A first look at the cover of the new album, designed by Martin Kvamme:
Album cover
“Foot Of The Mountain” album cover
Posted by Jakob S on May 15th, 2009
Stavanger video clip + German TV-ad
Posted by Jakob S on May 14th, 2009
Morten performing at EVS 24
Stavanger Aftenblad has a video clip where you can see Morten performing “A Change Is Gonna Come” as part of EVS 24 at Stavanger Forum earlier today.
Among the audience were Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway and Prince Albert of Monaco.
Morten recorded his own version of this Sam Cooke-classic back in 1995, and has performed it live a few times since then.
From the TV-ad
A new TV-ad for “Foot Of The Mountain” is being shown on German TV at the moment. There isn’t any new footage in the ad, but it’s good to see some promotion going on. The TV-ad can be seen here.
Universal Germany has also set up a new official site in connection with the new album:
www.footofthemountain.de
Morten at EVS 24 in Stavanger + video news
Posted by Jakob S on May 13th, 2009
“I’m interested in all kinds of new environmental technology”,
Morten says. Here with Harald Røstvik at StatoilHydro’s stand.
Morten is currently at EVS 24 (a world congress and exhibition for electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles), which is being held in Stavanger, Norway this year.
As previously reported, he is scheduled to do a short live performance tomorrow morning. But he will also do a longer set tonight, according to Stavanger Aftenblad.
VG talked to Morten earlier today, as he was given a private tour of the exhibition area to see new environmental technology.
“Our society is so slow. The environmental problems that we’re concerned about today are more or less the same things we already knew about 25 years ago. We could have taken the necessary measures back then“, Morten told VG.
In 1989, Morten together with Magne Furuholmen, Harald Røstvik and the environmental foundation Bellona, brought the first electric car to Norway.
But he feels that there hasn’t been enough development happening since then.
“Things are still not sufficiently facilitated [for electric cars]. What matters is what the rest of the world and Norway does. There needs to be a pressure from the government which can lead to better environmental technology in cars.”
In other news, some of you have been wondering if there will be a music video for “Foot Of The Mountain”. It has now been confirmed that they will be shooting the video next week in Germany.
Watch Morten and Pia
Posted by Jakob S on May 7th, 2009
Morten and Pia Tjelta on stage, May 7th
Morten and actress Pia Tjelta, accompanied by Kjetil Bjerkestrand on piano, performed the Everly Brothers song “Let It Be Me” at the opening of Eger shopping center in Oslo tonight.
Morten told Dagbladet that they had recently performed the song together at a private party, and when Pia later sent him a text message and asked if he wanted to perform it again at tonight’s opening he was impressed by her initiative.
Morten and Pia
“Pia is easy to work with and eager to accomplish things. She is curious in a good way“, Morten said of his duet partner.
Morten has performed “Let It Be Me” alone and together with others many times before.
When asked today why this particular tune was chosen, Morten said:
“The guitar I’m playing was a gift from Phil Everly. I sometimes use that as an explanation [for playing “Let It Be Me”]. And this is an Everly Brothers classic. It’s actually an even older French song. But they made it famous. And it’s always been a good song.”
Videos of the performance and video interviews with Morten and Pia can be seen at VG.no and Dagbladet.no.
Morten to sing with Pia Tjelta
Posted by Jakob S on May 5th, 2009
Morten and Pia Tjelta
VG reports that Morten Harket and Pia Tjelta will appear on stage together for the first time on Thursday night (May 7th).
They will perform a duet at the opening of Eger shopping center at Egertorget in Oslo
“It’s correct that Morten and Pia will be singing together. But what they’ll be singing is still a secret“, organizer Runar Vatne tells VG.
31-year-old Pia Tjelta is one of Norway’s most popular actresses, known from numerous roles in films and on stage. But like Morten, she started out in a Ten Sing choir and has also been singing with various bands. Tjelta is currently doing the musical Les Miserables in Oslo.
Morten to perform in Stavanger
Posted by Jakob S on April 30th, 2009
.
Morten is set to appear at EVS 24 – The 24th International Battery, Hybrid & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition, which is being held in Stavanger from 13 – 16 May.
He will be performing a few songs live at the Stavanger Forum conference centre on May 14th. According to the program on the event’s website, a ten-minute performance has been scheduled between 10:30-10:40.
EVS 24 is a world congress and exhibition for electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, with participants from 40 countries. Among the celebrities attending are Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway and Prince Albert of Monaco.
Harald Røstvik, who is the chairman of the organising committee, is a good friend of Morten and they have worked together on renewable energy projects in the past.
In other news, it has been confirmed that Morten and his girlfriend Inez will be contestants on the UK game show All Star Mr & Mrs, which airs on ITV1.
The show was taped on 25 April, but the exact air date is not yet known.
Concert dates, album title and more
Posted by Jakob S on April 28th, 2009
Magne and Morten in Chiswick, London last night
The upcoming concert dates in Germany and Norway are revealed in an interview with Magne and Morten in today’s paper edition of VG.
And the album title will be the same as the single: Foot Of The Mountain.
Read all the details plus Magne and Morten’s refreshing take on Norwegian journalists in a translation of the interview here.
Harald Wiik on “Foot of the Mountain” and concerts in Norway
Posted by Jakob S on April 25th, 2009
a-ha manager Harald Wiik talks to Dagsavisen in another interview today. Here’s parts of it translated:
—————–
It only took a few hours from a-ha had finished their new single, until it had been sent to radio stations across Europe. The band is now planning a new album and a big concert in Oslo.
On Thursday night a-ha were satisfied with a version of the new song “Foot Of The Mountain”. On Friday morning Harald Wiik brought the song to the Universal office – who liked the song so much that they decided to send it out as a single immediately. On Friday afternoon the song premiered on Norwegian radio – and was at the same time sent out to radio stations across the whole of Europe.
“This is the right way of doing it in 2009. There was demand for a new a-ha single from radio stations all over Europe. That’s why we decided to distribute it immediately“, a-ha manager Harald Wiik says.
The quick release came as a surprise to many people, including Wiik himself, who didn’t have more details about the new album ready for publication when the song was distributed yesterday.
“The name of the album has not been decided yet, but we’re assuming that it will be released on 19 June“, Wiik says.
The album will be released simultaneously in more than 20 European countries.
(…)
During the autumn, they are planning several big concerts in Norway.
“We have had many offers to do concerts in Norway, and they will be confirmed within the next week. There will be concerts in Oslo sometime in October/November“, Harald Wiik says.
—————–
New a-ha single – “Foot Of The Mountain”
Posted by Jakob S on April 24th, 2009
Single cover
In a surprising move, a-ha and Universal Music decided to release the first single from the new album to radio stations in Norway today.
“They are currently in the studio, and the single was finished last night“, a-ha manager Harald Wiik tells Dagbladet. “We have to turn around quickly, that’s how it’s become in this business“.
“We took a decision very quickly, and saw no reason to wait“, he adds to Bergens Tidende.
“Foot Of The Mountain” was written by Magne and Paul, and is basically Magne’s solo song “The Longest Night” from 2008 with a new chorus.
It’s been produced by Roland Spremberg, who co-produced Minor Earth | Major Sky back in 2000. The mixing was done by Steve Osborne at Real World Studios and it was mastered at Metropolis in London.
“The single will be available to buy on either 4 May or 11 May, I think. And the new album is set to be released on 22 June“, Wiik says.
a-ha will continue to work on the new album, using studios in Oslo, Stockholm og New York.
The press release is available on a-ha.com, and “Foot Of The Mountain” can be heard here.
In other news, a-ha will appear on a few German TV-shows next month – presumably performing the new single:
22 May: “The Dome”, RTL2 (taped in Munich)
30 May: “Germany’s next Topmodel” – final, Pro7 (taped in Cologne)
Single and tour update
Posted by Jakob S on April 23rd, 2009
Jenn on the German forum provided a few updates today (loosely translated):
– The first single is not one of the three songs that have been performed live.
But the song title is yet to be confirmed. Info about the radio premiere will hopefully follow soon.
-The German tour dates for October have now been set, and will be announced at the beginning of May.
