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ACE OF BASE BIOGRAPHY


 
Ace of Base

Ace of Base is a Swedish dance/pop band that consists of Jonas Berggren (Joker), Ulf Ekberg (Buddha), Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren; the three Berggrens are siblings. They are often compared to fellow Scandinavian acts ABBA and Aqua, although their music is quite different.

In 1987, Jonas Berggren, together with his two friends Johnny Lindén and Nicklas Tränk, formed a house/techno group. Jonas' sisters, Jenny and Malin, joined as singers. Their band went through several names; 'Kalinin Prospect' (a street in Moscow), 'CAD' (Computer Aided Disco), and 'Tech-Noir' (French for "black technology'; named for a nightclub in The Terminator). In 1990, Johnny & Nicklas left the group, and Ulf Ekberg joined and they changed their name to Ace of Base. Jenny explained once that the reason was "no one could pronounce the name of the group and nobody could remember it.
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In 1990 they signed with Mega Records and released Wheel Of Fortune. After several attempts, the song was eventually a Scandinavian hit and the band signed a pan-European distribution deal with Metronome. All That She Wants, produced by the legendary Denniz Pop then became a hit single all over the world.

The months that followed saw the band propel themselves to worldwide fame. More hits followed such as The Sign, which went on to spend six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy.

The band's image was tarnished by revelations that Ulf used to be a member of a neo-Nazi group in Sweden. He has long relinquished and rejected these ties.

In 1995, their second album The Bridge sold a respectable six million copies but it seemed clear that with music tastes rapidly changing, the hype about the band died down, much to the relief of blonde singer Linn who decided to hand over power to her sister Jenny for their third album Flowers which was released in 1998. This decision made Ace of Base mostly a trio during the promotion of the later albums, and the fans grew concerned.

Their U.S. comeback with Cruel Summer proved short-lived, but in Europe, Life Is A Flower was one of the most played records on radio that year. A greatest hits compilation was released at the end of the 90s before the band started work on their next album.

Ace of Base has released dozens of singles worldwide. In the United States, they have had seven Billboard Top 40 hits and two platinum albums.

The band remain together today but have chosen to step out of the limelight. Da Capo was released in 2002 and whilst well received by fans, the album only briefly made the charts in a handful of European countries.

In October and November 2005, the band performed several concerts at the "Night of the Proms" (2005) show in Belgium, their first orchestated work. Jenny, Jonas, and Ulf performed four of their biggest hits to the audience:

All That She Wants
The Sign
Beautiful Life
Life Is A Flower
At the moment, they are recording a new studio album rumoured to be released sometime in 2006. They state on their official website: "we are now back in the studio again, with more inspiration then ever".


Achievements

Throughout their relatively short time recording and performing together, Ace of Base set a number of world records and other achievements. The following is a partial list.

Ace of Base released the world's highest selling debut album of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, 1997 edition. Their 1993 release The Sign/Happy Nation sold an estimated 23 million copies.

Four of the group's singles have received gold or platinum certification by the RIAA in the United States. These are:

All That She Wants
Gold RIAA certification (over 500,000 units sold) awarded October 26, 1993.
Platinum RIAA certification (over 1,000,000 copies sold) awarded November 12, 1993.
The Sign
Gold RIAA certification awarded February 23, 1994.
Platinum RIAA certification, awarded April 6, 1994.
Don't Turn Around
Gold RIAA certification, awarded June 29, 1994.
Cruel Summer
Gold RIAA certification, awarded September 1, 1998.
Two of the band's albums received multi-platinum certication in the United States:

The Sign (10 RIAA platinum certifications = diamond) awarded May 21, 2002
The Bridge (2 RIAA platinum certifications) awarded May 21, 2002
In addition, "The Sign Home Video Collection" was also certified gold. The band also received three Grammy nominations, two American Music Awards, and two Billboard Music Awards for "Best-Selling Album" and "Best-Selling Single".

In Europe, Ace of Base won awards for Best Selling Scandinavian Artist at the 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 World Music Awards in Monaco. They performed at each of these events.

In 1998, the band's single "Life is a Flower" was the most heavily played radio single of the year worldwide, despite the fact it was never released in the US.

In 2002, The Sign was certified diamond by the RIAA. Although Arista Records in the United States no longer releases new Ace of Base albums, both The Sign and The Bridge albums continue to be hot properties for the Arista/BMG label.
 
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