Ace of Base in the Pressure Cooker
BOP Magazine May, 1995

    Is the pressure of fame getting to Ace of Base?
    As Jenny, Linn, Jonas, and Ulf tinker with their follow-up to The Sign, do sometime this year, "How are they holding up?" isn't exactly a crazy question. After all, last year, the four skyrocketed to a level of fame that automatically includes a lot of stressful situations. Our guess is that 1994's sudden mega-success may have taken its toll.
    After Jenny's well-reported skirmish with a knife-wielding "fan" last spring, for example, Jenny and Linn have bodyguards trailing them in public, something they didn't have when they were unknowns.
    Ulf has complained that the daily demands of being a superstar- including an endless parade of interviews, public appearances, and photo shoots- make him feel "as if I'm in prison." And Jonas seems to feel that all the touring has made him and his sisters more like co-workers than a like a close-knit family.
    "I would say that I have seen them more as colleagues now," Jonas told BOP's international correspondent. "Before, they were my sisters and Ulf was a friend. Now they're colleagues. You know what I mean? When we're from touring, for example, I don't call my sisters the next evening."
    The four, in fact, go their separate ways when they're back in their hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden after being on the road together. "When we're home, we try to relax and take it easy with our friends." Jonas says. "Then we have the strength to get back together and promote Ace of Base."
    On the other hand, while thier might be a lot of stress involved in being a world renound pop powerhouse, Ace of Base doesn't exactly have a bad situation going. While nobody should have to have a bodyguard, the Berggren sisters may feel safer once they've been out of the public eye for a few months. Ulf may start to sat no to some of the interviews and photo shoots, leaving a little more time for himself.
    And chances are that once Ace of Base becomes fully accustomed to fame and the problems that go with it, the Berggrens' family ties will be as strong as ever.
    As Jonas observes, the group is missing one stressful trait that a lot of families unfortunately possess: "There's no nagging with each other."


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