Whatever happened to... Ace Of Base?

Hailing from Sweden and trailing a distinctive brand of reggae-tinged Europop, Ace Of Base burst onto the music scene in 1993 with their debut album Happy Nation. Since then they've sold a staggering 30 million records worldwide, notched up 12 UK top 40 singles and are still touring to this day. However, they've been curiously absent from British shores in recent years, so we called group member Ulf Ekberg for a much-needed catch up.

Did you ever imagine that your debut single, 'All That She Wants', would become such a massive success?
"We really believed in that song and our others, but in the beginning our world was Scandinavia. In our minds having a top ten in just a couple of countries would have been a "big hit", so when it became a worldwide number one the feeling was unbelievable and amazing."

Did you enjoy being thrust into the limelight?
"I loved being able to write music and produce songs and then get that adrenaline rush when we performed in front of thousands of people. But it was not like that for all of us. Malin (Berggren, singer) never really liked the fame side at all and hated being in the spotlight, which is eventually why she decided to leave."

What's your favourite Ace Of Base song?
"Of course 'The Sign' and 'All That She Wants' have a lot of meaning because they started off our success, but the song that's most popular when we perform live is 'Beautiful Life'. There is a real energy to it and the crowd go bananas every single time. It really is such a powerful feeling seeing that reaction."

What are Ace Of Base doing now?
"We've been on tour for the past year-and-a-half, mainly focusing on Northern Europe, Asia and Central America. We've also just completed a new album. Performing in Britain and the US is definitely on the agenda too, but we feel we need to have our record out before we come to those countries and do a good show."

When do you think it will be released?
"We're just deciding now whether to add a fourth member to the group again or to bring it out under a new name. At the moment we think it would be stronger with two female singers, so it's a little technical problem to solve!"

How would you describe the overall sound of it?
"We've found the magic we had when we made our first album nearly 20 years ago. Everything really clicked and it was unbelievable fun to record it. The sound is pure pop with some midtempo and some fast stuff. We've matured as songwriters but the innocent Swedish touch is still there. I think this is the best album we've ever written."

Press 'play' below to watch the 'Beautiful Life' video:



What was your favourite Ace of Base song? Are you excited about the release of a new album? Use the space below to leave your comments