Posts Tagged ‘morten harket’

Morten attends The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones premiere

Inez and Morten in Fredrikstad last night

Inez and Morten in Fredrikstad last night

Morten and Inez attended the Norwegian premiere of Harald Zwart’s new movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in Fredrikstad last night.

“Harald is above all very talented, which he has proven time and again. But he’s also got an incredible drive and an impressive staying power. And they’re also a great team, Harald and his wife Veslemøy. It’s all very impressive, and that’s why I’m here tonight”, Morten told TV2.

A few of the actors from the movie were also present in Fredrikstad; Lily Collins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jamie Campbell Bower and Robert Sheehan.

Pictures: VG 1   VG 2   Fredriksstad Blad   Video interview: FBTV

 
Earlier this month, on August 3rd, a-ha fan Ari Benjamin met Morten in Kristiansand. The story of his meeting with Morten can be found on his blog at aribenjamin.net.

 
Magne, who will be showing his Norwegian Wood exhibition in Oslo next month, also appeared in public recently. On August 16th he attended the Moods of Norway 10th anniversary celebration in Oslo Spektrum, where the fashion label presented its latest collection called Pop Factory.

Magne and Heidi could be seen in the audience in the live webcast from the show, where they enjoyed the Moods of Norway house band – featuring Matt Sorum (drums), Nick Perri (guitar) and Maya Vik (bass).

Morten to perform in Vennesla – UPDATED

Performing at the Haydom fundraiser in 2009

Morten performing “A Change Is Gonna Come” at the Haydom fundraiser in 2009

Next Sunday, August 18th, Morten will once again be performing with his relatives in the Harket Choir at the annual fundraiser meeting to support Haydom Lutheran Hospital in Tanzania.

The fundraiser takes place in Vennesla in Southern Norway, outdoors in a garden owned by Morten’s uncle. Several hundred people show up each year for the event.

Morten has previously performed at the Haydom fundraiser in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011. In 2009 he also did a mini solo-concert, in addition to singing with the Harket Choir.

Update, August 19th: Although Morten was scheduled to take part, he did not appear at the Haydom fundraiser after all (for reasons unknown). But the Harket Choir performed without him and 104000 kroner was raised for the Haydom hospital.

Morten to perform at Night of the Proms tour

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Morten will headline the annual Night Of The Proms tour in Germany and Luxembourg later this year, his official website announced today.

Night of the Proms is an annual series of concerts held around Europe, which mixes pop music with classical music.

There will be 18 arena shows in 13 different cities, and Morten will apparently sing 4-5 songs each night.

Here’s some info from the official Night of the Proms website:

“To mark the 20th anniversary of AIDA Night of the Proms in Germany, the musical event once again presents an exclusive mix of international top artists. During this jubilee edition, the symphonic orchestra Il Novecento will accompany Morten Harket (the voice of A-HA), rising star Amy Macdonald, John Miles, the Berlin rock’n’roll band The Baseballs and the Japanese pianist Hiromi as classical soloist.”

The dates:

29 November: Lanxess Arena, Cologne
30 November: Lanxess Arena, Cologne
1 December: Arena, Oberhausen
4 December: Messehalle, Erfurt
5 December: SAP Arena, Mannheim
6 December: Festhalle, Frankfurt
7 December: Festhalle, Frankfurt
8 December: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund
10 December: Coque, Luxembourg City
11 December: Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart
13 December: Olympiahalle, Munich
14 December: Olympiahalle, Munich
15 December: Olympiahalle, Munich
18 December: TUI Arena, Hannover
19 December: O2 World, Berlin
20 December: O2 World, Hamburg
21 December: O2 World, Hamburg
22 December: ÖVB Arena, Bremen

For ticket links, please visit mortenharket.com.

a-ha meet with King Harald

a-ha outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, June 10th

a-ha outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, June 10th

a-ha arrived at the Royal Palace in Oslo earlier today, where they had been granted an audience with King Harald. This is taking place in connection with the band members being appointed Knights First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav last year.

Picture from nrk.no

Picture from nrk.no

“It’s an honor to get recognized on an official level for the work we’ve done together. We accept it with gratitude and humility”, Magne told the press.

One reporter asked what they expected to talk about with King Harald.

“I reckon he’s a professional in that area, so he’ll lead the conversation”, Magne said with a laugh.

“We’re not coming here with lots to tell. Instead, we’ll listen to what the King has to say”, Morten added.

Another reporter asked how it is to come together as a-ha now, to receive this honour.

“It’s becoming increasingly harder to gather the three of us together, so we’re grateful to His Majesty for this opportunity”, Magne said.

Watch video clips of a-ha arriving on nrk.no and aftenposten.no. There is also a large photo on vg.no and a photo set by Stian Andersen on a-ha.com’s Facebook page.

a-ha granted audience with King Harald

Receiving the Royal Order of St. Olav, November 6th 2012.

Receiving the Royal Order of St. Olav, Nov. 6th 2012.

Morten, Magne and Paul have been invited to the Royal Palace in Oslo on Monday, June 10th, for an audience with King Harald of Norway at 12:30 (local time).

This is in connection with the band members being appointed Knights First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in November last year. Anyone who receives the Order of St. Olav are eventually granted an audience with the king.

But this isn’t the first time the members of a-ha have been granted an audience with the King of Norway. In February 1987 they were invited to the Royal Palace by the late King Olav, in recognition of their international achievements. Here is a picture of them afterwards, standing outside the Royal Palace with a group of fans. “It was a great experience”, Morten told the press back then.

Morten appears at Billboard Music Awards

Morten on stage at the Billboard Music Awards, with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera

Morten on stage at the Billboard Music Awards, with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera

Morten appeared as a surprise guest at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas last night, where he joined Pitbull and Christina Aguilera on stage at the end of their hit song “Feel This Moment” to sing the chorus of “Take On Me”.

The 3-hour show, which aired live on ABC in the US, was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The performance of “Feel This Moment” can be seen on YouTube.

Morten, Christina Aguilera and Pitbull (Picture from xtina-web.com)

Morten, Christina Aguilera and Pitbull
(Picture from xtina-web.com)

“Feel This Moment”, which borrows the classic riff from “Take On Me”, has been a big hit around the world in 2013. Pitbull was in contact with a-ha manager Harald Wiik over several months last year, to negotiate the use of the riff – which ended with Morten, Magne and Paul all getting songwriting credits on “Feel This Moment”.

“I thought it was fun, essentially. [Take On Me] has been treated to a lot of different versions. What is it, 25 years now, at least, since it was released. So it’s a resilient bugger. It’s been done in punk versions, heavy metal, death metal. All kinds. And now; Pitbull”, Morten said in the press room after the performance.

Morten also briefly talked about the new solo album he’s currently working on:

“I’m doing an album with a Swedish songwriter and producer, Peter Kvint. It’s possibly the best stuff I’ve ever done, actually. And that’s difficult to talk about, because it doesn’t sound true.”

Here is the whole Q&A session from the press room:

Prior to arriving in Las Vegas, Morten spent some time in New York on Friday, where a few select people had a chance to listen to some new demos.

Songwriting session in Brazil

An update from the website of Swedish writer/producer Peter Kvint (Feb. 10th):

Morten in Brazil, 3 February

Morten in Brazil, February 3rd

“Just got back from two weeks of writing with Morten Harket on the beautiful island of Ilha Grande in Brazil. The monsoon rains and extreme humidity made all my technical equipment break down but even so it was a really creative stay with lots of new songs coming together! Here’s a snapshot of a vocal session featuring mr Harket singing straight into my laptop mic.”

Morten is currently working on the follow-up to Out Of My Hands, which may be released sometime later this year.

Morten: “The next album will sound different”

On stage in Sao Paulo earlier this year

Morten has been interviewed by German magazine Jolie, in connection with his current single “I’m The One”.

The interviewer says she gets the impression this is something more than a simple love song:

“That’s true, and I like the contrasts in it: a playful melody with more serious lyrics. The song is about finding out who you are and that it’s OK to make mistakes in life. A human is a complex being and has to make compromises when interacting with other people. But only if you are honest with yourself and take conscious decisions”, Morten says.

– The main character in the music video for “I’m The One” is a drag queen – what do you want to tell us?

“She – or he – is an extreme example of this very message. It’s only when you know who you are, that you’re able to say “yes” or “no” to other people or things with a clean conscience.”

Although Morten recently said that he wouldn’t try to distance himself too much from the synth pop sound on his next album, he does say that it will be different:

“I’m already working on a new album, which will sound different from Out Of My Hands, which was a somewhat transitional album between a-ha and my solo stuff. It’s an exciting development, and I can’t wait to present the new songs.”

Morten is also asked what Christmas is like at his home:

“Very traditional. I have a big, old house with lots to do. I decorate, I bake cookies, all the usual stuff.”

– You bake them yourself?

“Of course! It’s important to take part in all the preparations and not just be served.”

The whole interview is available at jolie.de. “I’m The One” was released three weeks ago, but has failed to enter the German top 100 singles chart.

Morten on TV Total Turmspringen

Olympiahalle, Munich, November 24th

Morten was in Munich last night, where he did a playback performance of “I’m The One” on Pro 7’s TV Total Turmspringen. This is the same celebrity diving show that a-ha appeared on three years ago.

The performance can be seen at prosieben.de.

In an interview with focus.de before the show, Morten says that he’d rather just focus on the next album:

“I’m in a strange situation. I just released a new single, but my heart and thoughts are with my next album, which I’m currently recording. When you release something, you have an obligation to stay in the consciousness of the audience and the media. Which contradicts my obligation towards my own honesty and creativity. Something tells me that I shouldn’t be doing any promo. At the moment, my heart is not in it. Out Of My Hands is like an old wife. I don’t want to meet her, because I’m in love with what’s happening now. This is my dilemma.”

He is also asked if he’ll try to distance himself a bit more from the synth-heavy a-ha sound on the next album:

“No. Because in the minds of the audience, I’m so strongly connected with the band’s history.”

“I’m The One” is now available in Germany as a download-only 2-track single, which includes an alternative version of the song. It’s also available as a 2-track single + music video.

Morten on Die Ultimative Chart Show

Morten on Die Ultimative Chart Show

Morten’s playback performance of “Burn Money Burn” on the German TV-show Die Ultimative Chart Show (originally taped in Cologne back on July 2nd), finally aired on RTL on Friday night.

The performance and a short conversation with host Oliver Geissen and some other guests has been posted on YouTube.

Morten will be back in Germany later this month, to promote the new single “I’m The One”. This will include a performance on TV Total Turmspringen (Pro7) on November 24th.

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