1 00:00:43,625 --> 00:00:46,825 -And the number one new artist is... -And the award goes to... 2 00:00:46,905 --> 00:00:49,305 And the number one single of the year... 3 00:00:49,385 --> 00:00:51,585 Ace of Base! 4 00:00:51,665 --> 00:00:54,865 We'd release in Germany, go to number 1. Holland, number 1. 5 00:00:54,945 --> 00:00:56,305 France, number one. 6 00:00:56,385 --> 00:00:57,705 -Cheers! -Unbelievable! 7 00:00:57,785 --> 00:01:00,305 Ulf Ekberg holds right wing extremist views. 8 00:01:00,385 --> 00:01:02,225 The weirdest stories happened. 9 00:01:02,305 --> 00:01:06,545 A German woman went into my house and attacked me and my family. 10 00:01:06,625 --> 00:01:08,345 This doesn't quite fit together. 11 00:01:08,425 --> 00:01:10,625 My interest for everything was lost there. 12 00:01:10,705 --> 00:01:14,025 The whole thing erupted. None of us were ready for it. 13 00:01:14,105 --> 00:01:17,865 It's like a snowball getting bigger. I have no clue how big it is. 14 00:01:17,945 --> 00:01:19,345 Yes! 15 00:01:39,625 --> 00:01:43,905 Early 1993 Ace of Base returned to the country 16 00:01:43,985 --> 00:01:47,225 where it all began, as celebrated super stars, 17 00:01:47,305 --> 00:01:50,865 something that was reflected at the Danish Grammy Awards. 18 00:01:50,945 --> 00:01:57,025 Good evening and welcome to the Danish Grammy Awards 1993. 19 00:01:57,745 --> 00:02:01,065 But there were more important things happening that evening. 20 00:02:03,145 --> 00:02:06,025 One night, it was the Grammy Awards in Denmark 21 00:02:06,105 --> 00:02:08,625 and there was this big dinner. 22 00:02:08,705 --> 00:02:10,785 There were two seats missing at the table. 23 00:02:10,865 --> 00:02:12,665 which was Ulf and Kjeld. 24 00:02:15,665 --> 00:02:18,065 None of us really knew what had happened. 25 00:02:18,145 --> 00:02:21,505 Ulf had called Kjeld and said, "Can we meet at your house? 26 00:02:21,585 --> 00:02:23,265 I have to cancel the Grammys. 27 00:02:23,345 --> 00:02:25,545 I have something important you need to know 28 00:02:25,625 --> 00:02:28,345 before you read it in the papers tomorrow." 29 00:02:30,625 --> 00:02:33,105 I knew that now it was becoming so big 30 00:02:33,185 --> 00:02:37,625 I had to own this question, I had to tell the people I work with 31 00:02:37,705 --> 00:02:40,065 everybody had to know about my background. 32 00:02:40,145 --> 00:02:44,145 Because it's just a matter of time before it's all over the place. 33 00:02:47,545 --> 00:02:51,305 So I went to Kjeld Wennick, the record boss, 34 00:02:51,385 --> 00:02:54,385 who was Jewish, and told him my background. 35 00:02:54,465 --> 00:02:59,345 And after hearing my story 36 00:02:59,425 --> 00:03:02,665 his first reaction was he started to cry. 37 00:03:08,185 --> 00:03:10,945 It hit me very hard, let's say that. 38 00:03:11,025 --> 00:03:14,025 And I was very upset. 39 00:03:14,785 --> 00:03:19,305 And he gave me the longest hugs I've had in my life. 40 00:03:19,385 --> 00:03:22,825 And he said, "I'm very grateful you're being honest with me." 41 00:03:22,905 --> 00:03:27,225 And then he said, "We're gonna fight this together." 42 00:03:27,865 --> 00:03:30,305 We didn't know how to handle it. 43 00:03:30,385 --> 00:03:33,345 That is in the way past. 44 00:03:33,425 --> 00:03:38,945 And how could we talk about us, like four persons? 45 00:03:39,025 --> 00:03:40,665 I didn't know how to handle it. 46 00:03:40,745 --> 00:03:43,985 But Ulf said, "I will handle this. 47 00:03:44,065 --> 00:03:46,545 You have nothing to do with this." 48 00:03:51,745 --> 00:03:53,065 LIVED FOR DRUGS 49 00:03:53,145 --> 00:03:55,625 One member of Ace of Base, Ulf Ekberg, 50 00:03:55,705 --> 00:03:58,585 was once a member of a gang. 51 00:03:59,865 --> 00:04:02,545 Ulf Ekberg holds right wing extremist views. 52 00:04:03,625 --> 00:04:06,905 Ekberg grew up in the Swedish port of Gothenburg. 53 00:04:06,985 --> 00:04:08,545 The product of a broken home, 54 00:04:08,625 --> 00:04:12,065 he was in a skinhead gang from the time he was 12. 55 00:04:13,225 --> 00:04:16,865 You say you've committed frightfully violent crimes. Like what? 56 00:04:16,945 --> 00:04:20,665 If somebody looked at you the wrong way you kicked their face out, 57 00:04:20,745 --> 00:04:22,545 or hit them on the head with a stone. 58 00:04:22,625 --> 00:04:25,185 That was life, how I asserted myself. 59 00:04:25,265 --> 00:04:26,865 I thought fighting was cool. 60 00:04:26,945 --> 00:04:32,105 I was part of the anonymous crowd that ruins other people's lives. 61 00:04:32,185 --> 00:04:33,905 We can't pretend that this is trivial 62 00:04:33,985 --> 00:04:36,025 since it affects large groups of people 63 00:04:36,105 --> 00:04:38,465 and the welfare of society in general. 64 00:04:38,545 --> 00:04:40,665 I'm very sorry about it. 65 00:04:40,745 --> 00:04:43,065 I really regret everything I've done. 66 00:04:43,145 --> 00:04:46,665 I can't forget that I've been a stupid and naive fool. 67 00:04:46,745 --> 00:04:49,825 I can't forget that, but I'm trying to live now. 68 00:04:49,905 --> 00:04:53,905 I'm trying to live in the future and trying to see what I... 69 00:04:53,985 --> 00:04:56,665 What I can do for people. 70 00:04:56,745 --> 00:04:58,865 The question partly becomes, 71 00:04:58,945 --> 00:05:02,865 is it a makeover, just a superficial thing in order to sell yourself? 72 00:05:02,945 --> 00:05:05,225 Or is it a true change? 73 00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:10,305 At one time, Ekberg fought to keep Sweden as white as the winter snow. 74 00:05:10,385 --> 00:05:12,745 So imagine Sadie Percell's surprise 75 00:05:12,825 --> 00:05:17,065 when she was hired to be a dancer for the band's videos and concerts. 76 00:05:17,145 --> 00:05:20,505 I was a little suspicious, you know. 77 00:05:20,585 --> 00:05:26,545 But I got to know him and listened to myself and what he told me. 78 00:05:26,625 --> 00:05:29,105 I liked him. So I couldn't hold that against him. 79 00:05:29,185 --> 00:05:31,985 -"We are no Nazis." -What about the other members? 80 00:05:32,065 --> 00:05:34,945 They have nothing to do with my life. 81 00:05:36,145 --> 00:05:39,585 I did several stupid things when I was a teenager 82 00:05:39,665 --> 00:05:44,385 and I have to stand for that today. 83 00:05:44,465 --> 00:05:46,985 I was an idiot and... 84 00:05:47,065 --> 00:05:52,865 What I did in the mid 1980s I can't redo, I can't rewind the tape. 85 00:05:52,945 --> 00:05:57,905 And hopefully I can inspire other people who are also lost, 86 00:05:57,985 --> 00:06:01,825 that you can always change your life and do something good about it. 87 00:06:01,905 --> 00:06:05,945 And leave that completely destructive world 88 00:06:06,025 --> 00:06:07,585 that I was a part of. 89 00:06:11,505 --> 00:06:13,905 My wife said, very cleverly 90 00:06:13,985 --> 00:06:18,825 and which I agree one hundred percent with, 91 00:06:18,905 --> 00:06:23,825 "If a person turns over to the positive side, 92 00:06:23,905 --> 00:06:25,705 then we should support him." 93 00:06:27,825 --> 00:06:31,705 When the news about Ulf Ekberg's background broke on Swedish radio, 94 00:06:31,785 --> 00:06:34,105 no one could have anticipated that 95 00:06:34,185 --> 00:06:37,985 the news would become politics in Israel. 96 00:06:39,465 --> 00:06:43,385 One of the first countries to embrace Ace of Base. 97 00:06:45,185 --> 00:06:49,025 This story with Ulf Ekberg broke in Israel 98 00:06:49,105 --> 00:06:53,945 very shortly after the success of All That She Wants. 99 00:06:54,025 --> 00:06:57,105 There were only two pop stations in Israel. 100 00:06:57,185 --> 00:06:58,905 One was the military station 101 00:06:58,985 --> 00:07:01,585 and the other one was the station I worked at, 102 00:07:01,665 --> 00:07:04,545 The Public Service Broadcasting Authority. 103 00:07:08,105 --> 00:07:12,185 The army station decided to do a listeners poll, 104 00:07:12,265 --> 00:07:18,305 asking them, "Should we keep on playing Ace of Base, or ban them?" 105 00:07:18,385 --> 00:07:21,185 And 65 percent came in saying, 106 00:07:21,265 --> 00:07:24,345 "No, we shouldn't play them. We should boycott them." 107 00:07:24,425 --> 00:07:26,905 They took the result and applied it. 108 00:07:26,985 --> 00:07:31,545 They stopped playing Ace of Base because of Ulf's background. 109 00:07:36,665 --> 00:07:39,985 And I was so furious. I was mad. 110 00:07:40,065 --> 00:07:44,705 He was a stupid kid when he was younger and he did this mistake. 111 00:07:44,785 --> 00:07:48,145 I opened the mike and said, "This is crap! Take it with proportion. 112 00:07:48,225 --> 00:07:50,905 What was was. It's not the present. 113 00:07:50,985 --> 00:07:53,825 I know the band, I interviewed them. They're good people 114 00:07:53,905 --> 00:07:57,425 and we're going to keep playing Ace of Base to death!" 115 00:07:58,505 --> 00:08:00,105 We're not going to boycott them 116 00:08:00,185 --> 00:08:02,905 because of one action of one of them in his youth. 117 00:08:02,985 --> 00:08:05,665 We're going to love them even more. 118 00:08:05,745 --> 00:08:11,065 And instead of making them less successful, 119 00:08:11,145 --> 00:08:14,585 or to see a decline in their career, 120 00:08:14,665 --> 00:08:16,185 the other process happened. 121 00:08:16,265 --> 00:08:17,905 They became bigger. 122 00:08:19,385 --> 00:08:23,265 I think it would be much tougher today for someone like Ulf 123 00:08:23,345 --> 00:08:26,025 to survive this in the social media age. 124 00:08:26,105 --> 00:08:28,265 I think Ulf would have had a much harder time 125 00:08:28,345 --> 00:08:31,225 if that news had come out five to ten years later. 126 00:08:34,425 --> 00:08:38,185 Going via Israel to London, I mean, that's weird. 127 00:08:38,265 --> 00:08:41,065 But that is what happened. 128 00:08:41,145 --> 00:08:44,585 That was a massive market, huge. It was the biggest in the world. 129 00:08:44,665 --> 00:08:47,185 If you hit there, you hit everywhere. 130 00:08:47,265 --> 00:08:49,785 We were in a low budget hotel. We had small rooms. 131 00:08:49,865 --> 00:08:53,385 We had to pay for our own mini bar drinks, our own meals. 132 00:08:53,465 --> 00:08:57,745 They didn't have that kind of budget for a new Swedish band in the UK. 133 00:08:58,465 --> 00:09:01,225 They've been so successful all over Europe. 134 00:09:01,305 --> 00:09:05,065 Next from Sweden, Ace of Base. All That She Wants is Another Baby. 135 00:09:05,145 --> 00:09:07,505 In the meantime, she's just practising. 136 00:09:12,185 --> 00:09:16,985 The only way to find out the position in the UK charts 137 00:09:17,065 --> 00:09:19,385 was listening to BBC Radio 1. 138 00:09:20,585 --> 00:09:23,905 I had to get my grandmother, who was 70 odd years old at the time, 139 00:09:23,985 --> 00:09:26,465 to tune into Radio 1 and listen to the charts. 140 00:09:26,545 --> 00:09:28,985 ...full countdown with a brand new number one... 141 00:09:29,545 --> 00:09:32,465 We were waiting to hear the position of All That She Wants. 142 00:09:32,545 --> 00:09:34,545 This was a Sunday night. 143 00:09:35,745 --> 00:09:40,905 I remember getting to the top 20, going up from 40 to 20. 144 00:09:40,985 --> 00:09:43,385 Then getting to number two, still nothing. 145 00:09:43,465 --> 00:09:46,305 So I thought they didn't make it into the charts. 146 00:09:46,385 --> 00:09:49,065 We had good mid-week positions, I didn't understand it. 147 00:09:49,145 --> 00:09:51,345 And the next thing she says... 148 00:09:52,025 --> 00:09:54,865 Congratulations to Ace of Base at number one. 149 00:09:54,945 --> 00:09:59,785 "Excuse me, what they're number one?" "Yeah, they're number one." 150 00:09:59,865 --> 00:10:01,265 All That She Wants. 151 00:10:01,945 --> 00:10:04,025 They were invited back to Top of the Pops, 152 00:10:04,105 --> 00:10:06,265 which never usually happens, a week later. 153 00:10:06,345 --> 00:10:11,705 When we went back, we were all in suites with the mini bar paid for. 154 00:10:11,785 --> 00:10:14,345 So the treatment changed a lot. 155 00:10:35,665 --> 00:10:39,945 And of course by the time it went up the charts in the UK especially, 156 00:10:40,025 --> 00:10:42,945 a lot of the American companies became very interested. 157 00:10:52,425 --> 00:10:57,705 We followed a strategy where we broke country by country. 158 00:10:57,785 --> 00:11:00,665 On purpose, we waited with America. 159 00:11:01,825 --> 00:11:07,025 They said that we were number 97, just by import for Europe, 160 00:11:07,105 --> 00:11:09,345 because the music was good. 161 00:11:09,865 --> 00:11:12,905 We were on rap stations. 162 00:11:12,985 --> 00:11:15,025 Why? Because it's reggae. 163 00:11:15,105 --> 00:11:19,265 Back then it was all about grunge. Pop was something very made up. 164 00:11:19,345 --> 00:11:21,345 Actually, alternative radio thought 165 00:11:21,425 --> 00:11:24,305 All That She Wants was so cool that they playlisted it. 166 00:11:25,065 --> 00:11:27,025 A handful of Nordic rockers are trying 167 00:11:27,105 --> 00:11:29,105 to break into the American market. 168 00:11:29,185 --> 00:11:32,025 Their band name is Ace of Base. 169 00:11:35,225 --> 00:11:38,265 Hello, America. I'm Joker from Ace of Base. 170 00:11:38,345 --> 00:11:40,625 Hello, everybody. I am Linn. 171 00:11:40,705 --> 00:11:42,065 Hi, I'm Buddha. 172 00:11:42,145 --> 00:11:44,945 And I'm the fourth member of Ace of Base, Jenny. Hi. 173 00:11:45,025 --> 00:11:49,025 It's like a movie for me, the US. Just a big movie. 174 00:11:49,105 --> 00:11:53,225 I'm very interested to go there and see how it works and work there. 175 00:11:53,865 --> 00:11:56,305 -Toodeloo! -Toodeloo? 176 00:11:56,385 --> 00:12:00,665 -What do you say then? -Hello, America. We love you. 177 00:12:03,505 --> 00:12:07,265 The American music climate in the early 1990s was grunge and gangsta. 178 00:12:07,345 --> 00:12:09,545 Bands like Pearl Jam, Green Day, 179 00:12:09,625 --> 00:12:12,985 Dr. Dre's The Chronic, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur. 180 00:12:13,065 --> 00:12:15,745 We had Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey at the time. 181 00:12:16,465 --> 00:12:19,585 The great irony of Ace of Base's American success 182 00:12:19,665 --> 00:12:23,985 is how this very shiny pop did so remarkably well. 183 00:12:24,065 --> 00:12:26,385 It's kind of like it united everybody. 184 00:12:26,465 --> 00:12:28,265 The soul scene was huge. 185 00:12:28,345 --> 00:12:30,265 So huge you lost the melodies. 186 00:12:30,345 --> 00:12:31,825 And there was a lot of rap. 187 00:12:31,905 --> 00:12:35,425 And there we came with the melodies. And it was like... "Oh, melodies!" 188 00:12:35,505 --> 00:12:38,025 It's pop. You can't stop it. 189 00:12:40,745 --> 00:12:46,105 Can you explain your role at Arista Records in the early 1990s? 190 00:12:46,185 --> 00:12:49,105 I was the head of pop AandR for Arista. 191 00:12:49,185 --> 00:12:53,065 So we had a very small staff and we were reporting to Clive Davis, 192 00:12:53,145 --> 00:12:55,505 who was the head of the company. 193 00:13:01,745 --> 00:13:04,145 He was the chairman of Arista Records. 194 00:13:04,225 --> 00:13:09,105 He signed people like Janis Joplin and Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan. 195 00:13:09,185 --> 00:13:12,385 When you were present at one of Clive's repertoire meetings, 196 00:13:12,465 --> 00:13:15,745 he was sitting at the end of the table with a microphone 197 00:13:15,825 --> 00:13:18,865 and he more or less courted himself and he said something. 198 00:13:18,945 --> 00:13:21,225 "What does Clive think about this?" And so on. 199 00:13:22,185 --> 00:13:26,385 Arista was also not a subtle label. Arista made Whitney Houston famous. 200 00:13:26,465 --> 00:13:30,225 Arista wanted big, centre-of-the-bull's-eye hits. 201 00:13:30,305 --> 00:13:32,665 And that was Clive Davis's expertise. 202 00:13:32,745 --> 00:13:36,705 Everybody, from Barry Manilow to Whitney Houston, 203 00:13:36,785 --> 00:13:41,185 had become chart toppers because of Clive Davis. 204 00:13:43,105 --> 00:13:45,585 -Are you ready? -Yeah, are you ready? 205 00:13:45,665 --> 00:13:48,425 What an honour to be here. Thank you. 206 00:13:48,505 --> 00:13:50,505 We're here to talk about Ace of Base. 207 00:13:50,585 --> 00:13:55,945 When I say Ace of Base, what comes to your mind? 208 00:13:56,025 --> 00:14:01,305 An AandR man working for Arista, Richard Sweret, 209 00:14:01,385 --> 00:14:06,465 had brought to my attention the record of All That She Wants. 210 00:14:07,865 --> 00:14:10,985 And I was really on vacation, I was on a yacht. 211 00:14:11,065 --> 00:14:15,305 The reception was never good on the phone. 212 00:14:15,385 --> 00:14:21,265 But what was clear was the record of All That She Wants. 213 00:14:21,985 --> 00:14:24,585 The fact that they were connected with Denniz Pop 214 00:14:24,665 --> 00:14:26,185 made me take notice. 215 00:14:26,265 --> 00:14:28,625 And it was a time, honestly, within Arista, 216 00:14:28,705 --> 00:14:30,985 that there weren't as many hit records. 217 00:14:31,065 --> 00:14:35,945 They were looking for pop records to bring to the charts. 218 00:14:36,025 --> 00:14:42,705 I believe the head of Mega Records was a Kjeld Wennick. 219 00:14:42,785 --> 00:14:45,785 And he had wanted to speak to me. 220 00:14:46,865 --> 00:14:48,825 I expressed my enthusiasm, 221 00:14:48,905 --> 00:14:55,185 and so we agreed that Arista would be a home for 222 00:14:55,265 --> 00:14:59,825 I think, North America, South America and Japan. 223 00:14:59,905 --> 00:15:02,545 But I did have one request. 224 00:15:02,625 --> 00:15:04,945 1993, JULY, Ace of Base signs with Arista Records 225 00:15:05,025 --> 00:15:08,545 "This is a good album, guys. But we don't have enough singles. 226 00:15:08,625 --> 00:15:12,705 We need two more singles. The US is a different market." 227 00:15:16,345 --> 00:15:22,905 As a label, as a company, we don't try to sell an album off one hit. 228 00:15:23,585 --> 00:15:26,025 There was no social media, no internet. 229 00:15:26,105 --> 00:15:29,185 The only way to break was through the radio. 230 00:15:29,265 --> 00:15:32,505 And the radio stations played hits. 231 00:15:32,585 --> 00:15:39,225 Now, completely unaware, I'm sitting next to Jonas in a minibus. 232 00:15:39,305 --> 00:15:43,505 We're going back to the studio, or maybe to have dinner somewhere. 233 00:15:43,585 --> 00:15:46,665 He pulls out a cassette, "Do you want to hear something?" 234 00:15:46,745 --> 00:15:49,145 And he gives me these old-fashioned headphones. 235 00:15:51,305 --> 00:15:55,265 It was just, immediately in hearing it, it sounded like a single. 236 00:15:55,345 --> 00:16:00,385 "Why don't we put this on the album, putting it out now?" 237 00:16:00,465 --> 00:16:04,825 And he said, "No, it's not possible, because it's for the next album." 238 00:16:05,745 --> 00:16:08,105 So he gave me a copy of the song, fortunately. 239 00:16:08,185 --> 00:16:12,225 And I played it for my colleagues in an AandR meeting with Clive Davis. 240 00:16:13,705 --> 00:16:17,545 Jonas came up with a great song, The Sign. 241 00:16:17,625 --> 00:16:20,625 And when I heard that song, I said, "Wow!" 242 00:16:20,705 --> 00:16:24,745 Even to the point that, "Look, for our territory, 243 00:16:24,825 --> 00:16:27,745 I want to call the album The Sign. 244 00:16:27,825 --> 00:16:34,705 We, the group, came up with a greater riff of Don't Turn Around." 245 00:16:34,785 --> 00:16:40,825 So there we were, we had three potential singles. 246 00:16:49,345 --> 00:16:52,465 Going to Hit Factory. 247 00:16:52,545 --> 00:16:56,465 Is it possible to see the rest of the studio? 248 00:17:25,385 --> 00:17:26,985 Bloody good. 249 00:18:30,585 --> 00:18:31,985 That song is... 250 00:18:32,905 --> 00:18:35,465 Clive Davis is kind of a genius at promotion. 251 00:18:35,545 --> 00:18:40,345 It was he who had them cover Don't Turn Around and work up The Sign. 252 00:18:40,425 --> 00:18:45,665 Jonas and Denniz Pop, basically spun it into this perfect pop confection. 253 00:19:27,425 --> 00:19:31,865 It's just when you can find the perfect fusion in something. 254 00:19:31,945 --> 00:19:33,945 That was one of the first records I heard 255 00:19:34,025 --> 00:19:36,745 with that pop, reggae, like backgrounds in. 256 00:19:36,825 --> 00:19:40,905 Later a lot of records followed it, but that was one of the first. 257 00:19:40,985 --> 00:19:45,505 And I think that Ace of Base captured that, for sure. 258 00:19:47,145 --> 00:19:50,465 I think they needed that super mega hit. 259 00:19:50,545 --> 00:19:52,745 When I heard The Sign before it was released, 260 00:19:52,825 --> 00:19:55,585 I was like, this is a given number one. 261 00:19:56,545 --> 00:19:59,305 And the album exploded. 262 00:20:08,425 --> 00:20:11,145 It spent six weeks on top of the Hot 100, 263 00:20:11,225 --> 00:20:14,865 exited number one for a month, and then came back for two weeks. 264 00:20:14,945 --> 00:20:17,305 It shows you how persistent a hit it was. 265 00:20:17,385 --> 00:20:19,105 Americans couldn't get enough of it. 266 00:20:42,265 --> 00:20:44,545 They are four individuals with blond hair, 267 00:20:44,625 --> 00:20:47,385 achieving big success on the music charts. 268 00:20:47,465 --> 00:20:50,705 This is not an ABBA reunion. It's Ace of Base. 269 00:20:50,785 --> 00:20:53,825 We had the pleasure of meeting the band in New York. 270 00:20:53,905 --> 00:20:56,705 How do you feel about being compared to ABBA? 271 00:20:56,785 --> 00:21:00,025 The classic question! You don't say, you don't say... 272 00:21:00,105 --> 00:21:04,905 It's because two girls and two boys from Sweden have brought the music. 273 00:21:04,985 --> 00:21:08,145 And we're not a studio constellation, 274 00:21:08,225 --> 00:21:10,985 like two guys sitting in a studio and two girls on stage. 275 00:21:11,065 --> 00:21:13,505 And that's the only thing you see. 276 00:21:13,585 --> 00:21:17,265 We rock with the music on the same level as the band you see on stage. 277 00:21:17,345 --> 00:21:20,185 So it's a group that people can identify themselves with. 278 00:21:20,265 --> 00:21:24,225 And it was the same with ABBA. So that's the only thing that's alike. 279 00:21:27,065 --> 00:21:31,425 Once the deal was set, then the process came of, 280 00:21:31,505 --> 00:21:35,865 we have to image the band, pull everything together with the group. 281 00:21:38,265 --> 00:21:42,625 We had to learn the crash course of American culture very fast. 282 00:21:42,705 --> 00:21:45,625 I remember I had to learn how to work the room. 283 00:21:45,705 --> 00:21:47,225 How do you work a room? 284 00:21:49,105 --> 00:21:51,065 Not only did we go from day to night, 285 00:21:51,145 --> 00:21:54,265 we also went from small cars to limousines. 286 00:21:54,345 --> 00:21:56,905 That was the first limousine experience. 287 00:21:56,985 --> 00:21:59,545 We were like, "Wow, what's going on?" 288 00:22:00,465 --> 00:22:04,625 As for the recording industry, it was starting to do very well, 289 00:22:04,705 --> 00:22:06,785 because the compact disc was taking over. 290 00:22:06,865 --> 00:22:08,785 It was a very profitable medium. 291 00:22:08,865 --> 00:22:13,545 In a way, Ace of Base caught the first wave of this CD popularity. 292 00:22:13,625 --> 00:22:18,065 The Swedish group Ace of Base is riding a popularity wave in the US. 293 00:22:18,145 --> 00:22:19,865 The band has two hit songs, 294 00:22:19,945 --> 00:22:23,145 including the title track of their new album The Sign. 295 00:22:23,225 --> 00:22:24,945 It was almost serendipity. 296 00:22:25,025 --> 00:22:27,985 Everything came together in such a way that 297 00:22:28,065 --> 00:22:32,985 if we tried to do it again it's almost impossible to do. 298 00:22:33,065 --> 00:22:36,705 because it was the moment, it was the time, the people, the place. 299 00:22:36,785 --> 00:22:38,785 Everything going in your favour 300 00:22:38,865 --> 00:22:42,105 with that tail wind that just pulled it all along. 301 00:22:43,265 --> 00:22:44,905 It was a wonderful period. 302 00:22:44,985 --> 00:22:47,505 Each single became a big, big hit. 303 00:22:47,585 --> 00:22:52,425 It's the biggest pop debut album in American history. 304 00:22:54,025 --> 00:22:58,025 I don't think anyone could expect that it would blow up in that way. 305 00:23:00,625 --> 00:23:05,265 We woke up every morning and tried to find a way for things to fit. 306 00:23:05,345 --> 00:23:06,945 This is your wake up call! 307 00:23:07,025 --> 00:23:08,905 They were bring pulled from every side. 308 00:23:08,985 --> 00:23:12,145 The European record company wanted them to promote in Europe. 309 00:23:12,225 --> 00:23:15,825 The Americans wanted... Everybody wanted a piece of them. 310 00:23:15,905 --> 00:23:19,385 The business took over our little thing that we had 311 00:23:19,465 --> 00:23:21,225 and we had to keep to that core, 312 00:23:21,305 --> 00:23:23,425 really be there and be strong together. 313 00:23:23,505 --> 00:23:25,745 Because everybody else would rip us apart. 314 00:23:25,825 --> 00:23:29,985 It was an erosion going on for money, and like, let's no go there. 315 00:23:31,345 --> 00:23:33,185 How do we manage the time? 316 00:23:33,265 --> 00:23:36,345 How can we be everywhere at the same time? 317 00:23:36,425 --> 00:23:37,745 It was impossible. 318 00:23:47,385 --> 00:23:52,705 A little like being in a room with a huge vacuum cleaner and just... 319 00:23:52,785 --> 00:23:56,385 Everything started to spin, like, 2,000 times faster than before. 320 00:23:56,465 --> 00:23:59,785 ...Ace of Base! 321 00:24:00,465 --> 00:24:03,625 They went from zero to a hundred in no time. 322 00:24:03,705 --> 00:24:07,825 They are shopping a demo and then they sell 25 million records. 323 00:24:07,905 --> 00:24:10,625 And it happened over a very short amount of time. 324 00:24:10,705 --> 00:24:15,065 It's going down this freeway of mega success. 325 00:24:15,705 --> 00:24:19,065 A prophet is never accepted in his own home. 326 00:24:19,145 --> 00:24:23,465 So it's easier for someone outside of Sweden to get it, 327 00:24:23,545 --> 00:24:27,745 because in Sweden, that's not what they're playing at the time. 328 00:24:27,825 --> 00:24:31,705 It's like it's weird. You know what I'm saying? It's like... 329 00:24:31,785 --> 00:24:33,425 What are they doing, reggae? 330 00:24:33,505 --> 00:24:37,345 You guys, you're not supposed to be playing this kind of music. 331 00:24:37,425 --> 00:24:42,025 And then everybody else gravitates to it outside of Sweden. 332 00:24:42,105 --> 00:24:45,545 You know, Sweden turns around and goes, "Hey..." 333 00:24:45,625 --> 00:24:47,425 I remember seeing their travel plans. 334 00:24:47,505 --> 00:24:50,105 It was all over the place for the next, 335 00:24:50,185 --> 00:24:52,225 I don't know how many years or months. 336 00:24:52,305 --> 00:24:56,105 These things happen with these bands that don't tour to play concerts, 337 00:24:56,185 --> 00:25:00,665 but appear in television programmes, do PAs and interviews and stuff. 338 00:25:00,745 --> 00:25:02,065 It's very hard on them. 339 00:25:03,985 --> 00:25:09,305 How does it feel, having this big success now? 340 00:25:09,385 --> 00:25:13,505 Well, it's weird. 341 00:25:13,585 --> 00:25:18,585 You act the same and feel the same, but people around you are very... 342 00:25:18,665 --> 00:25:22,905 You have very much to talk about because of Ace of Base. 343 00:25:22,985 --> 00:25:24,865 It's a bit weird. 344 00:25:24,945 --> 00:25:28,745 It's much to do also. You're never at home. 345 00:25:29,705 --> 00:25:33,305 A lot of people say that you change when you have success. 346 00:25:33,385 --> 00:25:39,185 I would say that people, the way other people treat you changed. 347 00:25:43,585 --> 00:25:47,065 You have to be grateful for success, always. 348 00:25:47,145 --> 00:25:50,905 You get what you get. You have to be happy, even if it's a lot 349 00:25:50,985 --> 00:25:53,625 or not so much. 350 00:25:53,705 --> 00:25:57,785 But I really don't follow that, I would like to be big in Europe. 351 00:25:57,865 --> 00:26:01,665 That's enough for me personally. It's...That's huge. 352 00:26:01,745 --> 00:26:05,865 To be big in the States and all over the world, is a bit too much. 353 00:26:14,265 --> 00:26:18,265 Me and Linn were always very close. 354 00:26:20,425 --> 00:26:23,225 We were an extremely strong union. 355 00:26:23,305 --> 00:26:26,545 We're like pseudo twins. We were very strong together. 356 00:26:26,625 --> 00:26:29,585 And I think that we thought that the whole Ace of Base thing 357 00:26:29,665 --> 00:26:31,945 was just in the way for us. 358 00:26:34,905 --> 00:26:37,665 Many times when I was afraid of sleeping alone, 359 00:26:37,745 --> 00:26:41,185 I could call my sister. 360 00:26:41,265 --> 00:26:45,425 Being both sisters and workmates at the same time, 361 00:26:45,505 --> 00:26:51,785 sometimes work came between and we had to figure that one out. 362 00:26:51,865 --> 00:26:57,265 And when she wanted to quit, it was because it was too intense. 363 00:26:57,345 --> 00:27:00,065 She saw it first. 364 00:27:00,145 --> 00:27:04,345 We will be devastated if we just go on in this tempo. 365 00:27:06,145 --> 00:27:09,625 So if we had the chance to pull out, we would have, 366 00:27:09,705 --> 00:27:12,265 but contracts made us stay. 367 00:27:13,425 --> 00:27:16,425 When you have pressure from the outside, 368 00:27:16,505 --> 00:27:19,145 it either pushes you together, 369 00:27:19,225 --> 00:27:21,465 or it tears you apart. 370 00:27:41,825 --> 00:27:46,505 Creating a focal point for a group is always paramount. 371 00:27:47,905 --> 00:27:52,225 They wanted the guy and they wanted the brain. 372 00:27:52,305 --> 00:27:55,825 And they wanted the beautiful blonde. 373 00:27:55,905 --> 00:27:58,425 And then they wanted the clerk girl. 374 00:27:59,665 --> 00:28:02,425 The thing is that they wanted us girls in the front 375 00:28:02,505 --> 00:28:04,865 and the guys in the back. 376 00:28:06,505 --> 00:28:09,145 Obviously, Clive was onto something there. 377 00:28:09,225 --> 00:28:13,065 They're all good looking, but Malin had an aura. 378 00:28:13,145 --> 00:28:16,185 She kind of really had what I would call a star aura. 379 00:28:16,265 --> 00:28:19,865 When you look at the videos, you can really see. We put Malin in focus. 380 00:28:19,945 --> 00:28:22,225 There must have been tension in Ace of Base 381 00:28:22,305 --> 00:28:25,505 when they were pushed forward as the focal point of the group. 382 00:28:25,585 --> 00:28:29,105 I said, "Okay, since we're the main singers, we can do that. 383 00:28:29,185 --> 00:28:32,145 And of course Linn sings a lot. 384 00:28:32,225 --> 00:28:35,865 So if I can be there, well, yeah. Take us. 385 00:28:35,945 --> 00:28:38,145 If that is how you want to promote it." 386 00:28:38,225 --> 00:28:41,585 Because it was like they split us up a bit. 387 00:28:41,665 --> 00:28:44,545 Lift you face up a bit, Ulf. 388 00:28:44,625 --> 00:28:47,785 Just a bit more, Ulf. Great. 389 00:28:55,545 --> 00:28:57,625 We shot that on 35 millimetre film. 390 00:28:57,705 --> 00:28:59,745 You know, proper cameras, proper crew. 391 00:28:59,825 --> 00:29:01,705 So it was a great experience. 392 00:29:01,785 --> 00:29:04,345 As far as working with the band was concerned, 393 00:29:04,425 --> 00:29:06,505 that never really changed for me. 394 00:29:07,105 --> 00:29:09,425 But you watch as she goes. She comes past you. 395 00:29:09,505 --> 00:29:12,385 And you don't need to wait for her. She goes past you. 396 00:29:12,465 --> 00:29:13,985 -Like that. -Just follow her 397 00:29:14,065 --> 00:29:16,545 -as she goes through the door. -Okay. 398 00:29:16,625 --> 00:29:20,145 There was greater pressure from the record company. 399 00:29:20,225 --> 00:29:21,985 The expectations obviously. 400 00:29:22,065 --> 00:29:24,865 The sales were in the millions by then already, 401 00:29:24,945 --> 00:29:28,385 so everybody felt that everything had to go up a gear. 402 00:29:28,465 --> 00:29:29,785 I felt that pressure. 403 00:29:34,545 --> 00:29:38,225 Everything around it was crazy, you know. 404 00:29:38,305 --> 00:29:40,025 They couldn't walk around anymore 405 00:29:40,105 --> 00:29:42,705 without people knowing who they were. 406 00:29:43,545 --> 00:29:48,025 Suddenly their personal lives became public property. 407 00:29:48,105 --> 00:29:50,745 People who don't know them think that they do. 408 00:29:50,825 --> 00:29:53,745 People push into your space and want a piece of you 409 00:29:53,825 --> 00:29:55,385 and think they know who you are 410 00:29:55,465 --> 00:29:58,545 because they've listened to a couple of records. 411 00:29:58,625 --> 00:30:00,945 The whole thing is bizarre. 412 00:30:01,025 --> 00:30:03,185 I mean watching that happen 413 00:30:03,265 --> 00:30:07,345 to these kids from the pizzeria 414 00:30:07,425 --> 00:30:10,625 turning into these world artists. 415 00:30:11,465 --> 00:30:16,065 It's a frightening roller-coaster ride for anybody. 416 00:30:16,145 --> 00:30:18,105 They dealt with it in different ways. 417 00:30:18,185 --> 00:30:19,665 Jonas was prepared for it. 418 00:30:19,745 --> 00:30:22,785 Ulf seemed to adjust quite well, I have to say. 419 00:30:22,865 --> 00:30:26,905 I don't think the girls were prepared for it. 420 00:30:26,985 --> 00:30:28,625 I mean, who can? 421 00:30:32,345 --> 00:30:35,305 I mean, you kind of lose control of your own life. 422 00:31:11,825 --> 00:31:15,865 12 March, 1994, Ace of Base reaches the first place 423 00:31:15,945 --> 00:31:19,505 on the Billboard Chart with The Sign. 424 00:31:19,585 --> 00:31:23,025 Ace of Base are big now. Best in the States. 425 00:31:23,105 --> 00:31:26,225 As they put it themselves, "It doesn't get any better." 426 00:31:26,305 --> 00:31:29,505 First it was Björn Skifs, next ABBA and then Roxette. 427 00:31:29,585 --> 00:31:31,265 And now Ace of Base. 428 00:31:31,345 --> 00:31:34,185 -It just arrived. -"Dear Swedes of the west coast, 429 00:31:34,265 --> 00:31:37,025 welcome to the club. Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson." 430 00:31:37,105 --> 00:31:39,345 So nice of them to do this. 431 00:31:39,425 --> 00:31:43,345 We just sent a fax in response. 432 00:31:46,505 --> 00:31:49,305 -Where are the girls? -Out shopping, I think. 433 00:31:49,385 --> 00:31:52,865 They didn't know about this, or being number one yesterday. 434 00:31:52,945 --> 00:31:54,545 We found them eventually. 435 00:31:54,625 --> 00:31:57,985 I had a look around. They were at choir rehearsal. 436 00:32:00,985 --> 00:32:04,545 You really want from that type of super star sales 437 00:32:04,625 --> 00:32:07,585 an act that was "equal". 438 00:32:07,665 --> 00:32:10,665 I just didn't see 439 00:32:10,745 --> 00:32:15,145 that kind of determined, dedicated effort. 440 00:32:15,225 --> 00:32:20,145 Jenny and Linn perhaps didn't take the group seriously enough. 441 00:32:20,225 --> 00:32:24,425 They were really four different personalities, 442 00:32:24,505 --> 00:32:26,585 and they didn't all think alike. 443 00:32:26,665 --> 00:32:28,545 So that was a problem. 444 00:32:29,865 --> 00:32:31,705 It's a bit more difficult 445 00:32:31,785 --> 00:32:35,105 if not everybody really wants to do what they're doing. 446 00:32:36,985 --> 00:32:39,225 One of the problems might have been 447 00:32:39,305 --> 00:32:41,425 that the girls and Jonas were a family 448 00:32:41,505 --> 00:32:44,185 and they didn't have the same cut on the records. 449 00:32:46,065 --> 00:32:50,185 At the time, the split among the band was very unfair. 450 00:32:51,505 --> 00:32:56,945 You are trying to explain how income arises for artists. 451 00:32:57,025 --> 00:33:02,145 You have one part coming from composers and songwriters, 452 00:33:02,225 --> 00:33:05,705 which are entitled to a certain royalty, 453 00:33:05,785 --> 00:33:10,585 depending on how big part they have written on the special composition. 454 00:33:10,665 --> 00:33:13,825 And then you have another part, which is record sales. 455 00:33:13,905 --> 00:33:17,185 And when I met them the first time, they had agreed that 456 00:33:17,265 --> 00:33:20,185 they should divide the split from the record sales 457 00:33:20,265 --> 00:33:23,425 with the bigger cut to Ulf and Jonas. 458 00:33:25,305 --> 00:33:29,225 There probably was some anger after our big success from the girls, 459 00:33:29,305 --> 00:33:32,025 who didn't get the same revenues that we had. 460 00:33:32,105 --> 00:33:35,505 Because we wrote the first album. 461 00:33:35,585 --> 00:33:39,665 That might have been the main reason why the girls weren't on board. 462 00:33:41,345 --> 00:33:43,545 Marker on Jenny. 463 00:33:45,185 --> 00:33:49,425 This summer I was out. First I was working a lot. 464 00:33:49,505 --> 00:33:53,025 I was working in three different cities. 465 00:33:53,105 --> 00:33:55,225 I had a fabulous summer. 466 00:33:55,305 --> 00:33:58,945 Now I'm really relaxed and ready to go out working again. 467 00:34:04,865 --> 00:34:07,625 This summer I've been travelling a lot. 468 00:34:07,705 --> 00:34:10,505 To Saint Tropez for ten days. 469 00:34:11,425 --> 00:34:14,825 We've been out partying. We went to parties. 470 00:34:14,905 --> 00:34:19,825 Different parties. Houses, homes and discos. 471 00:34:19,905 --> 00:34:23,585 So one week in Saint Tropez is normally not enough. 472 00:34:23,665 --> 00:34:26,745 Normally we always stay for two weeks. Unfortunately... 473 00:34:28,105 --> 00:34:30,745 It was those small things that grow. 474 00:34:30,825 --> 00:34:35,825 All small things that are uneven. They grow. They grow a lot. 475 00:34:37,345 --> 00:34:40,185 Fantastic. Good weather. Shiny. 476 00:34:40,265 --> 00:34:44,345 Been out with the boat a few days. I had a great summer, actually. 477 00:34:44,425 --> 00:34:45,865 Nice to start work again. 478 00:34:45,945 --> 00:34:49,465 When for instance we were going home... 479 00:34:49,545 --> 00:34:52,985 Jonas and Ulf were taking their boats for vacation. 480 00:34:53,065 --> 00:34:57,705 Me and my sister were like, "Okay...Good. 481 00:34:57,785 --> 00:34:59,505 That's fun for you." 482 00:34:59,585 --> 00:35:04,145 Just small things that started to change. 483 00:35:04,225 --> 00:35:06,985 And it wasn't always fun. 484 00:35:08,465 --> 00:35:11,625 Now we're starting to see the girls not wanting to cooperate 485 00:35:11,705 --> 00:35:13,265 to go anywhere or do anything. 486 00:35:13,345 --> 00:35:14,985 Why? 487 00:35:15,065 --> 00:35:17,585 Because they would have seen millions upon millions 488 00:35:17,665 --> 00:35:19,265 coming in to the boys' accounts. 489 00:35:19,345 --> 00:35:22,385 This summer I've been with the boat on the west coast of Sweden. 490 00:35:22,465 --> 00:35:27,385 Very nice. And done some serious partying. 491 00:35:31,425 --> 00:35:34,425 What do you do when you become bitter? 492 00:35:35,865 --> 00:35:40,865 What do you do when you start to compare? 493 00:35:42,825 --> 00:35:45,225 What happens inside of you? 494 00:35:50,105 --> 00:35:52,785 It wouldn't change anything for the better 495 00:35:52,865 --> 00:35:58,145 to be chasing money, anything like that. 496 00:35:58,225 --> 00:36:04,425 What I did, I was going five weeks to find my resort. 497 00:36:04,505 --> 00:36:07,545 And that was becoming a Christian youth leader. 498 00:36:09,145 --> 00:36:12,825 That was something completely different. 499 00:36:12,905 --> 00:36:14,545 I didn't care about boats. 500 00:36:14,625 --> 00:36:17,985 I didn't care about furs, jewellery, clocks. 501 00:36:18,065 --> 00:36:21,785 I didn't care at all. I had mine. 502 00:36:21,865 --> 00:36:24,025 And it was bigger than theirs. 503 00:36:26,625 --> 00:36:27,945 Speak. 504 00:36:29,465 --> 00:36:31,865 We had never tried success before, 505 00:36:31,945 --> 00:36:35,545 without being brothers and sisters in one band. 506 00:36:35,625 --> 00:36:38,025 It's very good to be brothers and sisters 507 00:36:38,105 --> 00:36:44,225 because if you start to fight, you are friends five minutes after it. 508 00:36:44,305 --> 00:36:49,785 If you're just friends, you can hurt feelings in another way than now. 509 00:36:49,865 --> 00:36:52,825 We're all a family, in a way. 510 00:37:00,945 --> 00:37:05,545 2023 Jenny Berggren on tour 511 00:37:37,145 --> 00:37:41,945 Coming out in this world, I've always been a misfit. 512 00:37:50,185 --> 00:37:51,985 Hello. 513 00:37:52,065 --> 00:37:57,025 I never fit the role of being a pop star. 514 00:37:57,105 --> 00:38:00,905 I would never, ever be something that anyone would put money in, 515 00:38:00,985 --> 00:38:03,225 because I don't have it. 516 00:38:08,785 --> 00:38:12,785 Being all alone, it felt like being super naked. 517 00:38:13,745 --> 00:38:18,625 Where is Ulf, where is Jonas... Where is my team? 518 00:38:19,545 --> 00:38:21,905 We're born with longings. 519 00:38:21,985 --> 00:38:26,505 And I had a huge desire to talk to people and sing to people. 520 00:38:26,585 --> 00:38:30,065 But I realised it would not happen, because I'm not that good-looking, 521 00:38:30,145 --> 00:38:32,345 I'm not that tall and I'm not that thin. 522 00:38:32,425 --> 00:38:36,465 I'm not that good a singer, I'm not that musician, I'm not that cool 523 00:38:36,545 --> 00:38:39,265 that you need to be. 524 00:38:39,345 --> 00:38:40,945 I'm just me. 525 00:38:59,225 --> 00:39:06,145 From that moment, from that day, everything changed for us. 526 00:39:07,425 --> 00:39:08,745 Yeah... 527 00:39:08,825 --> 00:39:10,305 -Hello. -Hi. 528 00:39:10,385 --> 00:39:11,985 -Welcome. -Thank you. 529 00:39:12,065 --> 00:39:16,985 First of all huge thanks for coming here. 530 00:39:17,065 --> 00:39:21,985 Because I know something quite scary happened last night. 531 00:39:22,065 --> 00:39:25,625 For me there was a life before. 532 00:39:25,705 --> 00:39:28,345 And there was a life after. 533 00:39:28,425 --> 00:39:30,385 The fear factor was high in their minds, 534 00:39:30,465 --> 00:39:34,905 thinking, "If that happened once, it could happen again." 535 00:39:38,465 --> 00:39:42,465 I remember I was going home to my parents and I took the bus. 536 00:39:42,545 --> 00:39:45,705 When I stepped off the bus, 537 00:39:45,785 --> 00:39:47,865 I'm passing someone at the bus stop. 538 00:39:47,945 --> 00:39:50,345 There was something that wasn't right. 539 00:39:50,425 --> 00:39:52,785 But I couldn't put my finger on it. 540 00:39:54,985 --> 00:39:59,385 That's why I felt the gut feeling, don't go into this normal door. 541 00:39:59,465 --> 00:40:01,265 I went in the backside. 542 00:40:03,665 --> 00:40:05,145 And then I went to sleep. 543 00:40:09,545 --> 00:40:13,505 "The time is around 11:30 pm and the TV is on. 544 00:40:13,585 --> 00:40:17,185 Why have Mum and Dad not gone to bed? 545 00:40:17,265 --> 00:40:19,585 Something's bothering me. 546 00:40:19,665 --> 00:40:22,585 Something intangible. 547 00:40:22,665 --> 00:40:27,345 This warm spring evening the birch tree sways gracefully by my window. 548 00:40:27,425 --> 00:40:30,785 I fall asleep while saying my evening prayer. 549 00:40:30,865 --> 00:40:33,225 Then I wake up. 550 00:40:33,305 --> 00:40:35,345 Something is not right. 551 00:40:35,425 --> 00:40:37,065 There was somebody in the house 552 00:40:37,145 --> 00:40:39,425 who put a knife to my throat." 553 00:40:41,865 --> 00:40:44,865 Subtitles: Anna Townend plint.com