Ace Of Base - Discover the Iconic Hits of the Swedish Pop Group

Ace of Base is a pop band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The members include Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg along with three siblings: Jonas " Joker" Berggren, Malin "Linn" Berggren, and Jenny Berggren. They released four studio albums from 1993 to 2002 and sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

Happy Nation/The Sign is one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, certified platinum nine times in the United States. Three songs from this album reached number one on the Billboard charts: "All That She Wants," "The Sign," and "Don't Turn Around."

In 2007, singer Linn officially left the band. The remaining three members continued to tour in Europe and Asia from 2007 until the end of 2009, before Jenny announced in November 2009 that she would take an indefinite break from the band to focus on her solo career. Jonas and Ulf then recruited two new female singers, Clara Hagman and Julia Williamson. Their first album, The Golden Ratio, was released in September 2010.

After a few years with the band G Konrad, in 1985, Jonas Berggren formed his own band performing at school with two friends, Johnny Lindén and Niklas Tränk; his two sisters, Linn and Jenny, also joined the band as singers. The band went through several name changes: Kalinin Prospect, CAD (Computer-Aided Disco), and Tech-Noir. They performed at various clubs in Sweden with original material and were inspired by the British band The KLF and the German dance music show Snap!.

Johnny left the group in 1989. Niklas also departed after missing a performance at Bältesspännarparken on August 6, 1990, because he was busy attending a Rolling Stones concert. Jonas invited another friend, Ulf Ekberg, to join. The new quartet wanted to find a different name to start fresh. They chose the name Ace of Base because their first studio was located in the basement of a car repair shop, and they were the owners of that studio, hence the name Ace of Base.

However, the band struggled to gain recognition; according to singer Jenny, part of the reason was the local audience's preference for heavy metal and techno music. In 1991, AOB was interviewed in a promotional article by producer John Ballard, who was looking for new talent. John Ballard was unsure about AOB's potential, but he introduced them to Klas Lunding of Telegram Records to help the band record their first demo, "Wheel of Fortune," in a newly renovated studio. However, this demo did not convince Telegram to sign AOB, and other labels in Sweden showed no interest either. Eventually, Ace of Base sold this unfinished demo to Denmark's Mega Records in March 1992 for a low price. "Wheel of Fortune" was re-recorded and released as a single in Denmark in May but did not chart. A low-budget music video was directed and filmed in a small studio by Viking Nielsson, and after two failures, they finally made it onto the charts in September.

Happy Nation and Massive Success (1993–1994)

Happy Nation is the album that made Ace of Base famous worldwide. After hearing the hit song "Another Mother" by Kayo, which was ranking at number 20 in Sweden, the band decided that this was exactly the sound they wanted to create. They contacted the producer of that song, Denniz PoP, and sent him a demo titled "Mr. Ace." Coincidentally, this cassette got stuck in Denniz's car stereo, forcing him to listen to it repeatedly, which led him to decide to produce the song. The song was renamed "All That She Wants," a blend of dub-reggae and pop, which became the signature sound of Ace of Base. "All That She Wants" was released in October 1992 and quickly climbed to number one on the charts in Denmark, while "Wheel of Fortune" held the number two spot. Mega Records then pressured the band to produce an album in time for the upcoming Christmas season, which was recorded hastily and released within weeks.

Before releasing the title single, the album "Happy Nation" immediately achieved significant success in Denmark and Europe. A contract was signed with "Metronome/PolyGram" (which later merged with Universal Music in the U.S.). Within months, "All That She Wants" reached number three on the Swedish charts and held the number one position in Germany for eight consecutive weeks.

In April 1993, Ace of Base performed alongside "Inner Circle" and "Dr. Alban" in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a record audience of 55,000 people.

In May, "All That She Wants" continued to hold high positions worldwide and topped the UK charts for three weeks. However, Mega Records' efforts could not help the band gain fame in the U.S. Nevertheless, with a different approach from Clive Davis, the founder of Arista Records, "All That She Wants" eventually reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Davis insisted on refreshing the U.S. release by re-recording some tracks from the album, and "The Sign" became the new title of the album as well as the name of the second single released in the U.S. It was more successful than the first album, holding the number one position for six weeks and becoming the best-selling single of 1994. In Europe, "The Sign" also reached number two in the UK and Sweden, and number one in Germany. PolyGram re-released the album under the title "Happy Nation (US Version)."

The next two singles released were "Living in Danger" and "Don't Turn Around," written by Diane Warren. The latter had previously been recorded by Tina Turner as a B-side and had reached number one in the UK. Davis requested Ace of Base to re-record this song, which also became a worldwide hit. By the end of 1994, the sales from this single were significant. The version of "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base differed from previous versions because the band played it in a minor key.

The Bridge (1995–1996)

In April 1994, a crazed German fan broke into the Berggren family's home with a knife. Following this incident, AOB decided to hire personal security. However, the band had to dedicate all their time to working on their second album, which remained under wraps. To save time, instead of Jonas and Ulf primarily writing for the album, each member was encouraged to submit their own songs for consideration.

Ultimately, 17 songs were completed after trimming down, and they were published in the second album titled The Bridge. This album marked a significant change, diversifying their music to include experimental sounds and some ballads. The single "Lucky Love," released in October 1995, helped the band achieve their first number one position in Sweden. In February 1996, AOB performed at the Viña del Mar Festival de la Canción in Chile, where they topped the charts alongside 2 Unlimited.

Flowers (1997–1999)

During this period, Ace of Base performed less frequently, making only one appearance in July 1997 at a concert celebrating the 20th birthday of Princess Victoria of Sweden. They focused all their efforts on their third album. Flowers was first released in June 1998, with the band claiming it was their best album because they believed it had a very different style, featuring church-like melodies. Fans were surprised to see Jenny take over lead vocals from Linn, although Linn seemed content with her new role.

In the fall of 1999, the single "C'est la vie" reached the top of the charts in Spain, while "Hello Hello" ranked 21st in Spain and 11th in Finland.

Reappearance and Breakup (2002-2009)

In the fall of 2002, Ace of Base made a comeback after a four-year hiatus with the release of their fourth album, Da Capo, which topped the charts in Asia (#10 in Japan).

In October and November 2005, AOB performed again at the Night of the Proms festival in Germany, but Malin Berggren (Linn) did not participate.

From November 2007, the band toured extensively in Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, and Asia. This was their first tour in many years, but this time Malin Berggren was absent as she had officially left the band on December 3, 2007.

On November 30, 2009, Jenny Berggren announced her departure from the band on Twitter. Ekberg and Berggren later announced that the band would continue with two new singers, Clara Hagman and Julia Williamson.

From 2010: A New Beginning

In July 2010, Berggren and Ekberg announced a new single and album. Shortly after, a new recording of the song "All for You" was posted on the band's Facebook page and website.

On September 10, 2010, the single was released. The album The Golden Ratio was released two weeks later, reaching 20th place on the album charts in Germany and 5th place on Musicload.

Many musicians and singers have been influenced by Ace of Base's music: Lady Gaga has stated that her album The Fame Monster, with songs like "Alejandro," was influenced by the "super pop melodies of the 90s" similar to Ace of Base. The song "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" from the album The Fame also bears similarities.

Katy Perry has also expressed her desire for her album One of the Boys to have a sound similar to "The Sign."