a-ha

Musician, Band
Genre: Pop music Rock music Relax

A-ha is a Norwegian electro-pop band.

In 1976, young Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen decided to form a band, calling it Bridges.

In 1980, the group released the album "Fakkeltog", which was not successful.

In early 1983, friends invited Morten Harket to join them as vocalist, and he agreed. The guys recorded several demos, and also came up with a new, short and easy-to-remember name for the group - A-ha.

In 1983, after listening to the band's recordings, Warner studio signed a contract with them and made the right decision.

Composition "Take on Me", took the leading positions in the charts of the world, becoming number one in the United States and second in the UK. Another big hit was The Sun Always Shines on TV.

In 1985, with the release of their debut album "Hunting High And Low", a-ha firmly occupied the Top 10. The album won the "Spellemannsprisen" (Norwegian analogue of the Grammy) award.

A-ha's video clips with interesting visuals contributed to the group's popularity.

In the same year, A-ha presented their second album "Scoundrel Days", the most popular tracks from which are such tracks as "Cry Wolf", "Manhattan Skyline" and "I've Been Losing You".

In 1987, Paul Vaaktaar was asked to compose the theme for the next James Bond film. This is how The Living Daylights appeared, a remix of which was included in the band's third album, Stay On The Roads (1988).

In 1990, the band's fourth album, "East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon", was released, which many fans consider the best work of A-ha. On the disc, the first composition especially stood out - a cover version of the famous song from the repertoire of Everly Brothers "Crying In The Rain".

In 1993, the band released their fifth album, "Memorial Beach", without a hit outside of Norway. The disc had no commercial success.

The release of the single "Shapes That Go Together" (1994) put an end to a certain stage in the band's creativity. A-ha played at the White Nights festival in St. Petersburg, and then Paul, Morten and Magne went about their own business.

In 1998, A-ha - with the help of new manager Brian Lane - decided to reunite after a long hiatus. The band began performing and recording new material. The result of this work was the album "Minor Earth, Major Sky" (2000), full of strong and fresh material, modern sounding, but executed, at the same time, in the best traditions of A-ha. The big hits were the compositions "Velvet", "Summer Moved On", "Minor Earth, Major Sky". As always, the trio's fans were drawn to the original music videos.

On October 15, 2009, it was officially announced that the band would end their existence following the end of the Ending on a High Note Tour.

After the final concert in Oslo on December 4, 2010, the band ceased their creative activities.

Discography:

Studio albums:

Hunting High and Low (28 October 1985)

Scoundrel Days (October 6, 1986)

Stay on These Roads (May 3, 1988)

East of the Sun, West of the Moon (October 22, 1990)

Memorial Beach (June 14, 1993)

Minor Earth Major Sky (April 17, 2000)

Lifelines (April 2, 2002)

Analogue (November 7, 2005)