We Cried and Were Near to Breakdown
Original written by Jörgen Holmstedt from the magazine Okej from 1994
You have fought for ages with the demo-play that the record companies denied and club-gig no one comes to. And if you then come up with a song during the right time it can make a big hit. Like it was for Ace of Base. Then you discover that it isn't an easy game on the top either. Here Jonas, Ulf, Malin, and Jenny tell about their nightmare-moment then the break through.

Golden records and outsold tour. Limousines and champagne. And lots of fans that think you are best. But the medallion has a backside too.
"Of course it has," Ulf agrees. "For six monthīs ago it took a week to come down after a hectic period."
"You were never at home," Jonas Berggren laughs Ulf agrees, "No thatīs true. It felt like you had held your breath in a whole week and finally could breathe again. But you never got to collect yourself, before you knew that you were leaving again. Now you have learned the routines so it isnīt so bad." But it has been a lot more difficult for these youngsters from Gothenburg. Just listening!:

Jenny's Worst:  "We fought in Denmark a year ago as the first country. We were doing a tour there and it was chaos because we werenīt used to it. We signed records, we gave interviews in the same time we did soundchecks and then double concerts on that.We werenīt finished until three in the morning and there was nothing else to do then but to wake up at eight in the morning and put some make up on and travel to next city.One night I was so tired that I just cried right out in the lobby. I just didnīt wanna go on like this. People probably thought I was mad."

Malinīs Worst:  "It was when we were supposed to do "Weel of Fortune" in the program "Top of the pops" on English television in August last year. There itīs always live song.But I had no voice left, so I could hardly sing at the soundcheking.I saw how the technicians shook their heads. It was easy to read their minds: "Shall we really send this on the air?". I felt the preasure on me when I was up there. Then I cried. I have never heard the result of it, but I think it worked, because the voice happily got better when it was time to send it."

Jonas's Worst:  "Last summer when we signed a lot of idol-cards at a warehouse in Denmark. We had partied the whole night before, and we were forced to get up at seven o'clock to catch the flight. I was there, with a hangover, and only slept a few hours. We were met by 500 persons that attacked us without any security guards. The chaos and the pressure was horrible. It was very hot and I sweat heaps. But that wasn't enough; the warehouse had gigantic grass-carpets outside which made me deathly allergic. It was then that I nearly freaked out. What an unreal experience."

Ulf's Worst:  "That would be the writing about me last year, no doubt. (He means the article about his past as a gang member after the radiostation "Signal" came out with the first revival.) There were about 40 days that were very heavy for me. "Signal" was doing everything to make me go under, in simple words kill me. I hardly got the chance to defend myself. The whole thing was only to break me down, even though I said I was sorry for my old sins. After this test it feels like there aren't any existing problems in this branch. Everything else feels like cotton in a comparison.

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