AQUA – The Musical is being announced for worldwide musical stages
AQUA – The musical set for world-wide stages, building on their story and hits to premiere in 2028
Copenhagen
Denmark
9.October 2025
Source: AHA Creations
Free access, Free copyright on all platforms
STORY
The world-famous pop group AQUA has announced that their music and personal story will be transformed into a full-scale stage production world-wide: AQUA – The Musical.
Hits such as “Barbie Girl,” “Cartoon Heroes,” and “Around the World” will be woven together with the band’s own story — a journey of fame, love, breakups, and friendship — to form the heart of the show.
The world premiere is planned for The Royal Opera House in Copenhagen in 2028, with the creative team already setting their sights on some of the world’s biggest musical stages — from Broadway to the West End, and from Hamburg to Toronto.
Interest in AQUA – The Musical has already crossed Danish borders, with international producers and investors showing strong enthusiasm for the project.
The band is being interviewed, sharing memories, and actively participating in the creative process.
Søren Rasted AQUA says:
“Every band has an official story, of course — but I think ours is a little different, because of the way we met. We’ve been married.”
The story of Aqua
AQUA began in Denmark in 1994, formed by present members René Dif, a rapper with raw energy; Søren Rasted, a quiet producer with a gift for melody and electronic detail; and Lene Nystrøm, a Norwegian singer with a powerful voice.
Their breakthrough came in 1997 with the technicolor explosion of “Barbie Girl,” which reached #1 in more than 30 countries and sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
Lene Nystrom, AQUA that is the lead singer says:
“It’s more than music. It’s relationships. It’s hard work. We have a very special story”.
Behind the cartoonish surface, AQUA’s production quality and visual style made them global icons of late-’90s pop culture.
After their second album, Aquarius (2000), featuring hits like “Cartoon Heroes” and “Around the World,” the group disbanded in 2001. But the world kept humming “I’m a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world” while the members raised families and wrote songs for others.
They reunited in 2007, releasing the album Megalomania in 2011, and have since performed at major festivals and tours across the globe.
In 2023, “Barbie Girl” resurfaced globally through the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling getting a New Generation of Fans. A sample version — “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice — reached the top ten in several countries, including the US and UK, earning two Grammy nominations.
Meanwhile, the original track gained over 47 million Spotify streams in six months — today surpassing 600 million streams — introducing AQUA to a new generation.
AQUA just returns from a sold-out concert tour in Canada
Canadian expert Michael Rubinoff, known for multiple Tony-nominated Broadway and West End productions, says:
“Its specificity of where the story is and you know, where the group, broke first, I think that authenticity helps make it more universal.”
Danish Musical Theatre has been rising rapidly getting international attention in the last 25 years, with its own academy and a wave of new talents.
Creative Director Martin Palme Skriver thinks, that “Denmark has, a unique way of telling stories, You can say we have it in movie. And now we also hopefully have it in musical theater”.
The AQUA members themselves express, that they think it will be colorful, illustrates the 90s – an technical mind blowing and fit perfect, for a musical scene.
AQUA has very loyal Fans.
Over the years, AQUA’s fans have included teenagers, club kids, the LGBTQ+ community, and lovers of ’90s pop — but “Barbie Girl” also made very young listeners fall in love with their sound.
Lene Nystrøm says:
“It’s not always cool to say you listen to Aqua — but our fans are so loyal. At our concerts, they dress up, they have fun. They remind us why we do this.”
One fan, Dorthe Bøttger, even had a tattoo made with the lyrics “Give me strength to face this test of mine” from “Turn Back Time”, dedicated to her late father, that passed away, when she was 7.
She believes the new musical will finally give AQUA the recognition they deserve.
René Dif, AQUA remembers, that there was “a lot of sad songs. And all of a sudden we popped up”.
The musical will build on the success of Fredericia Musical Theater, where AHA Creations owner Anders Østergaard served as chairman of the board and with directors Thomas Agerholm and scenographer Benjamin La Cour have created several acclaimed Danish productions.
Martin Palme Skriver, Creative Director of AHA Creations, says he is honored that AQUA has entrusted his team with their story:
“We’re proud to have been chosen to bring AQUA – The Musical to life.”
AHA Creations holds the worldwide rights for the next 25 years to produce
AQUA – The Musical.
END
The world-famous pop group AQUA has announced that their music and personal story will be transformed into a full-scale stage production world-wide: AQUA – The Musical.
Hits such as “Barbie Girl,” “Cartoon Heroes,” and “Around the World” will be woven together with the band’s own story — a journey of fame, love, breakups, and friendship — to form the heart of the show.
The world premiere is planned for The Royal Opera House in Copenhagen in 2028, with the creative team already setting their sights on some of the world’s biggest musical stages — from Broadway to the West End, and from Hamburg to Toronto.
Interest in AQUA – The Musical has already crossed Danish borders, with international producers and investors showing strong enthusiasm for the project.
The band is being interviewed, sharing memories, and actively participating in the creative process.
Søren Rasted AQUA says:
“Every band has an official story, of course — but I think ours is a little different, because of the way we met. We’ve been married.”
The story of Aqua
AQUA began in Denmark in 1994, formed by present members René Dif, a rapper with raw energy; Søren Rasted, a quiet producer with a gift for melody and electronic detail; and Lene Nystrøm, a Norwegian singer with a powerful voice.
Their breakthrough came in 1997 with the technicolor explosion of “Barbie Girl,” which reached #1 in more than 30 countries and sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
Lene Nystrom, AQUA that is the lead singer says:
“It’s more than music. It’s relationships. It’s hard work. We have a very special story”.
Behind the cartoonish surface, AQUA’s production quality and visual style made them global icons of late-’90s pop culture.
After their second album, Aquarius (2000), featuring hits like “Cartoon Heroes” and “Around the World,” the group disbanded in 2001. But the world kept humming “I’m a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world” while the members raised families and wrote songs for others.
They reunited in 2007, releasing the album Megalomania in 2011, and have since performed at major festivals and tours across the globe.
In 2023, “Barbie Girl” resurfaced globally through the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling getting a New Generation of Fans. A sample version — “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice — reached the top ten in several countries, including the US and UK, earning two Grammy nominations.
Meanwhile, the original track gained over 47 million Spotify streams in six months — today surpassing 600 million streams — introducing AQUA to a new generation.
AQUA just returns from a sold-out concert tour in Canada
Canadian expert Michael Rubinoff, known for multiple Tony-nominated Broadway and West End productions, says:
“Its specificity of where the story is and you know, where the group, broke first, I think that authenticity helps make it more universal.”
Danish Musical Theatre has been rising rapidly getting international attention in the last 25 years, with its own academy and a wave of new talents.
Creative Director Martin Palme Skriver thinks, that “Denmark has, a unique way of telling stories, You can say we have it in movie. And now we also hopefully have it in musical theater”.
The AQUA members themselves express, that they think it will be colorful, illustrates the 90s – an technical mind blowing and fit perfect, for a musical scene.
AQUA has very loyal Fans.
Over the years, AQUA’s fans have included teenagers, club kids, the LGBTQ+ community, and lovers of ’90s pop — but “Barbie Girl” also made very young listeners fall in love with their sound.
Lene Nystrøm says:
“It’s not always cool to say you listen to Aqua — but our fans are so loyal. At our concerts, they dress up, they have fun. They remind us why we do this.”
One fan, Dorthe Bøttger, even had a tattoo made with the lyrics “Give me strength to face this test of mine” from “Turn Back Time”, dedicated to her late father, that passed away, when she was 7.
She believes the new musical will finally give AQUA the recognition they deserve.
René Dif, AQUA remembers, that there was “a lot of sad songs. And all of a sudden we popped up”.
The musical will build on the success of Fredericia Musical Theater, where AHA Creations owner Anders Østergaard served as chairman of the board and with directors Thomas Agerholm and scenographer Benjamin La Cour have created several acclaimed Danish productions.
Martin Palme Skriver, Creative Director of AHA Creations, says he is honored that AQUA has entrusted his team with their story:
“We’re proud to have been chosen to bring AQUA – The Musical to life.”
AHA Creations holds the worldwide rights for the next 25 years to produce
AQUA – The Musical.
END
SHOTLIST
- AQUA CONCERT CLIPS FROM TOUR
- CU “Manus” (SCRIPT) for AQUA MUSICAL
- SOUNDBITE Søren Rasted, AQUA (DK):
“I mean, every band has this official story, of course, but I think ours is probably a little bit different because the way we met, we’ve been married. We’ve been together. We’ve all three been together. You know, it’s a weird thing, we have. Yeah, it’s just, a special story in the way we’ve kept our success is special. - MUSIC VIDEO Barbie Girl
- SOUNDBITE Lene Nystrom, AQUA (Norway):
“Aqua is all about the love and the music and sticking together, even though it’s hard times. It’s more than music. It’s relationships. It’s hard work. We have a very special story. Yeah, yeah, yeah, special story for sure. And, I think this is one of the reasons why, we said yes”. - AQUA MUSIC VIDEO “I am a Barbie girl”.
- SOUNDBITE Michael Rubinoff, International Musical Expert (Filmed today 7. October 2025)
“I find sometimes the more specific you are. So if you’re telling a Danish story, in its specificity of where the story is and you know, where the group, broke first, I think that authenticity helps make it more universal.” - MOODBOARD
- SOUNDBITE Martin Palme Skriver, Creative Producer, AHA Creations
“I think we in Denmark has, a unique way of telling stories. A Scandinavian feel to it. You can say we have it in movies. We have it in architecture. We have it in food. And now we also hopefully have it in musical theater.” - SOUNDBITE Søren Rasted, AQUA(DK) cont.:
You can imagine it’s going to be very colorful and, and, and hopefully it’s going to be, you know, something that illustrates, the 90s as well as, you know, the pop music that we, that we make. And I think it’s going to fit perfect, for a musical scene - SOUNDBITE Rene Dif, Aqua:
“They said, that the techniques and things that you can do, and the magic you can do, is, has developed so much that is going to be mind blowing”. - AQUA CONCERT CLIPS FROM TOUR
- SOUNDBITE Lene Nystrom, AQUA cont:
“It’s not always popular to say, you listen to Aqua. Let me remind you about that. But our fans are so loyal and to our concerts they dress up, they have fun. (They don’t give a shit what people say. And that’s us, you know, so it’s like a mirror of all of us in a sense). - VOX-POPS Dorthe Bøttger, AQUA fan.
“The fans will love it. I think it’s a great opportunity to see them in a musical. And also, getting to know them on a different level. “ - SOUNDBITE Søren Rasted, AQUA cont.:
“It’s, for a lot of people, it’s been, soundtrack, other, you know, I’ve been their soundtrack, for their youth and life” - FAN DORTHE BØTTGER SHOWS HER TATTOO WITH A AQUA TEXT ON.
“Give me strength – to face this test of mine” – FROM Turn back Time, 1998, AQUA - SOUNDBITE Dorthe Bøttger, AQUA fan cont.:
“I was seven years old when I became a fan of. And turn back time means a lot to me because I lost my dad when I was seven. So. So when I got old enough, I had the line tattooed because it means a lot to me.” - SOUNDBITE René Dif, AQUA cont.:
“Yeah. I mean, way back it was old, dark, and it was, very a lot of sad songs. And all of a sudden we popped up - AQUA CONCERT CLIPS FROM TOUR
- AQUA looks at ideas for the upcoming production.
- SOUNDBITE Martin Palme Skriver, Creative Director.
“Aqua is the biggest cultural pop brand and band we have here in Denmark. And not only that, the unique story and the unique universe, playful universe and music, that’s that’s every producer’s musical theater producer’s dream. It is just spot on. If you ask me, when I was in school, what musical would you make to travel the world? I would say Aqua the Musical instantly. So we’re just honored and so happy that we are now making this a reality and sending it out into the world. “ - Trailer for the new Aqua Musical
- Aqua and the team talks in the Opera
- Full trailer for Aqua the Musical
- Clip from Aqua music video “Cartoon Heroes”
- Clip from Aqua music video “Turn back time”
END