One clue is that Viking broke a world record and Morten, who shot to fame in the early 80s, did. In a 2009 interview from Cody Eide in Musicweek, celebrating A-ha's up and coming 25-year anniversary, the band members revealed that the record-breaking concert and the lack of media attention they received were a devastating blow to the band. In 1994, after their fifth studio album, Memorial Beach (1993), failed to achieve the commercial success of their previous albums, the band went on hiatus. Breaking records would include a-ha setting a world record for the largest paying concert audience in 1991 and Morten setting a record for the longest note held in a pop song with “Summer Moved On” in 2000. (The first was Duran Duran's flash video for the 2000 song "Someone Else Not Me". A second new song was "Manmade Lake" which was originally planned for A-ha's album Foot of the Mountain was released to Soundcloud in 2013. In 2000 Morten broke the world record for the man who could hold the longest single note in … They began with "Hunting High and Low", followed by "Take On Me", during which Morten Harket had difficulties hearing himself when his in-ear monitor failed: he requested a two-minute break, which he used to comment on the cause of Live 8. [citation needed]) The album reached platinum status, with sales of 1.5 million copies, and spawned four singles: "Summer Moved On", "Minor Earth Major Sky", "Velvet" and "The Sun Never Shone That Day". Their exact sales figures are somewhat controversial; according to their label, Rhino Entertainment, they have sold 55 million records,[14][15] but other sources assert that they have sold more than 100 million units, albums and singles combined. However, Morten himself has been quoted as saying that “I’ve never counted, quite honestly”. In 2000 Morten broke the world record for the man who could hold the longest single note in a song. They chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager, John Ratcliff, because it had a Space Invadersmachine. Morten’s musical influences as a youngster are reported to have included Queen, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Simon and Garfunkel and James Brown. [58] A-ha's tenth studio album, Cast in Steel, was released on 4 September 2015. [66] In August 2017, the band confirmed the acoustic album would be titled Summer Solstice, and would feature two new A-ha songs, titled "This Is Our Home" and "A Break in the Clouds". In late 2014, rumours about new A-ha activities in 2015 embarked, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Take On Me". A remix version was a club hit, rising to number 5 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. The trio, comprising lead vocalist Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (Pål Waaktaar until his marriage in 1994), and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed on 14 September 1982, and left Norway for London to make a career in the music business. This compilation brought them back into the UK Top 20 Album Charts, where they reached number 13 and earned a Gold album. The 2000 album Minor Earth, Major Sky followed, and in the song Summer Moved On, Morten managed to outlast Bill Withers ‘ effort in Lovely Day and set the world record for the longest note held in a song. They jettisoned that idea when Morten spotted a song called "A-ha" in Waaktaar's songbook. In the US, the song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 17 on Radio & Records airplay chart. At that time, the song was called "Miss Eerie" and the two men were still known as Bridges. In 1994, the band unofficially entered a hiatus, and band members then focused on solo projects.[4]. Morten Harket is a Norwegian singer who was born on September 14, 1959. (*) Concerts in Japan and Singapore cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 15 October 2009, the band announced they would split after a worldwide concert tour in 2010[4] ending in Oslo, Norway, at the Oslo Spektrum arena on 4 December 2010,[41] with ticket sales starting the next day. He is also the “proud owner of a Blue Peter badge”, which he got when he was a guest on the show in 1986. [34] They also performed "The Sun Always Shines on TV". The CD, DVD, and Blu-ray recordings were released in October 2017. A single-disc live album on CD culls sixteen tracks, while twenty tracks are featured on the Blu-ray, DVD, and deluxe edition double-CD set, which comes with a DVD. 3D cameras, 20,000 lines of code, 1,000 square meters of projection film and massive projectors were set up as a visual show that turned the Spektrum arena in Oslo into a light installation and visual experience that unfolded live for the audience instead of a pre-programmed sequence.[64][65]. New wave artist famous for his time as the frontman of synth-pop band A-ha. They jettisoned that idea when Morten spotted a song called "A-ha" in Waaktaar's songbook. After A-ha's break-up, Morten Harket released two studio albums, Out of My Hands (2012) and Brother (2014). In 2015 they reunited for the ‘Rock in Rio’ festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which also led to another reunion tour and the a further album. Despite the commercial reception, Q magazine listed the album as one of the 50 best albums of 1993. Warner paid for a-ha to record a cleaner, sleeker version of “Take On Me” with Alan Tarney, a … Harket has 2 boys and 1 girl with his now ex-wife Camilla Malmqvist Harket, to whom he was married for nearly 10 years. [8][9], On 4 December 2014, A-ha officially announced its participation at Rock in Rio 2015, which celebrated 30 years for both the band and the event. [5][22][23][24] Hunting High and Low has sold 11 million copies worldwide. The thoughts of Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart, former Housemartins and Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton, and A-Ha's Morten Harket on today's music business: Dwindling record sales The Official Website of a-ha", "A-Ha's "Take On Me" Becomes the Second '80s Video to Break 1 Billion YouTube Views", "Review: a-ha live at the Royal Albert Hall", "A-ha's 'Take on Me' Moves Past One Billion Streams on YouTube", "Iconic music video for "Take On Me" hits one billion views on YouTube - CNN", "HBO-serien "The Leftovers" hylles for bruk av a-has "Take On Me, "A-ha – Sarah Brightmans favoritter – A-ha", "Pitbull Co-Hosts "The View", Planning "A-ha Moment" with Latest Hit", "Pitbull + Christina Aguilera 'Feel This Moment' With A-Ha Frontman Morten Harket at 2013 Billboard Music Awards [Video]", "Harket på scenen med Aguilera og Pitbull – Hollywood", "A-ha receives prestigious award – Music Export Norway", "A-ha tildeles St. Olavs Orden – Music Export Norway", "A-ha Tour - MTV Unplugged & Summer Tour 2018 - Buy Tickets - a-ha", "BreakOut Events | Concerts, Festivals & Tours", "Norwegian pop sensation a-ha is touring South Africa and we know what we're doing for Valentine's day 2020", "A-ha in the UAE: pop legends announce Dubai Opera gig", Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of A-ha, MTV Video Music Award for Push Best New Artist, World Music Award for Best Selling Scandinavian Artist, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A-ha&oldid=1013958849, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox musical artist with missing or invalid Background field, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, May Kristin Kaspersen – backing vocals/duet partner, Erik Ljunggren – Programming/keyboards/bass, Madeleine Ossum – violin and backing vocals, Emilie Heldal Lidsheim – viola and backing vocals, Tove Margrethe Erikstad – cello and backing vocals, Electric Summer Tour (2018) (Europe and Israel), An Evening With format – Hunting High and Low live (2019) (Europe), a-ha play hunting high and low live (2022) (Australia, Europe, Japan (*), New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Singapore (*) USA, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico), This page was last edited on 24 March 2021, at 11:52. "The Sun Always Shines on TV" turned out to be A-ha's last Hot 100 top 40 single, and to this day in the United States, A-ha is remembered by the general public almost entirely because of "Take On Me". [5][23][24][27][30] The album includes the title-track theme song to the James Bond film The Living Daylights. Are you Officially Amazing? News. Search for: Site Overlay. The album peaked at number one in their native country Norway, number 2 in the UK, and number 15 on the US Billboard album chart; yielded two international number-one singles: "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V. The popularity of "Take on Me" earned the band a spot on the American television series Soul Train in 1985, making them one of the few white artists to appear on the black music-oriented show. This performance was A-ha's comeback into the world of music, yet the band's set was controversially omitted from a programme of highlights of that concert that was televised in the UK, and even more controversially in the US by FOX. [4], Following a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 1998, A-ha recorded their sixth album, 2000's Minor Earth Major Sky, which was another number-one album in Norway and Germany. Unbelievably, A-ha’s classic single Take On Me only became a … 1 on a major national chart, and its music video sparked criticism for its sexual content. [74], A-ha's music has also been featured in movies such as One Night at McCool's, Grosse Pointe Blank and Corky Romano. A-ha's first recorded version, called "Lesson One", was released in 1984 and promoted with a video of the band performing the song in front of a blue background. Since their debut single “Take On Me” hit number one in the US and around the world in autumn 1985, the band have gone on to sell over 80 million records. "I felt very alienated," says Furuholmen. It was released in June 2007 on the album "Make Some Noise". Foot of the Mountain entered the German album chart at number 1,[37] the UK album chart at number 5 and debuted on European Album Sales Chart at number 8. On 24 April 2009, A-ha surprised their fan base by releasing their new single, "Foot of the Mountain", premiering that day on Norwegian radio. "[29], In May 1988, A-ha released their third studio album, titled Stay on These Roads, which matched the number-two chart peak of its two predecessors on the British album charts. "Take On Me" was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Video at the American Music Awards of 1986. (Earlier Soul Train appearances by white artists included Gino Vanelli, Elton John, David Bowie, Hall & Oates, Sheena Easton, and Teena Marie.). On 2 July 2005, A-ha performed at the Berlin edition of Live 8, in front of an audience of nearly 200,000 people. That’s quite a thing to say about somebody! Morten Harket is currently single, according to our records.. He can keep note for 24,9 seconds. They play, among other songs, their debut album in full length. [48] The news was picked up the same day by the electronic music magazine Side-Line. Memorial Beach is notably the last official American release by A-ha to date, although their material has continued to have limited availability there as imports. These events led up to their performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on 24 May. [citation needed]. In successive years, even as the award categories expanded, only a few artists have approached—and none have surpassed the single-year award totals of A-ha and Gabriel. In 2006 the band was awarded the Q Awards Inspiration Award. Harket beat that in 2000 by holding a note for … [21] It became one of the most instantly recognisable and most enduringly popular music videos in the US, where it was nominated for eight awards at the third annual MTV Video Awards in 1986, winning six, including Best New Artist in a Video, Best Concept Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, and Viewer's Choice and Best Video of the Year. a-ha Official Web Site; Morten's Official Facebook The video used a pencil-sketch animation/live-action combination called rotoscoping, in which individual frames of live video are drawn over or coloured. In mid-June 2017, they recorded an MTV Unplugged special in the remote Norwegian island of Giske under close secrecy, with no phones or recording equipment being allowed into the studio. In Oslo Spektrum on 3 May 2016, A-ha cleared away their normal stage-production to give room for a very different concert performance in collaboration with Void, a Norwegian computational design studio working in the intersection between design, architecture, art and technology. [6], On 15 October 2009, the band announced they would split after the 2010 worldwide Ending on a High Note Tour. A-ha did win eight MTV Video Music Awards, six for "Take On Me" and two for "The Sun Always Shines on TV". Who is Morten Harket??? In 2012, Magne Furuholmen became a mentor on the show The Voice – Norges beste stemme. "; and earned the band a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. a ha - Rock In Rio II Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 26.01.1991 Ratcliff introduced the band to his manager, Terry Slater, and, after a few meetings, a-ha had two managers. The rest of the world was floored and opened their arms to a-ha all over again. 9 Dream" for Amnesty International. They also stated that they were going to be producing an album and film from a series of acoustic performances, slated for June 2017, with the release scheduled for November 2017. In 1986, A-ha received eight MTV Video Music Awards during one award show. "What There Is", an earlier solo track by Magne Furuholmen, was re-recorded for the album. A-ha had a ‘farewell tour’ in 2010, but still occasionally perform together. [23], "I feel more connected to Depeche Mode (compared with other acts of the '80s)," claimed Magne Furuholmen. The song "Celice" became the band's ninth to go No. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, A-ha were very popular in South America, especially in Brazil, where the band sold out some of the largest stadiums in the world. A-ha (usually stylised as a-ha; Norwegian pronunciation: [ɑˈhɑː]) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. [12] In less than a year, during 2010, the band earned an estimated 500 million Norwegian kroner from concert tickets, merchandise and the release of a greatest hits album, making them one of the 40–50 highest-grossing bands in the world. Slater and Ratcliff formed TJ Management. A-ha disbanded in 2010 after they played their last gig in Oslo. The Norwegian Pop Singer was born in Norway on September 14, 1959. The news that a-ha will be performing their debut album Hunting High And Low live was unexpected. The name ‘A-ha’ was originally one that guitarist Paul Waaktaar thought about giving to a song he had written. Rescheduled for 2022. a-ha in concert at Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid, Spain, in 2010 (left to right: Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy), Post-A-ha activities and anniversary releases (2011–2014), interview on "A-ha live at valhall homecoming" DVD, 2001, How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head, The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004, Ending on a High Note – The Final Concert, List of awards and nominations received by A-ha, "A-ha EXCLUSIVE: Paul Waaktaar-Savoy speaks out on NEW music plans and the band's future", "MusikWoche | Universal und MM Merchandising Media veredeln A-ha mit Platin", "A-has siste triumf (A-ha's latest triumph)", "12 minus og like blid (Minus 12 and Still Happy)", "Rock in Rio e A-ha se unem na celebração de 30 anos de ambos", "A-ha synger inn en halv milliard (A-ha singing in half a billion)", "A-ha's Mags Furuholmen Talks 'Take on Me,' Touring 'Hunting High And Low' | Billboard", "A-HA - THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - The 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Concert", "Certifications Albums Platine – année 2001", "Kiso Siefert Dropmann newspaper advertisement", "Rocklist.net...Q magazine Recordings of the Year", "A-ha returns to synthpop with new album 'Foot of the Mountain, "BBC Radio 2 - Dermot O'Leary, 25/07/2009", "A-ha to headline iTunes Live festival on 24 July", "Worldwide premiere for A-ha's new single! In 2000 Morten broke the world record for the man who could hold the longest single note in a song. Stay on These Roads has been certified Platinum in Brazil and France, and Gold in Switzerland, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands. After the performance, the band received the Spellemannprisen honorary award handed out by A-ha's Norwegian music colleagues with the words "Our Heroes – Once upon a time, now – still and forever". Available in 2-disc CD and digital versions (with additional material), both albums debuted in the top 40 Billboard Top Internet Sales Chart, Hunting High and Low at number 34 and Scoundrel Days at number 36.[47]. They chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff because it had a Space Invaders machine. Complete your Morten Harket collection. The Guinness World Records Official site with ultimate record-breaking facts & achievements. A bonus documentary appears in the deluxe set and Blu-ray versions. Official Sites. [40] The performance was recorded and made available for download on the iTunes site as with the previous festivals. A part of me wonders what Morten Harket thinks of this decision. He can get into the Guinness book! The addition of a good-looking singer undoubtedly helped them nail down that elusive record contract. That year A-ha celebrated their 20th anniversary with the release of a new singles collection, The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004. The single had been completed only the night before. [69] On the tour, they presented one new song called "Digital River".[70]. [28], East of the Sun, West of the Moon featured a cover version of The Everly Brothers' 1963 single, "Crying in the Rain". Morten said it sounded more like a "Juicy Fruit song" for a gum advertisement. [76] As a result of this, A-ha were invited to reunite for a performance at the festival, celebrating 30 years since their debut album's release. [82], Christina Aguilera and Pitbull performed the song "Feel This Moment" which contains sampling of A-ha's "Take On Me" live at the MGM Grand during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards with a surprise appearance from Morten Harket.[83][84][85]. The 1991 Rock in Rio festival, which should have been the band's crowning achievement, was instead a moment of crushing disappointment. "Summer Moved On" is notable not only for going to #1 in 17 countries, but for earning Morten Harket a world record for the longest note held in a UK hit song, at twenty seconds. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? A-ha achieved their biggest success with their debut album Hunting High and Low in 1985. On 24 January 2009, 25 years after its first release, A-ha won the Norwegian Spellemann award for Hit of All Time for "Take On Me" on the 50th anniversary of the official hit list in Norway. The intended two minutes became almost seven, and the third song, "Summer Moved On," became the last of their set. The only single from the album to chart officially outside of Norway was "Dark Is the Night", which peaked at number 19 in the United Kingdom. His talent Martin Halla won the contest and had his first album produced by Furuholmen himself who is also an esteemed songwriter/producer for other artists. Pål Waaktaar-Savoy released two songs to the general public: with New Jersey-based vocalist Jimmy Gnecco he presented Weathervane as a new project in June 2011. The Official Website of a-ha", "a-ha Afterglow. On 27 August 2005, the band played a concert for 120,000 people in Frogner Park in Oslo, the largest concert ever in Norway. [49], A-ha's final concerts in Oslo, Norway, were recorded by ten HD cameras with digital, surround-sound audio. Harket is well known for his unique voice, which some have claimed has a vocal range that spans 5 octaves. In 1991, A-Ha set a Guinness Book World Record by playing for the largest paying audience in the world: 198,000 people at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [44][45][46] It was announced that this was to be A-ha's last recording. Breaking records would include a-ha setting a world record for the largest paying concert audience in 1991 and Morten setting a record for the longest note held in a pop song with “Summer Moved On” in 2000. In December 2016, A-ha announced that they would go on a European acoustic tour in early 2018. Lead singer Morten Harket (possibly the Best Male Vocalist of this Generation) holds a note in the Song for 21 Seconds, and then after another two seconds holds another for five, so in the course of about 30 seconds he's holding notes for 27 of them. Finally, the song was re-recorded and re-released in 1985 with a new, groundbreaking video; this time, the song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Nevertheless, the band returned to the studio. Foot of the Mountain, A-ha's ninth studio album, was released in Europe on 19 June 2009. Morten, as well as fellow A-ha band member Magne Furuholmen, are reputed to support the English football club Stoke City! [19][20], A-ha became the first Norwegian band to have a number one hit in the U.S. 16 talking about this. For this song, Morten Harket holds a world record for the longest held note (around 20 seconds). [50] Ending on a High Note Live, mixed by Toby Alington, is available in several formats, including the band's first Blu-ray release. In the UK, Hunting High and Low continued its chart success into the following year, becoming one of the best-selling albums of 1986. Those recording sessions resulted in 2000's Minor Earth Major Sky, an international tour, and a webcast performance of the band opening the new Vallhall Arena in Oslo on 24 and 25 March 2001. Take On Me Was Not Originally A Hit. The album sold 3.2 million copies worldwide.[28]. "Stay on These Roads" and "The Living Daylights" would remain part of their live set throughout the rest of the band's history. He is also the “proud owner of a Blue Peter badge”, which he got when he was a guest on the show in 1986. In the Norwegian iTunes Store A-ha's release has yet to see the light of day. "It was a terrible song but a great name," says Morten. [citation needed], Several bands and artists have mentioned that they like A-ha, including Chris Martin of Coldplay,[77][78] Sarah Brightman,[79] Adam Clayton of U2,[80] Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,[81] and Pitbull. [5][23][24][27] Steven McDonald of AllMusic said of their fourth album, "This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music. Following the success of their debut, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1986 but did not win. The band's second single worldwide was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V. [52][53] The Blu-ray of the concert, however, was released on 11 April 2011. [27] "Cry Wolf" would be the last A-ha single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. [20][38] In January 2010, Foot of the Mountain was certified platinum in Germany. Hunting High and Low earned triple platinum status in the UK and reached platinum status in the US and Germany, while earning gold in Brazil and the Netherlands. [31] In contrast, the other performers (George Michael, Prince, and Guns N' Roses) each drew less than a third of that audience, 60,000 each. Thirty years on from their breakthrough success, a-ha have been gracing the charts again with their critically acclaimed top ten album Cast In Steel and delighting fans on the first leg of their latest world tour. In 2004, a book entitled "The Swing of Things" was published, which also featured a CD of early demo material. In 2014, Furuholmen agreed to compose the songs and supervise the recordings for the Norwegian film Beatles. "It made us feel hopeless. [16][17], The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket; guitarist Pål Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Norway for London in order to make a career in music. [67], On 29 October 2019, A-ha started their "Hunting High and Low" tour in Dublin. The collaboration resulted in a unique one-of-a-kind concert with advanced scenography using 360 virtual reality technology.
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