The Swedish pop scene of the 1990s flared up as a bright star in the world dance music sky. Numerous Swedish musical groups became popular all over the world, their songs were recognized and loved.
Among them was the theatrical and musical project Army of Lovers. This is perhaps the most outstanding phenomenon of modern northern culture.
Frank costumes, extraordinary appearance, outrageous video clips are the components of the popularity of this group. Some compositions belonged to the category of prohibited clips for showing on television.
The video clips were directed by Frederik Boklund and the extravagant stage outfits were created by renowned designer Camilla Tullin.
History of Army of Lovers
The founder of the famous Swedish pop group Army of Lovers was Alexander Bard (a student of economics). The team included: Jean-Pierre Barda (Farouk) and Camille Henemark (Katanga). The originally created group was known only in its own country.
After changing their image and name, members Jean-Pierre and Camille dropped their pseudonyms and subsequently performed with their real names. 1987 was the year the famous band was born.
Alexander Bard - the founder of the team, was born in a family that was distinguished by strict rules. Mom is a school teacher, dad is the owner of the company.
Surprisingly, in a union blessed by the church, a man was born who became the complete opposite of his believing parents. A rebel by nature, the seven-year-old boy considered himself quite an adult.
Alexander studied at two schools in parallel (ordinary and musical), and in his free time he visited discos with friends and started romances with girls.
His group has become a complete revolution in show business on a global scale. Today, Alexander, the king of outrageousness, has radically changed his field of activity, changing the scene to engage in social and political problems.
However, his talent, innovative inclinations and real professionalism allow him to be a leader in any business.
Jean-Pierre Barda is a talented, charismatic singer, he was born in Paris in a Jewish-French family. Dad is a Jew from Algeria, mom is a French-born. Parents emigrated to Sweden when Jean was still a child.
After graduating from high school, he worked in theater and television, while learning the basics of the art of a hairdresser and makeup artist. He ran his own program.
His performance debut was an anti-war song popular in Sweden and Israel. As part of a show group of transvestites, he performed in Greece under the pseudonym Farouk.
Having met Alexander and Camilla, he took part in the creation of the Barbie group. Already in the Army of Lovers group, he abandoned his stage name.
Worked in the group throughout its existence. After the collapse of the group, the singer was engaged in theatrical activities, periodically appearing in television programs.
The place of work was a cosmetic company, a hairdressing salon, even managed one of them. Since 2015 he has been living in Israel. Today, the singer is a volunteer in the Israeli army.
Camilla Henemark (full name - Camilla Maria Henemark) - the lead singer of the group, was born in Stockholm. As a child, she gave preference to athletics, studied singing and theatrical art at the training center. At the beginning of her professional career, she worked as a model.
At the age of 19, she switched to the musical field, working as a dancer, stripper, and vocalist. As part of the group, she did not perform for long, preferring a solo career.
She starred in films, played in theatrical performances, and today works in a television show. She lectured for some time at the NASP National Center. She was married twice, had a close relationship with the king of Sweden.
Dominika Maria Peczynski is a Swedish singer, lead singer of Army of Lovers, model, and TV presenter. Born in Poland, in Warsaw. Her father, a Pole by birth, and her mother with Russian-Jewish roots moved to Stockholm when the girl was 7 years old.
At a young age, Dominica was an adherent of the hippie movement. She worked in modeling agencies, a stripper, had sex on the phone.
In the 1990s, she became the lead singer of a Swedish pop group. After the breakup of the group, the sphere of activity was television, she took part in a Playboy photo shoot (Swedish version).
Maria Susanna Michaela Dornonville de la Cour (Michaela de la Cour) was born in the city of Helsingborg (Sweden). Her family emigrated from France. Mikaela is known not only as the lead singer of the group, but also as an artist, model and designer.
With the end of school, studies faded into the background. The girl worked as a maître d', a college teacher with a musical bias, in a modeling agency.
In the group, she replaced Camilla, but the relationship with another soloist Dominika was difficult. This played a significant role in leaving, as did the fatigue from touring life.
Each of the trio of magnificent soloists in her own way has made an invaluable contribution to the development of the creative work of the musical group.
The years of popularity and the pinnacle of fame of Army of Lavers
In the late 1980s, the group released their first single, and in the early 1990s they recorded their first album at the studio. The album was released in the Scandinavian countries, USA and Japan.
Video clips filmed for songs have repeatedly received various prizes. The second album added to the group's appreciation of the fans.
From 1993 to 1995 Army of Lovers performed as a quartet and presented a new album, which received the status of a diamond album in Russia. Many songs from it became real hits and are very popular to this day.
The founder of the group, Alexander Bard, disbanded his brainchild in 1996, and all members of the ensemble went on a free voyage, reuniting only for a short time for a grandiose tour of the stars of past years.
The music of the group was a unique moment, which was almost impossible to repeat.
