Aqua's Aquarium

Dr. C.C. McKee (Assistant Professor of History of Art, Bryn Mawr College, USA)

$120

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Bloomsbury Academic USA
08 August 2024

Music: styles & genres; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups

Series: 33 1/3 Europe

“I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world,” the ubiquitous refrain that dominated the airwaves in summer 1997. Aqua's single from their debut album Aquarium spread like wildfire, topping charts across the globe. With their erotically charged lyrics and dance beats, Aqua moved beyond their Danish Eurodance beginnings and achieved global renown in the late 1990s. In the US, however, they are an infamous “one hit wonder,” remembered for their highly publicized lawsuit with Mattel. Although Aqua's fame waned at the turn of the millennium, the 25th anniversary of their debut precipitated a resurgence in their popularity.

This book unwraps a bubblegum dance classic to offer the first in-depth examination of what lies beneath Aqua's sticky-sweet veneer. It traces the history of Aquarium alongside interpretations of the album’s singles informed by queer theory and covers by contemporary musicians commissioned for the book. Peeling back the layers of Aquarium reveals a confection rife with unexpected contradictions and possibilities; videos permeated by seemingly innocuous articulates of heteronormativity are held in tension with suggestions of queerness, fetishism, and adolescent lust when heard through the ironic lens of camp.

By: Dr. C.C. McKee (Assistant Professor of History of Art Bryn Mawr College USA)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 197mm, Width: 127mm,
ISBN: 9781501384172
ISBN 10: 1501384171
Series: 33 1/3 Europe
Pages: 168
Publication Date: 08 August 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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. McKee’s 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.