Lene Grawford Nystrom was born in Tonsberg, Norway, on October 2, 1973. With hair color to match the changing seasons and brown/green/grey eyes, Lene graduated from college and guide school before becoming a pop star. Partaking in a host of jobs before her full-time career as a member of Aqua, Lene was discovered by Rene Dif, who met the television hostess while passing through Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
Rene was one of the most popular DJs in Scandinavia at the time, while Claus Norreen and Soren Rasted worked together at a gas station (and were formerly in the group Joyspeed). Rene, Claus and Soren already made up the foundation of the band in 1994, but once Rene heard Lene's voice and saw how much energy she had, he instinctively knew that she should join his band... and thus Aqua was formed. Aqua was signed to Universal Music Denmark in 1996, after the pop quartet performed several songs to the record company. The group's first single, "Roses Are Red", presented a new sound and concept to the music and club scene, and became a number one hit for several weeks, to finally go platinum.
When Aqua released "Barbie Girl" and the album Aquarium (which both debuted at number one), some American radio stations got hold of Aqua's high-tide success in Europe. Audiences were immediately intrigued by the infectious and original "Barbie Girl", and MCA Records signed the band for their US release. Although Lene Nystrom hadn't intended on becoming a singer (she had worked as a bartender and model in the past), she adds spunk and energy to the band. Nicknamed Grunda Pruppen, The Nugget, and The Babe (among others), Lene lists Kid Rock and Savage Garden as her favorite artists. Despite her success, she would love to be living on a farm with lots of animals in 10 years from now.
