Biletix, the Turkish branch of Ticketmaster, has announced that Morten will do a concert at KüçükÇiftlik Park in Istanbul, Turkey on May 2nd.
This will be the opening concert of his 2014 solo tour, unless more dates are added. It’s also the first time anyone from a-ha performs in Turkey.
Morten in the studio in Stockholm
(From VG’s paper edition)
VG has an interview with Morten today, in connection with his new single “Brother” which is released next Saturday, January 18th. There’s a 1-minute sample of the song available now on 7digital.com.
As stated in the VG interview, the new single has a more organic sound than the material on Out Of My Hands and has Morten singing in a lower register. “You’re still my brother / till the end of time” is quoted as part of the lyrics.
The interview was done in Peter Kvint’s studio in Stockholm, where the duo is apparently still busy trying to finish the album.
“I didn’t like the a-ha machinery on Out Of My Hands”, Morten says – referring to having many of the same backing musicians and crew members as on the last a-ha tours in 2009-10.
Cover of the new single
“The a-ha backstory was still present in my system, but I was impatient and didn’t want to wait before starting again. This [new album] is a much more peaceful project, without all that noise. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy with Out Of My Hands and everything that happened afterwards, but now I don’t have those connections anymore. There’s an open sky before me and I feel completely free. This definitely feels like a new start.”
The title track of the new album was the first song Morten wrote together with Peter Kvint. He has only good things to say about the Swedish producer:
“I feel that we’re responding to the same things. He’s a good listener, and none of us feel that we’re standing in each other’s way. He’s curious about what I want to do, and so am I. I really feel that I’ve landed with this collaboration. He’s a real find. Things have never been easier, not least in the studio.”
Morten agrees that his new material has similarities with Wild Seed:
“And that’s incredibly liberating. I have the same feeling now as I had back then; of starting all over again.”
As usual, he is also asked about the possibility of a-ha ever reforming:
“I don’t know if that will ever happen – that’s not for me to decide anyway. But it was definitely the right decision to quit when we did.”
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Tags: brother, morten harket, peter kvint 
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Bremen, December 22nd
(Picture from weser-kurier.de)
The Night of the Proms tour 2013 ended at the ÖVB Arena in Bremen on December 22nd, after three weeks on the road and 19 concerts around Germany.
Morten performed the same five songs he’s done at every concert, before an audience of 8000 people.
The final week of the tour also included a concert at the EWE Arena in Oldenburg on December 17th, an additional show that wasn’t listed on the original tour schedule.
Here is a selection of videos and photos from the final week:
FOTM/SOTR/DILYB (19 Dec.)
TSASOTV (19 Dec.)
Hey Jude (19 Dec.)
Stay on These Roads (21 Dec.)
There is a Place (21 Dec.)
Hey Jude (21 Dec.)
Oldenburg gallery Hannover gallery Berlin gallery
Hamburg gallery Bremen gallery
Posted in Morten Tags: morten harket, night of the proms Comments Off on Night of the Proms tour ends in BremenAnother Norwegian summer concert was announced today:
Just announced: Morten will play at Wrightegaarden in Langesund, Norway on Saturday July 19 – http://www.wrightegaarden.no
Morten previously played in Langesund in 1996, while a-ha played there in 2001.
Update: Tickets for the concert are now available at billettportalen.no. Apparently there’s a 20% discount if you buy your ticket before the end of the year.
Morten on stage in Munich this weekend
(Photo from br.de)
A selection of live highlights from Night of the Proms 2013 were broadcast on the German radio station Bayern 3 last night.
Four of Morten’s songs were included; “Foot of the Mountain” / “Stay on These Roads” / “Did I Leave You Behind” / “The Sun Always Shines on TV” – plus “Hey Jude” together with the other artists. “There is a Place” was left out. His performance was recorded in Munich on December 14th.
If you missed the broadcast, here it is:
Posted in Morten Tags: morten harket, munich, night of the proms Comments Off on Night of the Proms radio broadcastFour German dates were announced on the official Morten Harket website today:
Morten will be performing four concerts in Germany in early May:
May 5th – Hamburg, Laeiszhalle
May 6th – Cologne, E-Werk
May 8th – Berlin, Columbiahalle
May 9th – Offenbach, CapitolTickets for these shows go on sale via Eventim on Tuesday, December 17 at 9:00am.
Update Dec. 17th: A UK date has now also been announced:
Morten will be back in London at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on May 16! Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday December 20 at 9:00am via Gigs & Tours.
Concert promoter Marek Lieberberg sent out a press release in connection with the German dates, which says that Morten’s upcoming album is called Brother – the same as the first single. The press release goes on to say that the album has similarities with Wild Seed.
Incidentally, Morten used to perform a song called “Brother” live in the late 90s – as pointed out by @tTrovik on Twitter. That song, also known as “Father”, was the English version of “Lyser Når Du Drar” from Vogts Villa.
I can’t really see it being the lead single off the new album, unless it’s been heavily reworked. So this new “Brother” may be a different song using the same title.
Another Norwegian summer festival was announced on Morten’s website today:
The ‘Over Oslo’ Festival is in its fourth season in 2014. 370 meters above Oslo, but still only just over a block from downtown, the festival takes place in quite spectacular surroundings. There is forest on all sides and a vantage point overlooking the artists and the city. “One of Oslo’s finest summer traditions,” wrote Dagsavisen in 2013. In the past, all days of the festival have sold out, usually well before the event.
Morten will perform on June 20, along with Odd Nordstoga and other artists to be announced later this month. For all details about the festival, visit the web site at http://www.scenegrefsenkollen.no/
Tickets for June 20th cost 690 kroner and are available now at billettservice.no.
Interviewed backstage at NOTP
The Night of the Proms tour continues, and tonight Morten and the other artists are performing in Luxembourg.
In a short video interview posted on the NOTP Facebook page, Morten is asked what he enjoys most about being on stage on this particular tour:
“I’m kind of used to being on stage. Obviously, being on stage has to do with contact with the audience and that connection, with the music as the agent between. That’s what it’s about. What is different for me here is obviously this big ensemble behind me and this huge orchestra. And that opportunity is something you don’t really get often. I’ve done it, kind of, many times over the years. We’re talking about 30 years now. But to be able to do it like this, on a daily basis more or less – because we play virtually every night – is an opportunity of a different kind. So that is what stands out for me”, Morten tells interviewer Markus Othmer, who also hosts the shows.
Morten is also asked how it is to perform his new songs “There is a Place” and “Did I Leave You Behind” together with the orchestra:
“That is a great opportunity as well, because these songs are really fresh. They’re very new. It’s not long ago I sat on a couch with a guitar, together with Peter [Kvint], my songwriting partner. And these songs were just that. And all of a sudden, five minutes later, it’s in such a setting. So this I’ve not done before”, Morten says.
Some recent video clips from Night of the Proms:
Foot of the Mountain (Multicam) Did I Leave You Behind (Dec. 6th)
There is a Place (Dec. 8th)
Morten wearing the jacket at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 19th
The new fashion brand Jilani is now offering a limited edition Morten Harket jacket in their webshop.
The leather jacket was co-designed by Morten especially for his appearance at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May, where he performed together with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera.
“Morten wanted to wear a jacket that reflected both the 80s and the present. He co-designed it himself. The jacket was only intended to be used by Morten at this particular event, but already the day after the Billboard Awards people started contacting us, wanting to buy it. So we decided to produce a limited number of jackets for sale”, Jilani writes on their blog.
Morten recently visited the Jilani studios where he signed 50 limited edition jackets, which are now available for 9500 kroner ($1550) at jilanishop.no.
Posted in Morten Tags: billboard music awards, jilani, morten harket Comments Off on Ltd. ed. Morten Harket jackets now availableMorten is the first artist to be confirmed for next year’s Roots Festival in Brønnøysund, Norway. The festival is held between 16 – 19 July, but the exact date for Morten’s concert has not been decided yet.
“Morten Harket is apparently bringing along an incredibly good band”, festival manager Torstein Moe tells local newspaper Helgeland Arbeiderblad.
“This is all about putting enough money on the table to make it interesting. He turned out to be pretty expensive. By far the most expensive act we’ve had in the festival’s history. But we’re very happy to have him confirmed”, Moe says.
3-day festival passes are now available from billettservice.no.
Update (13 Dec.): The date will be 17 July.
Posted in Morten Tags: brønnøysund, morten harket Comments Off on Morten to perform at Brønnøysund Roots Festival
