new numbers and hopefully giving everyone who comes to our shows a memorable experience.”

Megalomania is out now through Universal. Limited tickets are still available for Aqua’s shows in Brisbane on March 7, Coolangatta on March 9, Adelaide on March 11, Sydney on March 17, Fremantle on March 20 and Melbourne on March 21. For all the details click here.

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