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a-ha have been nominated for the 2015 Spellemann Awards, in the Pop Group category, for their Cast In Steel album.
This is the first time since Minor Earth ⎜ Major Sky in 2000 that a-ha have been nominated in this category.
The award show is held at Oslo Spektrum on 30 January, and will air live on NRK1.
See a list of all the nominated artists here.
Morten on stage in Stavanger Konserthus
Morten performed “Brother” live for the first time last night, at the Spellemann Awards 2013 in Stavanger (although much of it seemed to be playback). If you missed it, it’s been uploaded to YouTube.
He was joined on stage by two very familiar Swedes on keyboard and drums; Christer Karlsson and Per Lindvall, plus two other Swedes on guitar and bass; Peter Kvint and Jerker Odelholm.
“I’ve brought along a really good band. It’s good to get started”, Morten told VG on the red carpet
“Brother emerged when we did a 5-day session at a cabin in Southern Norway, and the identity of that song set the tone for the whole album. I can recognize myself again as an artist now, and things are completely different than on the last album. The collaboration with Peter Kvint has opened new channels within me”, Morten told Aftenposten in an interview before the show.
The song was released yesterday in Norway, where it quickly went to number 1 on the iTunes chart. It’s also available on WiMP and Spotify, and will be released in other countries soon.
VG’s reviewer Thomas Talseth gives the song 5/6 and calls it “a triumph”:
“Brother, a serious yet uplifting song, has melodic hooks that pushes the right buttons. Empathic and moving. (…) This could – and should – be his biggest solo-hit in years”, Talseth writes.
Video clips from the red carpet at Spellemann:
Dagbladet Se og Hør VGTV NRK
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Morten at the 2010 Spellemann Awards.
Morten will be premiering a new single called “Brother” at the 2013 Spellemann Awards (Norwegian Grammies) on January 18th, the official site announced today. The song, which is from his upcoming solo album, has been written by Morten, Ole Sverre Olsen and Peter Kvint.
This might indicate that “There is a Place” is a one-off single in connection with Night of the Proms, rather than an album track. Hard to say, as there’s been no official info about it yet.
“The album will be finished in December and is probably released in March. Then there’s a European tour in May, Norwegian and international festivals during the summer and even more touring in the fall”, manager Harald Wiik tells VG in connection with the Spellemann announcement.
The Spellemann show is held in Stavanger Konserthus and will be broadcast live on NRK1. Other acts scheduled to perform include Ask Embla, CLMD, Envy, Highasakite and Kvelertak.
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Morten and Magne with their trophy, meeting the press after the show
a-ha were given the honorary award at the Spellemann Awards for 2010, which were held at Oslo Spektrum on Saturday. This is actually the third time a-ha have been given the honorary award – they also received it in 1987 and 2001.
Magne and Morten had been specially invited, and was in the audience together with Heidi, Inez and manager Harald Wiik. Paul was in New York, where he is reportedly working on a new Savoy album.
The award was presented by Kaizers Orchestra vocalist Janove Ottesen, Thomas Dybdahl, Ida Maria Sivertsen and Bertine Zetlitz, who opened the show with a cover version of “The Sun Always Shines On TV” as a tribute to a-ha.
Here is Magne’s acceptance speech:
“Thank you very much. The last time we were standing in almost this exact same spot, was on December 4th. That was a special evening, just as this is turning out to be.
We are a three-headed troll and we are missing one of our heads tonight. But on behalf of all of us I want to thank you all for a fantastic version of a song that’s actually 25 years old. And of course we can’t leave the stage without thanking our families and wives. According to my wife, that’s something we’ve never done before.
We have really been touring a lot. And I wouldn’t necessarily say that he managed to tame the troll, but he kept us organized; Harald Wiik, our manager in recent years. Thank you.
Thanks to everyone in Norway. It’s been a pleasure to entertain you through all these years.”
Morten added: “Enough has been said. Thank you very much, everyone.”
A video clip of the TSASOTV performance and the acceptance speech can be seen at tv2underholdning.no. Further down on the page is a clip of Morten and Magne arriving on the red carpet.
VGTV also has a video interview with Morten, who had just returned from a holiday “far away from Norway”.
And here is a video of Magne and Morten meeting the press after the show.
