Aqua Announces They Are Ending as a Live Band After 30 Years

Aqua are breaking up. The Danish-Norwegian Eurodance band best known for the 1997 hit "Barbie Girl" announced on Monday (5/18) 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.

via: People

The Danish Eurodance group responsible for the 1997 hit "Barbie Girl" announced they were breaking up in a statement shared to Instagram on Monday, May 18.

"After many incredible years, we have decided to close the chapter of AQUA as a live band," the group 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."

They added, "We've traveled the world countless times, met so many wonderful people, sung together with millions of you, and shared memories that we will carry with us forever."

"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 group continued. "From the bottom of our hearts: thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey over the past 30 years. Thank you for the love, the energy, the support, and for all the moments we've shared together."

Aqua then signed off with "nothing but love and gratitude from here on" from all three members: Søren, Lene and René.

The group burst onto the scene in 1997 with their debut album, Aquarium, which featured "Barbie Girl," and its lyrics like, "I'm a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world."

In 2000, Barbie's parent company, Mattel, sued Aqua's then-label, MCA Records, and claimed the song violated Barbie's trademark and sexualized the kids toy with its cheeky lyrics. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2002 after a court ruled it was protected as a work of parody under the First Amendment (and Mattel later used the song in a promotional video for Barbie dolls).

The group made a resurgence in 2023, after their signature hit was reworked by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice for the Barbie film, which earned the band a new wave of stateside success in the form of a Top 10 hit, two Grammy nominations, a U.S. tour and a spot in the lineup of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024.

Speaking to PEOPLE that same year, keyboardist Søren Rasted said of the group's renewed success: "It's been out-of-this-world fantastic."

Prior to 2023, Aqua hadn't toured the U.S. since "Barbie Girl."