Where Are They Now: Ace of Base

By Sarah Locke

October 2012 Issue

Ah, the 90s - a decade when television series like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place brought us hot sports cars and even hotter scandals on a weekly basis, Bugle Boy Jeans made just about anyone’s butt look good, hair scrunchies were worn as accessories on one’s wrist, and the Lewinsky/Clinton scandal made us all second guess the proper use of cigars. 

Flash back to the music of the 90s - were you really “down with O.P.P.?” Did Kris Kross really make you “jump, jump?”

While the aforementioned examples are proof that hip-hop enjoyed huge success in the 90s, the grunge and pop genres blew up across radio stations everywhere as well. One of the catchiest, most popular pop acts of the 90s was undeniably Ace of Base. At some point, just about everyone on this planet “Saw The Sign.”

The original pop group, based in Gothenburg, Sweden, consisted of Ulf Ekberg and three siblings: Jonas, Malin and Jenny Berggren. Between 1993 and 2002, the quartet released four studio albums. 

The best selling of these, “Happy Nation,” was also one of the top-selling debut albums of all time. The album was certified Platinum nine times here in the U.S. and produced three singles, all of which were likely stuck in your head at some point following their releases. “The Sign,” “All That She Wants,” and “Don’t Turn Around” seemed to be playing on just about every Top 40 station every time you turned the dial.

The group’s single “Beautiful Life,” from sophomore album “The Bridge,” did fairly well, reaching No. 15 on both the U.S. and U.K. charts, although it seemed subsequent releases would never quite achieve the success of the band’s earlier triumphs. 

That assessment proved to be accurate, although Ace of Base went on to complete third and fourth albums, and was later included on various compilation albums. 

After the fourth release, “Da Capo” (2002-2003), was a relative flop, the band went on a hiatus. They were reportedly exhausted and burned out, and clearly no longer at the top of their game. The band members parted ways until 2007, when they played their first full-length concert since 1996 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

From 2007-2009, the band embarked on a world tour as a trio (sans Malin) and wrote songs for a fifth album in their free time. The only problem with these renewed efforts seemed to be that the band simply wasn’t very good, and the material for their projected fifth album wasn’t garnering any attention or interest from record labels. It was during this trying and discouraging time that Jenny announced her departure, choosing to focus her time and energy on her solo career instead. 

Ulf and Jonas quickly filled both her and Malin’s spots with the addition of vocalists Clara Hagman and Julia Williamson. The new lineup re-launched itself and released the album “The Golden Ratio” in September of 2010. However, the first single, “All For You,” only climbed as far as No. 38 on the German Singles chart.  

There is no indication that the band is planning to tour; in fact, the last post on the official Ace of Base website dates back to 2011. One can only assume the group is either busy writing new material, or they finally “Saw The Sign…” the one that reads “always quit while you’re ahead.”