The Army Of Lovers team was founded in 1987. Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and La Camilla can rightfully be considered the creators of the group. La Camilla appeared on the cover of a British fashion monthly in October 1987, one of the first steps that would catapult Swedish '90s dance music into the mainstream worldwide.

After releasing several maxi-singles in the late eighties with songs that were an original arrangement of light-sounding disco, Army Of Lovers recorded their super successful and later cult debut album "Disco Extravaganza", which included such classic hits of the group as Ride The Bullet and My Army Of Lovers. The innovative sound of the album and unforgettable, playful, vibrant video clips made the entire music industry start talking about the group.

The group's second album, "Massive Luxury Overdose", was released in 1991 and became even more successful. The first single, Crucified, shot to the top of the charts in 13 countries and stayed in first place on the US Hi-Energy Dance Chart for 6 months! For the next, no less successful single, Obsession, an unusual video clip was shot, which received a huge number of various awards. This song has become the most beloved among Army Of Lovers fans in Russia. The album "Massive Luxury Overdose" sold more than one and a half million copies.

The band began recording the next album, "The Gods of Earth And Heaven", with the addition of a new soloist, Dominica Peczynski. The first single Israelism was accompanied by a very scandalous video clip, which cemented the cult status of the group. Throughout Eastern Europe and, of course, in Russia, Israelism became the most successful commercial single at that time. And we can safely say that it was he who turned Army Of Lovers into superstars. The name of the group, as one of the most commercially successful groups, is still put on a par with Metallica, whose records of the early 90s broke all sales records in Russia.

In 1994, Army of Lovers released their fourth album, Glory, Glamor And Gold, which included the super hits Lit De Parade and Sexual Revolution, the latter track produced by Denniz Pop, one of the group's most famous managers. In the same year, the group ceased to exist, having released the international superhit Give My Life as a farewell.

Since 1995, the members of Army of Lovers have each pursued their own successful careers. Alexander is a famous sociologist, author of many literary bestsellers and owner of his own Internet incubator. He also wrote and produced many hits for a number of artists. Jean-Pierre hosted several television shows, worked as an actor and became a very famous makeup artist. Dominica hosts the TV show "Dominica's Planet", which can be seen by viewers in five European countries, and also runs one of the most famous Swedish Internet portals, Lovesearch.com. The inimitable La Camilla takes part in the famous Swedish political talk show.

All of the above explains that pop music was more of a fun hobby than a serious pursuit for the four members of Army of Lovers. But, apparently, this is precisely what gave the group’s entire work (music, videos, live performances) such incredible appeal. Army of Lovers presented us with pop music free from the usual cynicism of the music business. In Army Of Lovers we saw only music and just looked at the show, in its purest form, not seasoned with any special effects or anything else.

May the Chamber users forgive me, but this was my favorite group. Especially her first albums.

To say that their appearance shocked the venerable fathers of the family is to say nothing.

Group Army Of lovers

Year of creation: 1985

Participants: Alexandre Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda, La Camille (Camille Henemark), Michaela de la Cour, Dominique Pecinski History: for the first two years the group performed under the name Barbie. Until 1992, the team existed as a trio. But after La Camilla left, two new soloists joined the group - Michaela de la Cour and Dominique Pecinski. Army Of Lovers broke up in 1996, but in 2001 the musicians got back together

Discography: a total of 11 albums were released, among them: "Disco Extravaganza" (1990), "Army Of Lovers" (1991, went platinum), "Massive Luxury Overdose" (1992), "The Gods Of Earth And Heaven" (1993 ), "Master Series" (1997), "Le Grand Docu-Soap" (2001)

Hits: “Crucified” (1991), “Israelism” (1991), “La Plage De Saint Tropez” (1993), “Sexual Revolution” (1994), etc.

The year is 1985. The audience screams with pleasure. The band Barbie performs on stage at the Swedish gay club Zanzibar. The composition of the group: Alexander Bard (soloist, songwriter), Jean-Pierre Bard (backing vocalist) and La Camilla (Camilla Henemark, backing vocalist). There is a song about a Barbie girl who flew from Mars. When the applause died down, the artists approached the table where fashion designer Camilla Tulin was sitting - it was she who came up with their enchanting costumes.

Success awaits you! - said Tulin. - You will collect stadiums.

Hacker Baptist

At the age of 8, Alexander Bard moved from the small South African town of Bloemfontein, where his father had his own business, to the suburbs of Stockholm.

The parents liked the quiet village life, but it was unbearably boring for their son. At the age of 15, Alexander and his girlfriend moved to Stockholm. Then he hitchhiked across Europe and decided to stay in Amsterdam, where he got a job as an assistant director at a recording studio. Watching the musicians, he soon began playing the guitar and keyboards himself.

But the craving for new experiences makes you move on. And now he is already in Los Angeles - studying at a theater school. Alexander's passion for Baptistism turns him away from his career as an actor. He is even seriously considering becoming a priest. And in the end he enters the economics department of the university. And having received a bachelor's degree, he returns to Stockholm and takes the entrance exams to the academy. His new passion is political science. In his free time, he writes computer programs to order that crack the electronic keys of banks and competing firms. This method of earning money almost cost him his freedom: the 23-year-old hacker was quickly identified by the police. Fortunately, the academy teachers stood up for the talented student, and Alexander escaped with correctional labor in a psychiatric hospital.

Meeting place can not be Changed

The bard dreamed of earning a lot of money in order to gain freedom, which in turn would give him the opportunity to sit down to... write books. Yes, yes, he read many works of philosophers of all times, and it turned out that his own idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe world was different from others. But he wrote songs and decided to first try to tell the world something of his own through them. In his thoughts, more than once he had assembled a small troupe of traveling artists, each performance of which should be a musical performance. In outrageous costumes, masks and unimaginable hairstyles, funny to everyone, they will talk about things that are important to everyone!

That evening, Alexander stayed up late at the club: the transvestite show had long since ended, but he was still sitting, sipping a cocktail and watching the gilded figures of plump angels spin in clouds of cigarette smoke under a pink lampshade.

Hi, how are you? - a tall guy with a glass of beer in his hand came close to Alexander. - My name is Jean-Pierre. Can I sit down?

He was handsome, and his voice was pleasant and musical. Looking at him, Alexander caught himself as his thoughts began to materialize. Here he is - an actor in his future theater. They started talking. At the age of 15, like the Bard, Jean-Pierre ran away from his parents' house in Paris. I tried to become a designer, hairdresser, stylist, fashion model, and performed at shows of revealing lingerie in gay clubs. In Sweden he found himself in the company of his lover, the guys were looking for work.

Jean-Pierre got the idea of ​​singing in a music group. What didn’t they talk about that evening! About fashion, love, politics, cosmic wind, European history and the French Revolution. By the way, regarding the last one, they agreed that it was a mistake...

Guys, what are we talking about? - in front of them stood a beauty wearing high heels, dressed in a red miniskirt and a blue open blouse. Plump lips, high breasts... Camilla, a 21-year-old model and stripper, was spending the evening with a gay friend, but he hooked up with someone, and the girl was left alone.

Alexander pushed back his chair, inviting the lady to sit down:

We are talking about the French Revolution.

An hour later, all three realized that they themselves were ready to make a revolution, the leader of which Bard proclaimed himself.

Your songs are too sensual

By calling the group Barbie, Alexander was testing the ground on which they had yet to find their feet. Two years later, Alexander unearthed a more successful one - Army Of Lovers. In the 1970s, a scandalous film about the morals that reigned in the army of Alexander the Great was released in Germany under this title.

The bard baked songs like pies: “Love Me Like A Loaded Gun”, “Baby’s Got A Neutron Bomb”, “I Am The Amazon”, “Planet Coma 3 Am”.

Recording from 1988: Army Of Lovers performing the song "When The Night Is Cold" on the club stage. The Bard is at the microphone, La Camilla in a hat made of roses sings along. Jean-Pierre is sitting at the piano, on whose lacquered “back” a beauty is reclining.

In Sweden they were listened to. But neither the rest of Europe nor America wanted to admit it. The producers said:

Your songs are too sensual and frank.

We were probably somewhat ahead of our time,” La Camilla recalled many years later. - We had to work very hard to become famous, so that the public would appreciate our style, get used to it and love it.

Alexander quickly realized that the more spectacular Jean-Pierre should take the solo, and retreated into the background.

I always strove for theatrical performances,” recalls Bard. - I spent nights drawing sketches of costumes, then passing them on to the designer, who brought them to fruition. We didn't buy anything in stores.

Peacock feathers, fans made of swan down, toy accessories (plastic guitars, palm-sized pianos, combs instead of microphones), Jean-Pierre in high heels, Alexander on roller skates - their show resembled a huge tropical butterfly, which opened its bright wings.

Hit No. 1 on both sides of the ocean, top of the charts

12 countries became the song "Crucified", which was released as a single in 1991.

And even the fact that the Catholic Church tried to ban this musical story about how fanatics sentenced themselves to crucifixion to atone for their sins was only to the advantage of the group! “Great PR,” Alex rejoiced. The influential British weekly Melody Maker called Army Of Lovers the main musical provocation of the 1990s.

There is no need to look for subtext in our songs,” Jean-Pierre tried to explain. - Think of them as a performance, where Alex, La Camilla and I do not make statements at all, but simply play roles.

Spicy revenge

Disagreements within the group began a year after worldwide recognition. On the one hand, everyone understood that Alexander was the creator and ideological inspirer of the “Army,” but this very army was tired of obeying his orders.

Success inspired them so much that everyone felt like generals.

Without us, the Bard would never have achieved popularity, they said.

“For all his good business qualities, acumen, and ability to profit from everything, his selfishness and terrible pride are simply unbearable,” La Camilla asserted in an interview, calling herself the main creative of the group. After reading the article, Alexander became furious:

Any woman, sensing favor, strives to sit on her neck,” he was indignant.

Jean-Pierre and I always do everything for the group, and La Camille does everything for herself. She has already become the owner of a modeling agency. One of the most popular discos in Stockholm is named after her. So let him do them!

Four years later, La Camilla will again sing in the group. But for now, Bard has found a new vocalist to take her place. She was the Frenchwoman Michaela de la Cour. The appearance of a new blond beauty in the group was preceded by a legend launched by the Bard in the media: she is a direct descendant of Madame Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV.

Meanwhile, Michaela herself was jumping for joy.

It was supernatural, magical! - she recalled later. - I heard their songs. And I even thought: how great it would be to work with them. And suddenly this phone call!

Bard called her after seeing a photo in a modeling agency. The fate of a girl who had recently taught children to play the piano was turned upside down by her participation in a Marilyn Monroe look-alike contest organized by a New York magazine. Obeying an impulse, the modest teacher, having styled her hair a la Monroe, went to the photo studio. She won the competition and immediately quit her job - she moved to Los Angeles, where she entered drama school. Here Michaela began working at the agency, where Bard called her. Two days later, 31-year-old de la Cour was already rehearsing with the group.

In the same year, the trio turns into a quartet: Bard takes his mistress into the group - stripper Dominika Pecinski. He fell in love with her voice during a session with the Phone Sex service. They talked for several hours and eventually agreed to meet.

Dominica turned out to be the only woman capable of taming the Bard.

He even let her lead us! - Michaela was indignant. - I wanted to leave, but I had a two-year contract with the group. Besides, without me Army Of Lovers would cease to exist!

The year is 1994. There are no empty seats in the huge stadium in Stockholm. When the last technician left the stage, the first chords of "Sexual Revolution" sounded and THEY appeared on stage. The crowd roared and sang along with their idols:

Love is love, let's come together. Love is free, it lasts forever. Free is love, my contribution. Hail the sexual revolution!

Love is love, let's be together. Love is free and will be forever. Freedom is love, I'll do my part. Long live the sexual revolution!

Without giving up singing in the group, Michaela began working alone. In 1994, she appeared on magazine covers and posed for a calendar. And during the Christmas holidays of 1994, I happily signed autographs on television. One. The bard, seeing the program and calendar, became angry. And when ordering the cover for the new disc, I decided to do without her photo.

But the end of Michaela’s work in the group was another, more than piquant story. At the beginning of 1995, the girl began dating a wealthy producer. Everything seemed to be going towards the wedding, but one day it went wrong. Returning home two hours earlier, Michaela found her groom in the arms of... Alexander!

How could you! - the only thing the singer could squeeze out of herself.

Both lovers took these words personally. The bard jumped up from the wide double bed and shouted:

We live in a free country and are free to choose partners!

Michaela walked out, slamming the door in anger. She moved in with a friend and, without showing up, canceled three concerts. And soon she left the group completely.

I was required to be vulgar and frank. A woman who wears red lipstick and says stupid things, but I don’t like that,” she said bitterly.

Alexander Bard was also worried:

“She’s too decent,” he said. - Michaela was going to make us highly intelligent people whose example is important to the crowd. It's good, but it's not for us.

Russian vodka, nesting dolls and caviar

After Michaela left, the group really began to fall apart. With La Camille returning, Army Of Lovers manages to record the album "Les Greatest Hits". And in 1996, Dominica said that she was tired of endless travel and stupid songs. That she was tired. Jean-Pierre was also tired of the almost ten-year marathon.

Dominika worked on television - she made the entertainment show "Dominika's Planet", acted for Playboy, opened a travel agency. Jean-Pierre began his career as an actor. He played a soldier in the remake of the famous play "La Cage Aux Folles" about the life of two transvestites, and starred in an episode popular comedy series "Sally" (1998), worked at the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden.

Regarding the breakup of the group, Alex philosophically remarked:

Such is life... Soon all projects will last for three years. In my opinion, this figure is associated with a hidden biological mechanism. Because people eventually get tired of the same type of work and they have a desire to move on...

Bard created a new group - Vacuum, then Alcazar, but could not repeat the success of Army Of Lovers. In 1998, he wrote songs for the album of Agnetha Fältskog (former lead singer of ABBA).

But in 2001, Alexander reassembled the team, testing in practice one of the principles of show business: there is nothing more interesting than the departure of a star from the stage and her return. The trio of Alexander, Jean-Pierre and Dominique was again joined by La Camille. In 1997, she released a solo album, Temper, which did not bring her success. Then, with her friend actor Mark, she staged a program in a strip club, and played in the film “Adam and Eve” together with the Swedish actress Josephine Nilsson.

The four musicians released the single "Let The Sunshine In", which soared to the top of the charts in Europe, including Russia. By the way, the musicians have the warmest memories associated with Russia.

We've been to Russia eight times! And the biggest success awaited the group in 1993 in Volgograd, where 300 thousand people came to the concert! True, what we remember most is Russian vodka, nesting dolls and black caviar,” Alexander admitted.

Impressed by caviar, Jean-Pierre, a stylist in one of his specialties, recommended it as an excellent cosmetic product.

Music doesn't play
significant role in our lives -
Bard said in an interview with Stockholm television. This is a hobby that we do together,” Bard said. - Each album records a certain life experience, but it was this experience, and not its reflection in music, that made us happy. Since the creation of the group, we have lived as if we were living legends. Therefore, now we simply maintain the status that we definitely deserve.

Today, Bard is one of the owners of Stockholm Records and an Internet company, and is busy writing his third book on sociology. Two previous works, Neocracy and The New Global Empire, had great success in both Europe and America.

Mobility is one of the main features of modern man. And I try to follow this rule, and sometimes I even get ahead of my time. And being a producer and businessman gives me freedom, and I use it to write books.

A recent video about “bribery doctors and teachers” made us once again recall the immortal hit of the end of the last century “Sexual Revolution”. Its performers, the group "Army of Lovers", were one of the most notable due to their shocking image. And they managed to deliver such a blow to the consciousness of the audience thanks to their soloists. There were exactly three of them during the existence of the group. These are the girls we will meet.

Let's start with Dominika Pecinski... =)
So... Dominica Maria Peczynski (Swedish: Dominika Maria Peczynski; born September 20, 1970, Warsaw, Poland) is a Swedish singer, model and TV presenter.

Born in Warsaw in the family of a Pole and a woman of Russian-Jewish origin. At the age of seven she moved to Stockholm.

In her youth, she gravitated toward the hippie movement and worked in Stockholm modeling agencies. Lived in Prague, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, did striptease and phone sex.

As part of her last lesson, she met musician Alexander Bard.

In 1992, Dominika, at the invitation of the Bard, joined the Swedish pop group Army of Lovers, which he created, debuting with the song “Hasta Mañana” (a cover version of the ABBA song).

By that time, she was well acquainted not only with Alexander, but also with the rest of the members: Jean-Pierre Barda, who studied with Dominique at the same school, as well as with Camilla Henemark, who left the team shortly after Dominique arrived, and Michaela, who came shortly before her de la Cour - both of them worked with Dominica at the Camilla Thulin modeling agency.

After Army of Lovers disbanded in 1996, Dominika worked as a TV presenter both within Sweden ("Through The Key Hole", "Genom Nyckelhelet") and abroad ("The Big E", "Scandinavian Summer"). including hosting his own program “Dominika's Planet”, which was broadcast in the UK.

In 1998, she took part in a photo shoot for the Swedish version of Playboy magazine.

On August 5, 2000, Dominica gave birth to a daughter, Hannah. Since 2005 he has been participating in the pop music project “Nouveau Riche”.

In 2011, Dominica and La Camilla teamed up to take part in the recording of the song Don’t Try to Steal My Limelight, the main performer of which was the Swedish drag queen Miss Inga. A video clip was also shot for the song.
In 2011, she gave birth to a son, Harry. In 2013, she again joined the revived Army of Lovers.
As for me, she is the most interesting lady out of all of them, that’s why I started with her)
This is what she looks like now...

The next girl who gained fame due to her participation in the popular music group “Army of Lovers” is Maria Suzanne Michaela Dornonville de la Cour, or simply Michaela de la Cour (Swedish: Michaëla de la Cour; born August 16, 1961, Helsingborg, Sweden) - singer, actress, model and designer.

Soloists of the group "Army of Lovers" music, Soloist, groups
Born in Sweden, in Helsingborg, into a family of French emigrants. Having refused to go to college after graduating from school, she began working as a head waiter, and later as a teacher at the Adolf-Fredrie Music College.

In 1988, Michaela moved to New York, where her father had previously moved. Here in the US, she also trained at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in Los Angeles. After some time, she returned to Sweden, where she got a job at the Camilla Thulin modeling agency. During one of the modeling shows, she was noticed by Jean-Pierre Barda and Alexander Barda - members of the pop group "Army of Lovers". After Camilla Henemark left the group in 1992, they invited Michaela to take her place, and the girl agreed.

In December 1995, Michaela, tired of touring life and unable to find contact with the second lead singer of the group, Dominika Pecinski, left the group. Over the next year, she starred in photo shoots for erotic magazines Playboy and Penthouse.

In the spring of 1997, de la Cour resumed acting, but in the theater production “Solskenspojkarna” (“The Sunshine Boys”), and in the summer she recorded her debut single “Rumours And Lies”, as well as a video. In May 1998, Michaela starred in a Swedish documentary television drama about environmental pollution, then opened her own legal agency on the Internet, and worked for the Swedish magazine Zanzibar.

In 1999, Michaela again left for the United States, where she continued her career as a model and actress. In the fall of 2000, she released another single, “S.O.S.”, as well as a video for it.

In 2009 and 2010, Michaela was awarded the title "Mrs. Sweden" and represented her country in the final of the "Mrs. World" competition.

And this is what she looks like now.

And, of course, Camilla Henemark, also known by her stage name La Camilla, she was born on October 23, 1964 in Stockholm.

Her father, Austin Obeyni, is from Nigeria, and her mother, Gerda Henemark, is Swedish. Her parents divorced, and Camilla was raised by her mother. In her youth she worked in a modeling agency, and in 1987 she married Anders Skoog.

In 1987, Camilla became the lead singer of the group Army of Lovers, and participated in the recording of the albums Disco Extravaganza and Massive Luxury Overdose, which made the group famous. In 1992, Camilla left the group and released a solo single, “Everytime You Lie,” which would later be included in Les Greatest Hits.

After the divorce, La Camilla met Bo Johan Renk (Swedish band Stakka Bo) and married him. In 1993, La Camilla released the single “Give Me Your Love” and participated in the creation of the erotic television program “Sjunde Himlen” (“Seventh Heaven”). In 1995, after the departure of Michaela De La Cour, Camille returned to Army of Lovers, and together they recorded the album Les Greatest Hits.

In 1996, Camilla released two singles - “The Witch In Me” & “I’m Not In The Mood For Lovers”. In the same year, her first album “Temper” was released. At the same time, she separated from her second husband. She performed in nightclubs in Stockholm and other cities, including as a stripper. In 1999 she recorded a duet with the Russian performer Danko. Their joint work Russians Are Coming in its version (Mosqua Remix) was at that time in active rotation on the Europe Plus radio station.

In 2009, she recorded a joint single with the group “The Neverland Project” called “David & Goliath”. In 2013 (February 23), as part of the revived Army Of Lovers, she participated in the Swedish Eurovision qualifying round with the song Rocking The Ride. The group did not even make it into the top five performers; Camilla was blamed for the failure, because... at the moment when the camera was filming her, the singer forgot to open her mouth to the soundtrack, and perhaps that is why the audience gave few votes for the performance.

A Manifesto was posted on the group’s official website, which stated that La Camilla would be replaced by La Dominica (Dominika Pecinski), who was previously the lead singer of “Army of Lovers” (1993-1996, 2001-2003, 2007)

In 2010, the book “Carl Gustaf - the Reluctant Monarch” (Swedish: Carl XVI Gustaf - den motvillige monarken) was published in Sweden, written by Swedish journalist Thomas Sjöberg, co-authored with Deane Rauscher and Tove Meyer. The book claims, among other things, that Camilla had a relationship with the King of Sweden. In the early 90s, as Camilla herself told Deana Rauscher, she and the king had a whirlwind romance. The king "fell in love with her like a teenager"; Queen Silvia found out about the betrayal, but could not prevent her husband's extramarital affair. Soon Carl Gustav broke up with the singer. Camilla took the breakup so hard that she even thought about suicide. The affair with the king did not bring her any benefit: as Paris Match magazine wrote, Camilla’s example shows that “Sweden is a country where you cannot make a career through bed.”

Army Of Lovers - Sexual Revolution

After releasing several maxi-singles in the late eighties with songs that were an original arrangement of light-sounding disco, Army Of Lovers recorded their super successful and subsequently cult debut album “Disco Extravaganza”, which included such classic hits of the group as Ride The Bullet and My Army Of Lovers. The innovative sound of the album and unforgettable, playful, vibrant video clips made the entire music industry start talking about the group.

The group's second album, Massive Luxury Overdose, was released in 1991 and became even more successful. The first single, Crucified, shot to the top of the charts in 13 countries and stayed in first place on the US Hi-Energy Dance Chart for 6 months! For the next, no less successful single, Obsession, an unusual video clip was shot, which received a huge number of various awards. This song has become the most beloved among Army Of Lovers fans in Russia. The album “Massive Luxury Overdose” sold more than one and a half million copies.

The band began recording the next album, “The Gods of Earth And Heaven”, with the addition of a new soloist, Dominica Peczynski. The first single Israelism was accompanied by a very scandalous video clip, which cemented the cult status of the group. Throughout Eastern Europe and, of course, in Russia, Israelism became the most successful commercial single at that time. And we can safely say that it was he who turned Army Of Lovers into superstars. The name of the group, as one of the most commercially successful groups, is still put on a par with Metallica, whose records of the early 90s broke all sales records in Russia.

In 1994, Army of Lovers released their fourth album, Glory, Glamor And Gold, which included the super hits Lit De Parade and Sexual Revolution, the latter track produced by Denniz Pop, one of the group's most famous managers. In the same year, the group ceased to exist, having released the international superhit Give My Life as a farewell.

Since 1995, the members of Army of Lovers have each pursued their own successful careers. Alexander is a famous sociologist, author of many literary bestsellers and owner of his own Internet incubator. He also wrote and produced many hits for a number of artists. Jean-Pierre hosted several television shows, worked as an actor and became a very famous makeup artist. Dominica hosts the TV show “Dominica’s Planet,” which can be seen by viewers in five European countries, and also runs one of the most famous Swedish Internet portals, Lovesearch.com. The inimitable La Camilla takes part in the famous Swedish political talk show.

All of the above explains that pop music was more of a fun hobby than a serious pursuit for the four members of Army of Lovers. But, apparently, this is precisely what gave the group’s entire work (music, videos, live performances) such incredible appeal. Army of Lovers presented us with pop music free from the usual cynicism of the music business. In Army Of Lovers we saw only music and just looked at the show, in its purest form, not seasoned with any special effects or anything else