René Dif (born 17 October 1967) is a Danish musician, singer-songwriter, DJ and actor, best known as the male lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian

eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. Thi ...

group Aqua.

Biography

1967–1994: Early years and private life

Dif was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. His father was Algerian and his mother Danish. He has two younger brothers and a sister. He was never interested in school and was kicked out of it several times. As a result, Dif left school after ninth grade to work on a cruise ship.

1994–1995: ''Groove your soul''

While he was in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

, Dif heard a local DJ on the radio and decided to become a DJ. He went to Norway to pursue his dream of becoming a star. Dif met Lene Nystrøm on a cruise ship in 1994. When he, Claus Norreen, and Søren Rasted were setting up a band, they needed a singer, and Lene was asked to join. The band, which was later known as Aqua, became an international success. While a DJ in Norway, Dif met DJ Alligator, with whom he made an album, ''Groove your soul'', and the debut single "I believe". Although unsuccessful, they marked the debut of Dif as an aspiring DJ with vocal abilities.

1996–2001: Aqua

Dif, as a member of Aqua, has had over ten top 10 hits in his home country. The band sold more than 28 million records worldwide and appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as the only debut band with three "self-penned" number one hits in the UK. He has received more than 140 Gold and Platinum albums (and received a Diamond album in Canada for 1 million sold albums). Aqua's main hits were "Roses Are Red", " My Oh My", " Barbie Girl", "

Lollipop (Candyman) "Lollipop (Candyman)" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released as the fifth overall single from their debut album, ''Aquarium'', in Australasia, North America, and mainland Europe—it was not released in the United Ki ...

", " Doctor Jones", " Turn Back Time", " Good Morning Sunshine", " Cartoon Heroes" and " Around the World".

2001–present: Solo career

Following Aqua's split in 2001, Dif released solo singles, including " Let it all out (Push it)" and "The Uhh Uhh Song". In 2004 he began a career as an actor, starring in several movies directed by Lasse Spang Olsen. He owned a short-lived bar in downtown

. In 2002 he published an autobiography titled ''Popdreng – Ud af skabet''.

2007–present: Aqua reunion

Aqua reunited in 2008 as a live band. In March 2011, Aqua released the first single, " How R U Doin?", from their third album '' Megalomania'', released in September 2011 following the release of two more singles, " Playmate to Jesus" and "Like a Robot".

Personal life

Dif was in a relationship with fellow Aqua band member Lene Nystrøm, whom he invited to join the band in 1994. They were in a relationship for three years, before they broke up. He later married Rikke Maija, a health coach whom he has two children with. They have since divorced. He is now in a relationship with Linet Jo.

Discography

with Aqua

Studio albums

Compilations

* 1994: ''Frække Frida og de frygtløse spioner''

Singles

Guest appearances

Promotional singles

* 1999: "I bif med Dif" * 2006: "Way to go" (MySpace release only) * 2011: "Sitting in a room" (Digital release only)

Music videos

Filmography

Motion pictures

* 1999: ''Get ready to be boyzvoiced (Cameo) * 2004: ''Den gode strømer'' (''The good cop'') (Thomas) * 2004: ''Inkasso'' (''The collector'') (Omar Halim) * 2007: ''Pistoleros'' (''Eurotrash'') (Luc) * 2009: ''Sorte Kugler'' (''Black eggs'') (Cameo) * 2011: ''Far til fire – På japansk'' (''Father of four – In Japanese mode'') (TV Producer) * 2011: ''Det grå guld'' (''The grey gold'') (Neighbour #1)

Television

* 2000: ''Reimer Bo møder'' (1 Episode) * 2001: ''Venner for livet – Friends forever'' (1 Episode) * 2001: ''Eurovision Song Contest 2001'' (1 Episode) * 2002: ''Danish Dance Awards 2002'' (1 Episode) * 2002: ''Go' aften Danmark'' (1 Episode) * 2003: ''Robbie Williams – Live in Horsens'' (1 Episode) * 2003: ''Stjerne for en aften – Portræt af en stjerne'' (1 Episode) * 2003: ''Rundfunk'' (1 Episode) * 2003: ''Go' aften Danmark'' (1 Episode) * 2004: ''Boogie Århus Listen'' (1 Episode) * 2004: ''Shooting Stars'' (1 Episode) * 2004: ''Sara & Signe'' (1 Episode) * 2005: ''aHA!'' (1 Episode) * 2005: ''Kanal 5's Bet on Bet Pokershow'' (1 Episode) * 2005: ''Clement direkte med Clement Kjersgaard'' (1 Episode) * 2006: ''Musikprogrammet – Dance 90'ernes danske eksportsucces'' (1 Episode) * 2006: ''Go' aften Danmark'' (1 Episode) * 2007: ''Gu'skelov du kom'' (1 Episode) * 2008: ''Zulu djævleræs'' (2 Episodes) * 2009: ''Den store klasse fest'' (1 Episode) * 2009: ''Zulu djævleræs'' (3 Episodes) * 2009: ''Vild med dans'' (6 Episodes) * 2014: ''South park'' (''Cock Magic'') (Performing Barbie Girl)

Commercials

* 2006: ''Extra Bladet'' (Magazine) * 2007: ''Kim's Crisps – Chips Kongen'' (Food; 3 Commercials) * 2012: ''CBB Mobile'' (Mobile)

Books

* 2002: ''Popdreng – Ud af skabet'' (Autobiography)

References

External links

Archived copy of René Dif's official website

René Dif @ My Aquarium
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dif, Rene 1967 births Living people Aqua (band) members Club DJs Danish dance musicians Danish DJs Danish male singers Danish people of Algerian descent Danish pop musicians Musicians from Copenhagen Male actors from Copenhagen English-language singers from Denmark Electronic dance music DJs