When they expanded into a quartet with in their 1997 debut album Aquarium, followed by Aquarius in 2000 and Megalomania in 2011, the band sold a staggering 33 million albums, making them the top Scandanavian export since LEGO and ABBA.
Their follow-up single in February 1997 followed the same style. Titled "My Oh My", it was about the band cosplaying as pirates. Yes, really. No one knows why, but somehow, this single broke all Danish sales records by being certified gold within six days, later making Aqua a household name...in Denmark.Shocked how people actually liked their music, in 1997, Aqua released their debut album, Aquarium. Universal Music Group had by now begun to market the group in other countries, realizing that they better milk the band prior to its popularity dying off.Made to satirize Barbie, it caused the band to be sued many, many times by Mattel, who only wanted Barbies to be worshipped and didn't like her being called a "blonde bimbo" when the singer was a bloody brunette. Surprisingly, the case was dismissed and Aqua got free publicity, making it one of the only times that money couldn't override fair use.After Y2K, in early 2000, Aqua released their second album Aquarius, which was a desperate attempt to be relevant. Surprisingly, it worked...outside of the United States, of course. As "Barbie Girl" had caused them to be hated and Y2K erased any mention of them, the band was not able to have any success there.
