René Dif

René Dif
René Dif in July 2013, in front of a street sign that bears his name.
Background information
Born	(1967-10-17) 17 October 1967 (age 49)
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Pop, dance-pop, eurodance, europop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, DJ, actor
Instruments	Vocals, turntables
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Universal
Associated acts	Aqua

René Dif (born 17 October 1967 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish singer, songwriter, DJ and actor, best known as the male vocalist of the Danish pop-dance group Aqua.

René's 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. Dif is now married to a health-coach and they have a daughter together, named Mabel. Dif also has a daughter from a previous girlfriend.

While he was in Barbados, René 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.

Dif, as a member of Aqua, has had over 10 top 10 hits in his home country. Aqua was formed in 1989 and split in 2001. 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. René 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)", "Doctor Jones", "Turn Back Time", "Good Morning Sunshine", "Cartoon Heroes" and "Around the World".

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

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".