Aqua's Aquarium

(Paperback)

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Im a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world, the ubiquitous refrain that dominated the airwaves in summer 1997. Aquas single from their debut album Aquarium spread like wildfire, topping charts across the globe. With their erotically-charged lyrics and dance beats, Aqua achieved global renown in the late 1990s resulting in a multi-platinum album and series of infectious hits. Their success put a spotlight on Danish Europop and influenced an array of aspiring acts. In contrast, in the U.S. they are an infamous one hit wonder, remembered for their highly publicized lawsuit with Mattel. Despite their meteoric rise to stardom, Aquas fame quickly waned and they have not managed to replicate the success of their debut. This book unwraps a bubblegum pop, Euro-trash classic to offer the first in-depth examination of what lies beneath Aquas sticky-sweet veneer. The author weaves their own autobiographical experiences with the album together with critical musical and visual analysis, unveiling Aquas potential role in the development of millennial queer identities. Peeling back the layers of Aquarium reveals a confection rife with unexpected contradictions and possibilities; implicit expressions of non-normative gender and sexuality, fetishism, and adolescent lust give way to videos permeated by racial exoticism and masculinist heteronormativity.

Author Bio

C.C. McKee is Assistant Professor of Modern Art in the Department of History of Art at Bryn Mawr College, USA. McKee has curated exhibitions at the Block Museum, Iceberg Projects (Chicago, IL), and the Ghetto Biennale (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) and published various pieces of art criticism and articles in Art Forum, Art Journal, and CASVA Seminar Papers. McKees research and curatorial projects have been supported by a number of grants including the American-Scandinavian Foundation Research Grant and the College Art Association Professional Development Fellowship.