Army of Lovers

Army of Lovers are a Swedish dance-pop group formed in 1987, built around the core trio of Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda, and Camilla Henemark (La Camilla), who had previously performed together in the band Barbie. Through the late 1980s and into the 1990s they became one of Sweden's most internationally successful pop exports, defined as much by their flamboyant, high-camp visual style as by their music.

Their sound combined euro-dance production with theatrical, over-the-top pop songwriting, yielding hits such as «Crucified» and «Obsession», both of which spent many weeks on the Eurochart and helped the group sell millions of albums worldwide. The band's name references the documentary film «Army of Lovers or Revolt of the Perverts» by Rosa von Praunheim, itself alluding to the ancient Sacred Band of Thebes.

Despite strong chart performance across continental Europe, Army of Lovers never achieved comparable breakthroughs in the US or UK, with their popularity remaining concentrated in Europe. The group has gone through breakups and reunions over the decades, and later material, including songs like «Israelism» and «Judgment Day», has continued their tradition of provocative, theatrical pop.