ATeens

A*Teens were a pop music group from Stockholm, Sweden, formed in 1998 as an ABBA tribute called ABBA Teens and later renamed to A*Teens. The band's debut album became a success around the world, from that point, the band started to release their own original songs, and in 2001, it was reported that the band had sold 7 million albums worldwide.

After six years together, the band announced they would take a break in 2004 after the release of their "Greatest Hits" album

Each song from that album became a top twenty-hit in at least one country around the world. The split of the band was officially announced on 15 April 2006 and the band members have all started to pursue solo careers.


Biography
In 1998, Marie, Amit, Dhani, and Sara were musically united as the ABBA Teens. However, upon the request of Bj?rn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of the legendary Swedish group ABBA, the group's name was changed to the A*Teens to avoid confusion. This choice allowed the band more freedom in creating their own style of music and not be solely based around ABBA.


The ABBA Generation
In early 1999 the band started the recording process of what would be their debut album, The ABBA Generation, consisting purely of ABBA covers reinterpreted with a modern pop and techno flair to appeal to a new generation of young pop fans. Their first single, Mamma Mia, topped the charts in over ten countries including their home country Sweden where it stayed at number one for eight consecutive weeks. The album hit the pole position in Sweden & Chile and became a top ten hit throughout the world. Further singles enjoyed similar success ensuring top ten placings across the globe.

The band's music video for Dancing Queen features a plot very similar to the 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. In addition, the principal seen in the music video was played by Paul Gleason, the same actor who was the principal in the movie. The single reached ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S. alone, being certified Gold."Dancing Queen" sells 500,000 copies

The album sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It was certified Gold or Platinum in over 22 different countries. It also reached number three on the World Album charts.

In early 2000, the band embarked on a U.S. promotional tour, and on the verge of the release of their album in America, the band was invited to tour with Britney Spears that summer in her U.S. Tour. The band's debut became a hit in North America, where the album reached seventy-one on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart being certified Gold in September 2000,RIAA: Gold Certificate for "The ABBA Generation" September 29th 2000 but its sales reached the million mark in 2001.

That month, the A*Teens won a Viva Music Award for Best International Newcomer, competing with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Blink-182, and also the band announced what would be the lead single from their second album and their first to be an original song, "Upside Down", the song was released to Swedish radios on October 23 2000, and was later unleashed worldwide, when the single was commercially released, it reached number-two in Sweden and was later certified 2x Platinum. The song became the band's biggest hit, when it reached the top ten in several countries and when the single was released in the United States, the physical single reached number-six on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales Chart, selling over 500,000 copies in three weeks and being certified Gold. In January 2001, the band was nominated for "Best Swedish Group" at the NRJ Awards,


Teen Spirit
The band's second album, entitled "Teen Spirit", featured a compilation of tracks that were not ABBA covers and when it was finally released in February 26, 2001, it debuted at number-two in the Swedish Charts and reached the top ten in other countries and entered at number eighty-three on the World Charts,number-thirteen on the European Albums Chart, number-fourteen on CNN'S WorldBeat Album Charts and peaked at number-fifty in the United States selling over 60,000 copies in its first two weeks, ensuring Gold Status for sales exceeding the 500,000 copies in the United States alone. Prior to the release of the album, the A*Teens became one of the first bands to broadcast one of their shows on MSN's Websites

The U.K. releases were delayed due to A*Teens' failure with their previous album in that country, when "Upside Down" was released there in May 2001, the single peaked at number-ten in the United Kingdom becoming their only top ten hit in that country, the album was delayed and released after the second single, "Halfway Around The World" in late October 2001, the single barely made the top thirty and the album did not chart in the top 75.

Before they started their concert tour in the U.S. the band went to promote their album to Asia, with stops in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia where they did show for MTV Asia and Thailand, with great success, especially in the former where Coca-Cola signed the band to become the face of the brand there and promote, "We were the first international artists ever to appear on a soda can there. They printed 15 million of them; we went home with ten!" Remembers Sara, The cans were distributed around the country that year.

The group promoted their album with a forty-three-date tour with Aaron Carter around the U.S., back in Europe, the band toured with No Angels in Germany. By the end of 2001, "Teen Spirit" went on to sell over 1 million copies worldwide and were invited by Walt Disney/Buena Vista to record the European soundtrack for the movie "The Princess Diaries", as the movie had already been released in North and South America, the movie was set to be released in Europe in the winter 2001, "Heartbreak Lullaby" a song written by Cathy Dennis (famous for writing Kylie Minogue's number-one hit, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head") and Kasmanaut, the video was shot in Germany in late October, in the middle of their tour, the single was released in December 2001 and it became another top ten hit for the band in their home country spending four months inside the charts.

source : http://www.artistopia.com/a-teens/biography