Editing Alexander Bard (section)

== Musical career ==
{{BLP sources section|date=September 2023}}
Bard began his musical career in 1982 with the single ''Life in a Goldfish Bowl'' released under the name Baard,<ref name="hardwax.com">{{cite web |title=Baard: Life In A Goldfish Bowl  |url=https://hardwax.com/39166/baard/life-in-a-goldfish-bowl/ |website=hardwax.com |access-date=27 December 2018}}</ref> a synth-punk fusion project he had formed together with two female striptease dancers. He later had some minor success as Barbie, which saw Bard performing ironic [[bubblegum pop]] songs [[Crossdressing|crossdressed]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dryck |first1=Herr |title=Barbie – Prostitution twist |url=http://katastrofalaomslag.blogspot.com/2009/09/barbie-prostitution-twist.html |website=KATASTROFALA OMSLAG |access-date=27 December 2018 |language=sv |date=28 September 2009}}</ref>

After abandoning work on a second Barbie album, Bard formed [[Army of Lovers]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=RAMBARRAN |first=SHARA |date=6 July 2022 |title=Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop? |url=https://medium.com/@shararambarran/alexander-bard-the-king-midas-of-scandipop-ab035ef89dab |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> with two of Barbie's entourage, [[Jean-Pierre Barda]] and [[Camilla Henemark|La Camilla]].<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |title=Army of Lovers {{!}} Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/army-of-lovers-mn0000503566/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=27 December 2018 |language=en-us}}</ref> Army of Lovers had
several pan-European hits, the biggest being [[Crucified (Army of Lovers song)|''Crucified'']] and ''Obsession'', while their presence in the US and the UK was limited to repeated club chart successes. They released five studio albums, made over twenty music videos, and became phenomenally successful across Eastern Europe, before Bard disbanded the group in 1996. Army of Lovers have later earned a widespread iconic status in the gay culture, often referred to as a perfect example of the postmodern take on the ideals of [[camp (style)|camp]]. Bard said, “I'm gay. I always fall back on camp or gay as a frame of reference. Then camp doesn't always have to be gay and gay doesn't always have to be camp.”<ref name=":0" /> Bard also worked on the production & composition of Swedish girlgroup [[Midi, Maxi & Efti]].

Following the demise of Army of Lovers, Bard founded [[Vacuum (band)|Vacuum]], a symphonic [[synthpop]] project featuring Bard, [[Marina Schiptjenko]] (formerly of synthpop group Page), and newcomer [[Mattias Lindblom]]. Their debut single ''I Breathe'' was one of the fastest selling singles in [[Sweden]] in 1997 and also topped the singles chart in Italy. Further releases did not do as well, except in Russia and [[Ukraine]], and Bard left after only two albums. He reformed Army of Lovers briefly in 2000 for a handful of new tracks and a greatest hits collection, and later co-wrote and co-produced the first two [[Alcazar (band)|Alcazar]] albums.

In 2005, Bard launched a new music project called [[Bodies Without Organs|BWO]] (short for Bodies Without Organs), together with Marina Schiptjenko and new vocalist [[Martin Rolinski]]. Their debut album ''Prototype'' generated seven top 20 hit singles in Scandinavia and across Eastern Europe and reached platinum status. A second album ''Halcyon Days'', was released in April 2006, which shipped gold and generated four additional hit singles. 2007 saw the release of a third album, ''Fabricator'', followed by a 2008 compilation album and the 2009 release of a fourth studio album, ''Big Science''.

In April 2010, Bard announced that he was working with co-producer [[Henrik Wikström]] on a new project called [[Gravitonas]], signed to [[Universal Music]] worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RAMBARRAN |first=SHARA |date=6 July 2022 |title=Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop? |url=https://medium.com/@shararambarran/alexander-bard-the-king-midas-of-scandipop-ab035ef89dab |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> The project, described as electro-rock, and fronted by Bard himself and vocalist [[Andreas Öhrn]], released a first digital EP in May 2010 and had its first charts hits in Sweden and Russia in the autumn of 2010. Since they refuse to release physical records tied to traditional promotional media campaigns and instead strictly release their music through streaming and downloads and in EP rather than album format, Gravitonas have been dubbed "The World's First [[Spotify]] Band" by bloggers and the music press. Bard's public friendship with Spotify founder [[Daniel Ek]] has played into this narrative. In addition to several No. 1 hit records across the European continent, Gravitonas have also achieved a considerable following as dance act in the U.S., with three hit records to date in the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] Top 50 Club Play Chart.

Aside from the groups mentioned above, Alexander Bard has also worked as a songwriter and producer for several Swedish artists,<ref>{{Cite web |last=RAMBARRAN |first=SHARA |date=6 July 2022 |title=Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop? |url=https://medium.com/@shararambarran/alexander-bard-the-king-midas-of-scandipop-ab035ef89dab |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> in the 1980s mainly with [[Ola Håkansson]] and [[Tim Norell]], in the early 1990s with [[Anders Wollbeck]] and [[Per Adebratt]]—especially on the early 1990s [[Columbia Records]]—signed African cult act [[Midi Maxi & Efti]]—and more recently mainly with [[Anders Hansson (songwriter)|Anders Hansson]] and Henrik Wikström.

Bard was a co-founder of [[Stockholm Records]] and runs several internet and music-related businesses. In August 2011, Bard joined the jury of the Swedish version of the [[Idol (Sweden)|Idol TV show]], sharing the stage with [[Celine Dion]]'s record producer [[Anders Bagge]], quickly being referred to as ''The Scandinavian Simon Cowell'' due to his famously and characteristically harsh and straightforward commenting of the contestants.

[[Army of Lovers]] reunited in 2013, releasing a new compilation album titled ''Big Battle of Egos'' featuring four brand new tracks including lead single and video ''Signed on My Tattoo'', a duet with [[Gravitonas]]. The band cited political reasons, including their outspoken opposition to increased [[homophobia]] and [[antisemitism]] in Europe, for the reunification, after which they headlined both the [[Gay pride|Pride]] festivities of 2013 in [[Copenhagen]] and [[Belgrade]] and several major TV shows in [[Sweden]], [[Poland]], Russia and [[Ukraine]].