Aqua breaks up nearly 30 years after ‘Barbie Girl’ owned the charts

Aqua has announced they’re breaking up almost 30 years after they released their iconic hit, “Barbie Girl.”

The Danish group announced the news on Instagram Monday.

“After many incredible years, we have decided to close the chapter of AQUA as a live band,” they wrote. “AQUA has been such a huge part of our lives, and together we’ve had the chance to experience more than we ever dared to dream of.”

The message continued, “When you’ve been together for this long, you also learn when it’s time to protect what you’ve created together. For us, this feels like the right moment to say goodbye, while the memories are still strong, and while the love for the music, the story, and each other remains intact.”

The band concluded the message by thanking their fans and signing off with “nothing but love and gratitude.”

The original four members of Aqua included Søren Rasted, Lene Nystrøm, René Dif and Claus Norreen. Norreen left the band in 2016.

The band is known for their 1997 single, “Barbie World,” off their album “Aquarium.”

They released two more albums after “Aquarium” — 2000’s “Aquarius” and 2011’s “Megalomania.”

In 2000, Mattel — the parent company of Barbie — sued the band’s record label, MCA Records, claiming the song damaged the reputation of the Barbie brand. Some of the lyrics include “I’m a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world / Dress me up, make it tight, I’m your dolly.”

However, the lawsuit was dismissed in 2002.

Aqua enjoyed a resurgence in 2023 thanks to the movie “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken. The song was sampled by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice for the rappers’ own song for the movie, titled “Barbie World.”

This is not the first time Aqua has broken up. They split in 2001, but got back together in 2007.