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It’s official: a-ha are reuniting!

Posted by Jakob S on March 21st, 2015
They are back again - and not just in Rio! (Photo by Jakob)

They are back again – and not just in Rio!
(Photo by Jakob)

Although the Berlin press conference isn’t until Wednesday, the big news is already out: the members of a-ha have signed a new deal which commits them to at least two years of new a-ha activities.

Jan Omdahl has done an extensive 10-page comeback interview with the band, which is printed in Dagbladet‘s weekend magazine today.

“I believed and wanted a-ha to be a finished chapter. But it’s possible to change your mind. I said it was over, but I was wrong”, Magne says in the interview.

It all started with Paul testing out a few of his songs together with Morten, just to see if some of it could be used in various settings. But it turned into something more.

“When Morten and Paul started talking about working together again, I had three options: refusing it altogether, let them do it without me, or join them. Refusing to join them didn’t feel right”, Magne says.

The three of them are currently working on new a-ha material. One of the new songs is called “Mythomania” and was written by Magne.

“I feel I have a few killer songs ready, that could potentially turn into a really good album. But there are always a few adjustments made when we get together. (…) All of us like to be a bit bossy, so we must try to end up in a position where we don’t ruin things for ourselves”, Paul says.

In addition to recording a lot of new material with Morten recently, Paul has also written and recorded at least 50-60 songs in the last few years.

“Me and Lauren have a new Savoy album almost ready, while my own solo album is all finished. I have also written and produced an album with Jimmy Gnecco’s daughter, Zoe, which I’m hoping will be relased later this year.”

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a-ha to make announcement at Berlin press conference

Posted by Jakob S on March 19th, 2015
Back in December 2014, a-ha announced the Rock in Rio concert. Now they have more to tell us...

Back in December 2014, a-ha announced the Rock in Rio concert. Now they have more to tell us…

The German music site musikexpress.de reports that a-ha will hold a press conference at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin next Wednesday, March 25th, to make a major announcement.

a-ha’s record company Universal and their media partners ProSiebenSat.1 Group have invited the press to the event, using the tagline “A-ha has something to say”.

Update: rollingstone.de is speculating that a-ha may announce a new album and tour at the press conference. The German concert promoter Peter Rieger is apparently also involved in staging the event, where the band will be speaking about “the past, present and future”.

a-ha have previously held two press conferences at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin. In 2002, to present the Lifelines album, and in 2009, to present the Foot of the Mountain album.

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‘Apparatjik World’ book now available

Posted by Jakob S on February 7th, 2015
Book cover

Book cover

The long-awaited Apparatjik World book has now started shipping from Norwegian online bookstores. It was supposed to be published on January 15th, but was apparently delayed a few weeks.

The 352-page softcover book features lots of photos from a variety of Apparatjik projects over the years; Everybody is a Composer, Pupparatjik, The Apparatjik Suite, Everybody is a Pixel, Roskilde, A Greener Youniverse, Rudolph the Chrome-nosed Reindeer, Sound of Silence and much more. It also includes many of the Q&As and graphics that have been available online.

Apparatjik World can be ordered from haugenbok.no, bokkilden.no and tanum.no.

Update: The book is now also available on amazon.co.uk.

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Magne attends Bent Sølves Orkester exhibition opening at Rockheim

Posted by Jakob S on January 30th, 2015
Magne at Rockheim, January 29th (Screenshot from NRK Midtnytt)

Magne at Rockheim, January 29th
(Screenshot from NRK Midtnytt)

Magne attended the opening of a new exhibition at the Rockheim pop and rock museum in Trondheim yesterday. The exhibition, which he has helped put together, tells the story of his father Kåre Furuholmen’s dance orchestra Bent Sølves Orkester.

The six-piece orchestra, named Bent Sølves after Magne’s favorite teddybear, was formed in Oslo in June 1967.

With Kåre Furuholmen on trumpet, the orchestra toured extensively around Norway, including residencies at hotels and showboats. They also appeared regularly on television.

Disaster struck on 1 May 1969, when on their way to a gig in Sweden, their plane crashed near Drammen. The pilot and all the five musicians onboard died. Only their saxophonist survived, as he had decided to drive instead.

Kåre Furuholmen on stage in 1968

Kåre Furuholmen on stage in 1968

“I have vivid memories of him practicing his trumpet, but a lot of the other memories I have of him are family stories that have been told so often they become memories”, Magne told Adresseavisen yesterday (subscribers only).

“The first time I met Morten Harket, we walked home together after a party. It was a long walk, and when we had talked about the important stuff – what music we liked – we needed to find other topics of conversation. What our parents were doing, things like that. I told him that my father died in a plane crash in 1969. Morten remained completely silent for a while, before he told me that he was an eyewitness to the plane crash in Drammen. Together with his parents he was so close by that he saw the plane hit the ground. That’s quite a special coincidence”, Magne said.

Magne has previously talked about his father in an Aftenposten article in 2008 and the NRK documentary Dance for Daddy – a portrait of Magne Furuholmen in 2011.

More info about the exhibition can be found at rockheim.no. Update: There was also a short TV report from the opening on NRK Midtnytt on February 2nd.

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Morten speaks out against bullying

Posted by Jakob S on January 30th, 2015
Morten speaking in Oslo, Jan. 30th

Morten speaking in Oslo, Jan. 30th

Morten was one of the guests invited to speak at a government meeting in Oslo today, to launch a new campaign against bullying in Norwegian schools.

In his speech, Morten talked about his own experiences being bullied as a child:

“I have wide experience of what it means to be bullied. The years between 3rd and 6th grade in elementary school were painful years for me”, he told the audience. “After school, other pupils would gather around me and beat me up. […] But on the inside, I felt that I would eventually become stronger than all of them.”

“Children live in a world of their own, where adults don’t have much access. But that’s also where we need to be as adults, to provide children with the means to handle this. Self-esteem is important in order to fulfill your own potential. I am certain that all of us represent a greater potential than we realize ourselves”, Morten added in an interview after the meeting.

A video of Morten’s speech can be viewed here. There is also a video interview with Morten and Prime Minister Erna Solberg here.

Other links:
Harket speaks out on bullying (newsinenglish.no)
Morten Harket om fortiden som mobbeoffer: – Det var vonde år (VG)
Morten Harket fortalte om egen erfaring med mobbing (Bergens Tidende)
– Det var vonde år for meg (Klar Tale)
Ble banket opp daglig (NTB)

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a-ha to start rehearsals in June

Posted by Jakob S on January 27th, 2015
a-ha at Maracana Stadium in Rio last month

a-ha at Maracana Stadium in Rio last month

a-ha will start rehearsals in June, in preparation for the Rock in Rio concert in September, the band’s manager Harald Wiik tells VG’s paper edition today.

The exact date for the Rock in Rio concert is not ready to be announced yet, but a-ha will play a 75-minute set at the festival, according to VG.

The band has been getting many additional offers to play live, but Wiik can’t promise any other concerts at this point:

“We haven’t planned any warm-up shows, but you never know”, he says.

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‘Brother’ limited edition vinyl release

Posted by Jakob S on January 23rd, 2015
Brother limited edition vinyl

Brother limited edition vinyl

Morten’s Brother album was released on vinyl by Universal Music Norway earlier this month, January 7th, without much fanfare.

This is a limited edition 180 gram vinyl release, featuring a different cover image than last year’s CD version, with embossed details. It comes with a 4-page inner sheet that has a variety of stills from the “Do You Remember Me?” music video by Stian Andersen on the front and back, with lyrics and credits inside. The album itself has been remastered for vinyl by Tim Young at Metropolis Mastering.

The vinyl can be ordered from Platekompaniet.no and BigDipper.no (only ships within Norway) and CDON.com (only ships within Europe).

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a-ha announce 30th anniversary concert at Rock in Rio 2015

Posted by Jakob S on December 4th, 2014
a-ha in Rio de Janeiro this week (Promotional photo taken by Just Loomis)

a-ha in Rio de Janeiro this week
(Promotional photo taken by Just Loomis)

a-ha will reunite next year, to play a special 30th anniversary concert at the Rock In Rio Festival in September 2015, a-ha.com announced tonight.

Magne says in the press release:

“The huge concert at Maracanã Stadium in 1991 is one of the absolute highlights of a-ha’s career. It was just impossible to turn down this request to celebrate the festival’s 30 year history, especially as it coincides with the 30 year anniversary of the band itself. This felt like I imagine it must be to hear about the 1000-year wave approaching shore; even as a retired surfer you just want to dust off your board and throw yourself into the water.”

“We have been invited as so-called “special guests” at Rock In Rio 2015. We have been getting a lot of offers since we disbanded, but this was so unique that it was hard to say no”, Magne added to NRK tonight.

Magne interviewed by G1 at Maracana Stadium

Magne interviewed by G1 at Maracana Stadium

“Money has not been an issue at all, as far as I know. There’s not much money involved in this, it’s just something all three of us wanted to do”, he says.

“We had retired for good, and I guess we still are. But in this case we were all three so surprised that this was something the festival wanted. And one should be allowed to change one’s mind.”

Magne can’t confirm additional concerts in 2015 at this point:

“We haven’t made any additional plans beyond Rio, and it was difficult enough to rally the troops for this concert. In a moment of bravado we agreed to do this, and then we’ll see if it leads to something more. The plan now is just to appear at Rock In Rio once more to celebrate the festival and ourselves.”

Morten, Magne and Paul appeared at Maracanã Stadium tonight, to announce the news for the Brazilian press. A group of around 10 specially invited a-ha fans were also there to meet the band.

a-ha at Maracana Stadium, 4 December 2014

a-ha at Maracana Stadium, 4 December 2014

To read the whole press release and see new band photos taken by Just Loomis in Rio this week, visit a-ha.com and the a-ha Facebook Page.

News articles, videos and photos:
Jornal Nacional: Banda A-Ha volta para tocar no Rock in Rio 2015 (video)
O Globo: Rock in Rio e A-ha se unem na celebração… (with video)
G1: A-ha toca no Rock in Rio em 2015…
VG: a-ha gjenforenes til sommeren
Flickr: Photo set of a-ha at Maracana Stadium
VG: 30 år med a-ha-opplevelser
VG: Slik kan a-ha finne konsertformen

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Morten performs at Marita Foundation’s 30th Anniversary

Posted by Jakob S on November 16th, 2014
Morten, sporting a Movember moustache, on stage in Oslo last night (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten, sporting a Movember moustache, on stage in Oslo last night
(Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten performed three songs together with Kjetil Bjerkestrand last night, at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Marita Foundation held at the Salem Church in Oslo.

The Marita Foundation, started in 1984, is a Christian foundation that aims to prevent drug use among young people and to help recovering addicts build a new life for themselves. Morten has been supporting the foundation since the mid-90s, and contributed a special version of “A Kind Of Christmas Card” for the documentary film Marita – En advarsel fra noen som overlevde in 1996.

Morten performing "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten performing “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten spoke to the audience about how much he admires the work done by the foundation and its leader, Leiv Holstad, who was given The King’s Medal of Merit at the event last night:

“You’ve done an impressive amount of work, Leiv, for which you’ve been honoured by the King tonight – about time you were, in my opinion. You’d be the first to say that it’s not just you, there are so many people working together with you, of course. The rest of us are priveleged to be able to lend our support, and we are proud of the work you are doing.”

Morten also talked about how anyone can end up in addiction, but that it’s possible to break away from it with the help of people like Leiv Holstad and the Marita Foundation:

“The force of habit is a powerful thing. And breaking free from a negative downward spiral is about understanding the force of habit, and realizing that you always have the choice to break free and climb upwards instead. It’s a very fragile balance. For me as well. I’m standing here on stage and have been doing this for 30 years, but it’s not easy. People tend to look at me as this rock-solid guy who works hard and just keeps going – and that’s true on some level – but I could easily have ended up in a bad place at any time.”

Some video clips from last night’s event have been posted on YouTube by Lena:

A Kind Of Christmas Card    Morten speaks
There Is A Place    A Change Is Gonna Come

Vårt Land article: Hedret Holstad
Pictures by Angelica Kjos on Instagram: Picture 1  Picture 2
Instagram picture by Jofrid Landa
Instagram picture by Audun Rensel

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a-ha Fan Weekend 2014

Posted by Jakob S on October 28th, 2014
Terry Slater, Harald Wiik, Magne and Tini Flaat Mykland on stage at Samfunnsalen, Oslo

Terry Slater, Harald Wiik, Magne and Tini Flaat Mykland on stage at Samfunnsalen, Oslo
(Picture by Jakob)

Fans from all over the world once again gathered in Oslo on October 24-25 for the a-ha Fan Weekend 2014, which included Morten’s last two concerts of the Brother tour at Sentrum Scene, an a-ha convention with a Q&A session and a fan party.

Many were looking particularly forward to hearing former a-ha manager Terry Slater, who provided interesting stories from his long career and shared his thoughts on the music business then and now.

Current a-ha/Morten Harket manager Harald Wiik talked about the upcoming release plans in connection with the 30th anniversary of Hunting High and Low in 2015:

“The plan is – don’t hold it against me if not everything happens – but as of now there are plans for a 5-disc set of Hunting High And Low, with lots of new material. Plus heavy vinyls of all the first five albums. Also a box set of the vinyls called The Warner Years, for the first five albums. And then Deluxe Editions of Stay On These Roads, East Of The Sun and Memorial Beach. And some other things that I can’t tell you about now. But save your money!”

Morten at Sentrum Scene, October 24th

Morten at Sentrum Scene, October 24th
(Picture by Jakob)

Magne came to Oslo straight from the opening of the new concert house in Fosnavåg, where he did two performances with Apparatjik on October 23 and 24. He brought along two early copies of the long-awaited Apparatjik World book, of which Terry Slater was given one copy, while the other was donated as a prize in the Red Cross charity raffle held during the fan party:

“It should be out before Christmas at some point. I was hoping to have enough copies to bring tonight, but the printers couldn’t make it in time.”

While on stage at the a-ha convention, Magne also talked candidly about how he wasn’t satisfied with how the Beatles movie turned out:

“I wanted to make a much more radical score than what ended up [in the movie]. There was a struggle, a fight between me and the director, who came in a little bit late in the process, to make him understand what I was trying to do. So to my mind, the last version that I heard was a compromise where they had used my music in a way that I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied with. I won’t be able to give you a percentage, as I haven’t seen the finished one. (…) The album is different, because I made the album afterwards, a bit more like I wanted the movie to sound.”

Magne previously talked about his problems with the Beatles film project in a radio interview on NRK P13 last month.

Morten visiting the fan party (Picture by Jakob)

Morten visiting the fan party
(Picture by Jakob)

At the fan party in the evening, Morten showed up on stage to meet the fans. One fan asked him about his plans for next year:

“I’m being asked if I have plans – big plans – for next year, which I believe I have. And those plans might include you guys. (…) It will be an interesting year, next year”, Morten said.

“We should have a lot of fun with numbers over the next year. Keep on guessing!”, Harald Wiik told the fans earlier on Saturday – referring to the numbers recently posted on a-ha.com’s Facebook page; 44 and 365, which have led to fan speculations about a possible a-ha reunion in 2015.

Check out more coverage of the a-ha Fan Weekend on a-ha.com’s Twitter profile and Facebook page.

Other links:
TV2 Nyhetskanalen – interview with Morten at soundcheck, Oct. 24th
NRK Østlandssendingen – report from Sentrum Scene
dbmag.no – Morten Harket concert review (5/6)
Vimeo – Safe With Me (Oct. 24th) by After Event Productions
Vimeo – Whispering Heart (Oct. 24th) by After Event Productions
Vimeo – Brother (Oct. 24th) by After Event Productions
Facebook – Sentrum Scene photos by StageWorks
Facebook – Sentrum Scene photos by Christina Galbraith
YouTube – Morten visiting the fan party
YouTube – Harald Wiik speaking at the fan convention
YouTube – Terry Slater speaking at the fan convention

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