Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group formed in 1987, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg.

Johnny left the group in 1989, and Niklas made his departure known by failing to turn up to a gig at Bältespännarparken in Gothenburg on 4 August 1990, instead attending a Rolling Stones concert across town.

[13] The group continued performing in the clubs of Gothenburg but struggled to gain recognition, partly due to the local preference for heavy metal music over techno.

[12][15]"Wheel of Fortune" was serviced to radio and nightclubs in Sweden in early 1992, reaching Gothenburg's local Jockeytoppen chart in March, which led to an invitation to perform on the music television channel ZTV.

After hearing Kayo's "Another Mother" in a record store – a top 20 hit in Sweden in 1990 – Jonas and Ulf decided that it was the exact sound they wanted to create.

"[18] Eventually, Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, heard the song playing on the radio whilst on vacation on his yacht, and rushed to sign a licence with Mega for the Americas.

Promotion for the album concluded with the final single release, "Living in Danger", which also became a top 40 hit internationally and was performed in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the first-ever MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin in November 1994.

[27] The band became embroiled in controversy when, on 27 March 1993, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Ulf had been a member of a skinhead gang during his teenage years, prior to his association with Ace of Base.

"[28] In 2013, the story resurfaced in a report by Vice, which referenced an unauthorized CD released in 1998 titled Uffe Was a Nazi!, containing songs with racist content purportedly recorded by Ulf's former band, "Commit Suiside".

"[33]Following the substantial success of their debut album, the group was offered the opportunity to perform at Madison Square Garden in New York and asked to represent brands such as Pepsi and Reebok in promotional campaigns.

This album marked a significant shift in sound; alongside the reggae and dance styles that had propelled the group to fame, it featured more experimental tracks and several ballads.

In February 1996, the band performed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile, headlining alongside 2 Unlimited.

After touring Asia and Australasia in April 1996, the group temporarily withdrew from the limelight, scrapping plans to release either "My Déjà Vu" or "Edge of Heaven" as singles.

They re-emerged only in 1997 for an April performance at the World Music Awards and a July concert celebrating the 20th birthday of Princess Victoria of Sweden.

[37] Fans were reassured that Linn was happy with her new backing role in the group, and many reasons were given for her decision, including her having damaged her voice, her aerophobia deterring her from international travel, dealing with depression, and her dislike of fame.

The album's lead single, "Life Is a Flower", was released in mainland Europe in April 1998, and became the most-played track on European radio of the year.

Deciding that "Life Is a Flower" was "too European in nature", Clive Davis pushed "Cruel Summer" as the lead single for the United States, and it brought Ace of Base back into the U.S. Top 10 for the first time in four years, being certified gold.

Ulf later revealed that they had hoped to release a track called "Pole Position" as the lead single, with a music video featuring the Formula One champion driver Jacques Villeneuve.

After several delays, Ace of Base finally released their fourth studio album, Da Capo, on September 30, 2002, in Europe, and in Japan through Toshiba EMI with a different cover and three bonus tracks.

[19] The title comes from the musical term da capo, which translates as "back to the beginning", as the sound of the album was meant to be a return to the group's early blend of reggae and europop.

Jenny confirmed Linn's permanent departure from the group, saying "She hasn't been part of Ace of Base for several years" in Se & Hør magazine.

[53][54] The group collaborated with Jenny's husband, Jakob, to record material for a new studio album, which was intended to include seven new songs and seven remakes of old hits.

Jenny published her autobiography Vinna hela Världen in Sweden in September and announced that she was recording a solo album, which materialized in October 2010 as My Story.

[64] Jonas and Ulf then said in an interview with Scandipop that Jenny wasn't happy with plans to introduce a new member, and while she never formally quit the group, they felt that they had no choice but to proceed without her.

[61] Two new singers were revealed in February 2010:[65] Clara Hagman, a contestant from Idol 2009 who Ulf met whilst appearing as a guest judge on the show; and Julia Williamson.

[69][70] The first official single from the line-up, "All for You", was premiered on radio station Antenne AC on July 22, and was released on CD and download on September 10, debuting at No.

In March 2011, Jonas began releasing previously unreleased material to fans via the band's official Facebook page and the website ReverbNation on a semi-regular basis, in events they referred to as "Ace Thursdays".

2 (a new follow-up to the original Hidden Gems), an EP containing previously unreleased remixes of "Edge Of Heaven", and a DVD containing all of the group's music videos.

[103] Robyn said she was inspired by Ace of Base for her song "Dancehall Queen", which was produced by Diplo and Klas Åhlund for her fifth studio album Body Talk Pt.

[112] Indie rock band The Mountain Goats included a cover of "The Sign" by Ace of Base on their 1995 EP Songs For Peter Hughes.