biography of Morten Harket singer

Morten Harket

 (Norwegian pronunciation: [mʊ̂ʈːn̩ ˈhɑ̀ɾkət]; born 14 September 1959)  is a Norwegian singer who is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band A-ha.

A-ha has released 11 studio albums as of 2024, and topped the charts internationally after their breakthrough hit "Take On Me" in 1985. Harket has also released six solo albums. Before joining A-ha in 1982, Harket had appeared on the Oslo club scene as the singer for blues outfit Souldier Blue.

Harket was named a Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav by King Harald for his services to Norwegian music and his international success.

The son of Reidar, a chief physician at a hospital, and Henny, an economics teacher, and brother to Gunvald, Håkon, Ingunn and Kjetil, Morten grew up in Asker in southern Norway.  His early musical influences included Uriah Heep,  Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Johnny Cash, Simon and Garfunkel, David Bowie, and James Brown. Morten's father had contemplated becoming a classical pianist; Morten also took piano lessons for a while but lacked the discipline to practice.  At the age of four he started writing music and playing piano. 

The trio, comprising lead vocalist Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (Pål Waaktaar until his marriage in 1994), and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed on 14 September 1982, and left Norway for London to make a career in the music business. They chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff, because it had a Space Invaders machine. Ratcliff introduced the band to his manager, Terry Slater, and, after a few meetings, A-ha had two managers. Slater and Ratcliff together formed T.J. Management. Ratcliff dealt with all the technical and musical aspects; Slater was the international business manager and liaison to Warner Brothers' head office. The band says the name "A-ha" comes from a title Paul contemplated giving to a song; he was dithering between the titles "A-ha" and "A-hem". Morten was looking through Paul's notebook, and came across the name, which he liked, and immediately decided that it was the right name. 

In 1984, A-ha released their first single, "Take On Me", which became a hit only on the third attempt in 1985, after it had been re-recorded and accompanied by a music video directed by Steve Barron. The single's international success helped A-ha's debut album Hunting High and Low to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. Their second studio album was Scoundrel Days, followed by Stay on These Roads and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. The band then issued the commercially disappointing Memorial Beach, after which the band went on hiatus.

Harket re-joined his colleagues in A-ha in 1998 to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize concert. Since 1998, A-ha has released four studio albums and several compilations. Their eighth studio album Analogue was released in 2005, and became a big hit worldwide, achieving Platinum certification in the UK. The band's last studio album before their split, Foot of the Mountain, was released in the spring of 2009.

Harket held a note for 20.2 seconds in a-ha's 2000 song "Summer Moved On", believed to be the longest note in UK chart history. The note held exceeds the chest voice note in Bill Withers' song "Lovely Day" by 2.2 seconds. In October 2009, A-ha announced that they would disband after a farewell tour in 2010. Tickets for A-ha's final concert at the Oslo Spektrum on 4 December 2010 sold out within two hours.  On 27 September 2015, A-ha reunited for a huge crowd assembled at Rock in Rio 2015 festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which led to a reunion tour and the Cast in Steel album

In June 2017 the band performed for MTV Unplugged in their homeland. Subtitled as Summer Solstice, This live album was released that October, and the acoustic version of "Take On Me" was made part of the soundtrack of the Hollywood movie Deadpool 2

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy describes Harket as being "totally different from me." He recalls the band's first visit to London together, during which Harket burned all his clothes and re-fashioned his wardrobe. "He has given me self-confidence, encourages me to talk to people, not to be afraid and to use the abilities I have. Morten is actually the only one in Norway who had as much ambition as I did. I guess we both have big egos. In a way, we're each sitting in our own little world, while Mags is more down to earth. Mags often has to mediate between Morten and me... It's good that we're so different and still respect each other. The tension between us is creative." 

About

New wave artist famous for his time as the frontman of synth-pop band A-ha. The group is best known for its 1985 hit "Take on Me." He also performed with the group Soldier Blue.

Before Fame

He founded A-ha with Paul Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen in 1982.

Trivia

He has released five solo albums, three of which earned #1 positions on Norway's music charts.

• He has a 5 octave voice and he tends to forget his lyrics on stage.
• He reunited with a-ha in 1998.
• His former personal assistant, Inez Andersson, has been his girlfriend since 2005. They have 1 daughter together, Karmen Poppy, who was born on 16th September 2008.
• (1985-1986) Had a relationship with Bunty Bailey, the girl in a-ha's video clip of their first hit 'Take on me'.
• Started playing piano at the age of 4 - his roots are firmly set in classical music.
• Political interests: Is fighting for the rights and freedom of the people of East Timor. Gave 60 interviews a day during the days of the "Take on me" glory. Before the comeback, he contributed to the making of 4 a-ha-songs only ("Take On Me", "Living A Boy's Adventure Tale", "Stay On These Roads" and "Touchy!").
• Children with Camilla: Jacob Oscar Martinus Malmquist Harket (b. May 14, 1989), Jonathan Henning Adler Malmquist Harket (b. December 30, 1990) and Anne Katharina Tomine Malmquist Harket (b. April 14, 1993, uses Tomine as her first name).
• On July 2nd 2005 he and his collegues in a-ha performed at the LIVE 8 concert in Berlin, Germany. The concert was one of 9 similar concerts around the world, as part of Bob Geldof's Live 8 concert campaign. An audience of 150,000 was present at the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin.
• Brother of Kjetil Harket.
• Their comeback album from 2000 is called 'Minor Earth, Major Sky'.
• The first live album of a-ha will be released in March across Europe and is called 'How can I sleep with your voice in my head' (2003).
• The first rock album he ever heard was by Uriah Heep at the age of 16... before that he was oblivious to rock music.
• Held a concert and autograph signing session at HMV Oxford Street, London. 500 Wristbands given out, more fans queued overnight than wristbands available.
• Invited to Chile, South America where a-ha performed at the Viña del Mar Festival 24th February 2006.
• a-ha announced in June 2005, that they would play their first concert on American soil, since 1986. The concert will take place in New York 12th of September 2005.
• Start of the relationship with Camilla Malmquist.
• Their first single which is released is called 'Summer Moved On' - no.1 in the Norwegian Pop Charts
• The new a-ha album is called 'Lifelines' (2002).
• Daughter, Henny, with Anne Mette Undlien, born February 6, 2003.
• Hobby: photography.
• Son of Henny and Reidar Harket.
• 30th October 2006: Attended the Q Music Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London where a-ha received the "Inspiration" Award 2006.
• After launching their 13th album last year a-ha's 2010 world tour is the last chance to see the band in concert before they retire at the end of this year!The 'Ending on a High Note' tour will cover four continents and 15 countries.
• Currently working in studio, together with his two other colleagues in a-ha (Magne Furuholmen Pål Waaktaar) on their 8th album. It will be released later this year with a following tour.
• Held a concert at a small venue called Shepherds Bush Empire for around 2,000 fans. Live set included songs Birthright and White Dwarf from their Analogue album which were played for the first time in London.
• He was the boyfriend of Bunty Bailey who appeared in a-ha's video for Take On Me.
• Touring Russia from 1st November to 11 November
• She looks like actor Patrick Swayze.

Family Life

He was married to Camilla Malmquist Harket from 1989 until 1998. He later had relationships with Anne Mette Undlien and Inez Andersson. He has two sons and three daughters.

Associated With

He has appeared on The Armstrong and Miller Show with Ben Miller .

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