At the beginning of “Barbie Girl“ Lene Nyström does not just sing a pop song, but enters a role. With a playful voice, exaggerated intonation and an image that is deliberately reminiscent of the plastic world of the popular doll, she turns her performance into one of the most recognizable moments of the 90s.
Nyström was born on October 2, 1973 in Tønsberg, Norway. Today she turns 53. Her international fame came with the Danish-Norwegian group Aqua, in which she created a bizarre mix of Eurodance, pop and humor together with René Diff, Søren Rasted and Klaus Noreen.
The song that made Aqua a global group
In 1997, Aqua released their debut album “Aquarium“, and its third single “Barbie Girl“ changed the scale of their success. The song reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the UK singles chart for four weeks. According to Billboard, Aqua's music sales exceed 33 million albums and singles worldwide.
Nyström is not only the voice of the female character in the song, but also among its authors. In tandem with Diff, she builds the vocal dialogue between Barbie and Ken, which turns "Barbie Girl" into both a hit and a parody of consumer culture.
Success is not limited to one song. Aqua also recorded "Doctor Jones", "Turn Back Time", "My Oh My", "Good Morning Sunshine" and "Cartoon Heroes". In an interview with the "Guardian", Nyström said that during a concert in New York she was surprised when the audience sang along with the group to the lesser-known song "Calling You". "What's going on?!" - she recalls her reaction.
From the courtroom to the new generation
“Barbie Girl“ also sparked a lawsuit with Mattel, the manufacturer of the Barbie doll. The company claimed that the song damaged the brand's reputation, but the case ended in Aqua's favor in 2002. The court accepted that the song was protected as a parody.
The hit received a second life in 2023, when “Barbie Girl“ was sampled in “Barbie World“ by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, included in the soundtrack of the film “Barbie“. Thus, Nyström's voice re-enters the global pop conversation, more than a quarter of a century after Aqua's initial success.
The end of Aqua's concert history
Aqua first split up in 2001, but reunited in 2007. The group released the album “Megalomania“ in 2011, and Klaus Noreen left in 2016. Since then, Nyström, Diff and Rasted have continued as a trio.
On May 18, 2026, Aqua announced that it was ending its activities as a concert band. “We have decided to close the chapter of Aqua as a concert band“, the three stated, adding that the time was right while the memories and love for music remained strong. The band's last live performance is in November 2025 in India.
For Lene Nyström, it's been a full circle: from a TV presenter and singer discovered in Norway to the face of a band whose song has survived Eurodance fads, litigation and a generational shift. "Barbie Girl" remains fun, quirky and instantly recognisable - just like the era that made Aqua a global name.
Sources: Billboard, Guardian, Dagbladet