News - English

Morten Harket Autograph Session

Fri, 09 May 2008 20:34:00 GMT

2008-05-09

With the Norwegian release of his new solo record, Letter From Egypt, Morten Harket will be doing an autograph session at the Oslo City Shopping Centre.

On May 21 from 18.00 to 19.30, Morten will be appearing at Platekompaniet to sign copies of his CD. You can get your copy of Letter From Egypt in stores beginning May 19.

FAGMEN

Mon, 05 May 2008 15:17:00 GMT

2008-05-05

Where are they now? Where will they be tomorrow? And Wednesday?

Savoy Album UK Release Delayed

Mon, 05 May 2008 16:35:00 GMT

2008-05-05

Genepool Records has let those who pre-ordered Savoy Songbook, Vol. 1 that there will be a delay of one week in delivery of the album. Pete from Genepool says:

We are just waiting for stock to arrive from manufacturers (Don’t worry we are getting it before anyone else) but just wanted to let you know.

We are moving the release date back to the 12 May. But our stock will be in on the 8th and we will be shipping it out to Genepool customers then.

If you've preordered the album and have any questions about your order, please contact Genepool Customer Service.

"The Swing of Things" Added To a-ha.com

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:04:00 GMT

2008-05-02

In 2004, the now-famous Jan Omdahl biography of a-ha, The Swing of Things, was released. The ultra-limited edition publication covered 20 years of a-ha history, and included a CD of demos and unreleased material that most a-ha fans had never heard before.

Thanks to community members Kattastic, Catherine and Sue, we're able to bring a taste of those tracks to all of a-ha's fans. Visit the Discography page to listen to samples of all twelve tracks, and get a look at the lyrics!

Track Listing:

Take On Me (demo)
Presenting Lily Mars
Dot The I
Days On End
The Love Goodbye
Monday Mourning
Never Never
Så Blåser Det På Jorden
Go To Sleep
Hunting High And Low (alt)
I've Been Losing You (alt)
The Swing Of Things (demo)

Third Show Added At Rockefeller

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:06:00 GMT

2008-04-23

The first two evenings in Oslo are now sold out, and a final show will be added on Thursday May 22. There will be no more "Evening with..." shows added, so this is your last chance. This evening will be filmed, so the capacity at the venue will be limited.

Tickets go on sale Saturday April 26 at Billettservice.

To see all the upcoming shows, visit the a-ha Events listings.

Solo Project Updates

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:05:00 GMT

2008-04-11

New Morten Harket Album and Single

The second single from Morten's upcoming Letter From Egypt will be 'Darkspace'. The song was released to Norwegian radio on April 7 from Universal Norway.

While there won't be a physical release of the single in Norway, there will be a German single released in a few weeks. In addition to the title track, the German release will contain an exclusive bonus track called 'All Of You Concerned', which will not be on the album.

To hear the new single, visit Morten's MySpace page for a sample. You can also go to NRK nettradio, where the song starts about 55 seconds in. The single is available now on iTunes Norway to download.

Click to buy from iTunes Norway

Letter from Egypt will be released in Norway on May 19 from Universal Norway. The album can be pre-ordered now from CDON.com. There will be a UK release of the album, so stay tuned for more details.

Click to pre-order from CDON.com

New Magne F Album Presale

As previously reported, Magne's latest, a dot of black in the blue of your bliss will be released in the UK on May 19 from Genepool Records. The album is available now to pre-order on their site.

Click to pre-order from Genepool

Track Listing:

a dot of black in the blue of your bliss
come back
the longest night
time & place
running out of reasons
forgotten not forgiven
more than good enough
too far too fast
watch this space

Savoy Album UK Release Presale

Also now available for pre-order is Savoy's 2-CD collection, Savoy Songbook, Vol. 1. The UK release date for this one will be May 5, through Genepool Records.

Click to pre-order from Genepool

For the full track listing of Savoy Songbook, Vol. 1, click here.

Morten Harket solo album to be released in May

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:48:00 GMT

2008-03-29

It is now confirmed that Morten's new solo album, 'Letter from Egypt,' will be released in Norway on May 19. There are some plans for a wider release but specific countries and dates are not yet finalized. According to an article in today's Dagbladet, a new single called 'Darkspace' will be released next week to radio. This song has been described as an uptempo, rock song.

In the article, Morten says that the album has been ready for a while but that he wanted to do some adjustments. By giving himself some distance from the songs, he was able to see possible improvements, which is the reason for the delay. Morten has used different studios in Europe, Norway and Iceland during the recording.

Thanks to Karl Max for the translation.

Another concert at Rockefeller added

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:39:00 GMT

2008-03-29

Tickets for the concert at Rockefeller on May 20 sold out within 15 minutes of the public sale this morning. Therefore another show at Rockefeller on May 21 is now added, and tickets will go on sale Monday at 8:00 GMT at http://www.billettservice.no/. This will be another evening with Morten Harket, Savoy and Magne F.

En Aften I Oslo

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:00:00 GMT

2008-03-20

We are pleased to announce that, due to overwhelming demand, there will also be an evening in Oslo with Morten Harket, Savoy and Magne F. Spend it with fellow fans at Rockefeller Music Hall on Tuesday May 20th.

A limited number of tickets go on sale to members of the official a-ha community on March 24th at 10 am EDT (14:00 GMT). Regular ticket sales start on Saturday, March 29. You'll need to log in to your a-ha.com account to find out how to get tickets. If you haven't created an account yet, you can do so on the Join page.

Upcoming solo releases

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:55:00 GMT

2008-03-20

With anticipation building for the 'special evening' at Royal Albert Hall, and now Rockefeller Music Hall, we know you're eager to find out more about Morten, Magne and Paul's solo music projects. Here is the latest news about upcoming releases.

Savoy Songbook Vol. 1

This 'best of' release includes new versions of some classic Savoy tunes, as well as three new songs. Previously released in Norway on August 6, 2007, Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 will be released in the UK by Genepool Records on May 5. The track list will remain the same as the Norwegian release, and it will be available in a Digipak. This is Savoy's first release in the UK since 'Mary is Coming' in 1996.

Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 entered the Norwegian album chart at #7 in its first week. The single 'Best Western Beauty' made a splash in the charts as well.

Links:

TV ad for the album | Adgerposten, 09-05-2007 | Dagsavisen, 09-05-2007 | More information

Reviews (in Norwegian)

'A dot of black in the blue of your bliss'

Magne's new album 'A dot of black in the blue of your bliss' was released on January 22 via both a limited collector's edition vinyl and free download on MySpace. Only six tracks have been released thus far; however fans now have more new music to look forward to. The album will be released in the UK on May 19 through Genepool Records, and will contain nine tracks.

'A dot of black' has created quite a stir among established fans as well as within the wider music industry. Check out the articles from Duggup, Resonance, Side-Line and Budstikka to find out what people are saying about the album.

Links:

Magne F album sold out! | More information

Related blogs by Magne on MySpace:

new magne f album | better broken english than broken hearts | hello, I must be going - or; quantum leapfrogs - always ahead of schedule again!

a-ha.com Has Relaunched!

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:19:00 GMT

2008-02-29

Welcome to the new a-ha.com! You'll notice that things are pared down right now. This is just the beginning for a-ha.com. We will continue to rebuild the site over the next few months, so stay tuned.

We've made a few changes to the News section. You'll now be able to view all the news posts in your language of choice in one convenient section. So whether you're looking for actueel nieuws, notícias atuais, nouvelles d'actualités, or a-ha news in any of our 9 languages, we've got you covered.

We've revamped the Albums page as well. Now you can see, at a glance, lyrics and audio clips for all the albums, which songs were released as Singles, links to Videos and iTunes pages.

With the new site comes a new membership and mailing list. You can sign up for a new account, which allows you to participate in any ticket presales on a-ha.com, as well as purchase a-ha CDs and DVDs. Signing up for our mailing list will ensure that you're the first to know about any news about a-ha and a-ha.com.

Check back often for updates and new sections. If you have any feedback, you can let us know at help@a-ha.com!

Don't have tickets to Royal Albert Hall yet?

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:04:00 GMT

2008-02-12

More prime seats were just made available to us by the venue. Both stalls tickets and boxes for sale at all oulets.

Royal Albert Hall | Ticketmaster | Gigs and Tours | Stargreen

Extra stalls tickets for Royal Albert Hall

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:05:00 GMT

2008-02-06

Just over a 100 extra seats in the stalls were just released for sale.
These tickets are in prime areas where everything else is sold out.

First come, first serve at www.royalalberthall.com

Tickets for Royal Albert Hall concert on sale Friday February 1

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:06:00 GMT

2008-01-31

Those of you who were not able to get the select tickets from a-ha.com will be able to buy a range of the remaining tickets through the following outlets from 9 a.m. GMT on Friday February 1.

Gigs and Tours, ph +44 871 2200 260
Ticketmaster, ph +44 871 2306 230
Royal Albert Hall, ph +44 207 589 8212
Stargreen, ph +44 207 7348 932

More tickets available for Royal Albert Hall Concert

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:09:00 GMT

2008-01-29

Due to the overwhelming response to our presale yesterday, we were able to get more tickets for "An Evening With Morten Harket, Savoy & Magne F". There is a limited supply of seats available on the Floor, in rows 10 to 15 of Arena sections A, B, E and F, plus additional seats in the stalls. Sign in to the a-ha.com Shop to get your tickets to this special concert taking place at The Royal Albert Hall Saturday May 24, 2008, at 8:00 PM.

A special evening at the Royal Albert Hall

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:10:00 GMT

2008-01-28

You are cordially invited to a special evening with Morten Harket, Savoy and Magne F to take place at The Royal Albert Hall Saturday May 24, 2008, at 8:00 PM.

No, you did not misread the above: You will get three performances for the price of one, in - we dare say - quite an unusual combination.

We cannot promise that these three artists will join forces, as they have been known to do on other festive occasions around the world, but there is widespread speculation within the organization of some sort of special appearance.

What does that mean? Well that´s for us to know and definitely for you to find out.

One word of caution: If you expect to see a regular show by the musical group known as a-ha, we kindly ask you to wait for the next scheduled performance convenient to your location.

Tickets in prime locations are on sale right now at a-ha.com, and go on sale through regular outlets on Friday February 1. We're offering an exclusive presale to members of a-ha's online community. To participate in the sale, make sure you sign up for a Shop account.

Greetings from the a-ha.com Team

Watch Magne's painting performance online 23 January

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:12:00 GMT

2008-01-23

Magne's new album 'A dot of black in the blue of your bliss' has been released and the six new tracks are available for free download on MySpace. On 23 January Magne will do a painting performance at the Oslo City Hall to create the 300 limited edition album covers. The performance will be a closed event but you can watch it via Magne's website beginning at midday Norwegian time. More info.

The new Magne F album is sold out!

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:13:00 GMT

2008-01-20

In a typically unpredictable move, Magne F has decided to release his new record, 'A dot of black in the blue of your bliss,' as a limited edition only.

Subscribers to the Magne F mailing-list were given a head start, with a one week's exclusive pre-order period for the album made in a 300 copies only, but as rumors quickly spread on the internet Magne immediately included his many myspace-friends in the offer one week ahead of schedule.

As a consequence the album is now sold out - before it was even intended to be released.

Fans will still be able download the songs for free on Myspace from the 23rd of January.

With this unconventional release Magne F challenges the idea of a 'general' audience.

When asked about the idea behind it Magne simply said: 'It seemed quite obvious - just give the music to people who want it and make a really nice object for those who wants to buy the record.'

You can read the MySpace blog about the new album here.

Blog tribute to a-ha on VG-nett

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:29:00 GMT

2008-01-13

On 11 January, VG published a music blog by 'Rockman' which is a career-spanning tribute to a-ha and their music. The blog is available in Norwegian and English, and includes interesting facts and various a-ha videos from Youtube, as well as a place where visitors can share their own thoughts about Norway's biggest musical export of all time.

A select few...

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:27:00 GMT

2008-01-06

Of you - 300 to be exact - will soon have the opportunity to enjoy 10 picturesque inches of Magne F.

It is going to cost you, of course, but you may also opt for the cheap and easy cyber solution. Whichever way you choose to digest them, 6 brand new songs are coming your way. All you need is to know where to look.

Magne F commissioned to create sculpture for the Nobel Peace Center

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:45:00 GMT

2007-12-11

The unveiling took place at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. Hydro commissioned the sculpture with the only stipulation being that it had to be made out of aluminum, a material Magne had never worked with before.

Before taking the commission from Hydro to create the sculpture, Magne spent some time considering the theme of this year's Nobel Peace Prize award as well as the properties of aluminum. In an article on the Hydro website, Magne says,

"I think we are living at time when there is a delicate balance, and in a time of major change, regardless of whether it is we ourselves or the sun that is responsible for our environmental problems. I started working on the title before I knew what I was going to make. I tried to find words that describe the situation we're in and I came up with the concept of "Climax". It means ladder in Greek. Apart from its use as term in drama, and its erotic connotations, the word is also used rhetorically by Gore and ecologists to describe an ecosystem strained to the maximum."

Having hit upon the concept of a house of cards, Magne gathered materials from a variety of sources, including defunct planes, retired tankers and traffic signs. Rather than smelting or recycling the materials prior to creating the sculpture, Magne used the plates immediately after cutting them out of their original context - left as they were found.

The 4m high 'Climax' will be on display in the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo through the spring, and Magne has said that the materials can then be recycled by other artists, to continue the process.

In a related project, Paul Stolper is pleased to announce the launch of ‘CLIMAX CARDGAME' by Magne F; a set of 15 aluminium cards, each engraved with text on one side and image on the other. This edition coincides with, and is the companion piece to ‘CLIMAX', a large sculpture made from reclaimed aluminium, commissioned by the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway 2007 and unveiled on the 11th of December by honourable Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore.

For further information visit Magne's official art site or sign up for his mailing list.

Nobel Peace Prize Youtube site | VG | Budstikka (1) | Budstikka (2) | About the unveiling

2008 a-ha Calendar in Production

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:39:00 GMT

2007-09-27

by Catherine Sexton

It's that time again! The same team that created the 2007 a-ha calendar is starting work on next year's edition. To read about last year's calendar, click here.

Update 3 December: Calendar now ready to order

The 2008 calendar is now available to order! If you would like to buy a calendar, please go to Lulu.com to order. The calendar will be shipped to you from America in a 26 inch X 16 inch cardboard flat package. As with last year, there is no profit calculated into the price; you pay only what it costs Lulu.com to print it.

The calendar itself measures 19 inches X 13 inches. There are 12 monthly pages with full color images on each page. The top is spiral-bound.

Just what you need under your Christmas tree...!

~~~~~

After getting feedback from MEF members earlier this year and hearing from members of many other forums and fan clubs this summer, we've decided to create a hanging wall calendar as opposed to the desk diary type we did last year. We hope everyone will be happy with this choice!

As with last year, we'd love to get pictures of the band from fans all over the world, representing any time in a-ha's career! If you'd like to submit one or more pictures for consideration, please e-mail them to contributions@a-ha.com.

Deadline: October 5
Resolution requirement for chosen pictures: 300dpi
Suggested orientation: landscape if possible!

Thanks in advance for your support!

Places to buy 'Movies'

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:07:00 GMT

2007-11-30

The following is a list of sites which may be selling Morten's new single, 'Movies.' The single has only been released in Norway, and entered the Norwegian radio airplay chart Hit 40 at number 28 in its first week.

Enter to win a signed CD single! Listen to 'Movies'

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:18:00 GMT

2007-11-16

This morning VG Nett premiered Morten's new single, 'Movies.' You can now listen to the song at the following two links: Universal Music | MySpace

Update: contest winners announced!

The cover of the new single 'Movies.'
'Movies' debuted on Norwegian radio airplay chart Hit 40 at number 28 in its first week.

a-ha.com is giving away ten 'Movies' CD singles signed by Morten. There were over 2300 entries submitted within two weeks, and the winners of the contest are:

Olivier Salicio
Judy Lynn Namyslo
George Phelps
Annika Olofsson
Benjamin Dimpre
Olga (from Russia)
Michael Booth
Kumi Fukusige
Paul McNaught
Vera (from Brazil)

Congratulations to all the winners! You will receive an e-mail from a-ha.com to confirm your prize and to request your mailing address. Many thanks to Morten's managment for supporting this contest.

Morten's upcoming appearances

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:59:00 GMT

2007-11-15

Promotion for Morten's new single, 'Movies,' begins in earnest this week, and continues into December with two major television appearances.

On Friday, 16 November, the "a-ha tribute Idol" program will air on TV2 in Norway starting at 20.00. The contestants worked with Morten to hone their a-ha song performances in preparation for the show, and no doubt hope to benefit from his advice and experience. Morten will perform 'Movies' for the first time live on the show.

Morten will also perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo on December 11. It is not decided yet what he will play. Morten has performed with a-ha at two Nobel concerts; this will be his first solo appearance at the international event since 1996, when Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo of East Timor received the Nobel Peace Prize. The concert is watched by millions on television worldwide.

'Idol' (VG) | 'Idol' (P4) | Nobel Concert (NRK) | Nobel Concert (official site)

Morten to release new solo album

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:01:00 GMT

2007-11-12

It has been 12 years since Morten's last international solo album release, and now fans finally have a new album to look forward to from a-ha's lead singer. The album will be titled 'Letters from Egypt,' and the first single, 'Movies,' will be have a physical and digital release on 19 November.

In a recent article published by VG, Morten discussed the oft-mentioned 'chaotic' relationship among the members of a-ha and his own creative journey.

"My experience is that all creativity is about trying to find the balance between order and chaos - the point of intersection where things start to break apart, enabling things to be created. That's how it is for me now, as a solo artist, and those mechanisms are the same for a band," he told VG.

Morten has reportedly written enough songs to fill two albums, but it is the upcoming 'Letters from Egypt' that has Morten energized. The single 'Movies' is a cover of a Lokomotives song called 'My Woman,' which can be found on the 1999 Lokomotives album, 'Albert.'

For those of you on Facebook, there is an official Morten Harket Facebook page. Morten's management runs the page, which already has over 300 friends. Facebook has a limit to the number of friends a profile can have, so be sure to send a friend request as soon as possible to ensure you get updates and information about Morten's projects. There are early plans to open a MySpace page in the future, but the exact timeframe is not confirmed.

Updates

On 13 November, a lengthy interview with Morten was added to the VG website (in Norwegian).

Movies' will premiere exclusively on VG Nett on Friday 16 November for one hour beginning at 0800. Following the Internet premiere, 'Movies' will start getting airplay on Norwegian radio.

Magne buys F16 fighter-plane

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:04:00 GMT

2007-11-06

Magne has reportedly purchased a F16 jet! Apart from confirming this to be true, he rather secretively declined to make any further comment about this to a-ha.com, other than to assure us he has not gone mad - well, not more than he already is...
Read about it on his MySpace blog.

E|AB Art Fair in New York City

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:06:00 GMT

2007-11-01

Prints by Magne F will be available to view as part of the E|AB Art Fair taking place November 1-4 in New York. For more information, see Magne's art site and the E|AB website.

Update: photos from the fair added

The E|AB Fair was held at The Tunnel in Manhattan. The building interior is uniquely suited to art displays and events like this one. Below is a view of the display tables from the 11th street entrance side.

Paul Stolper's display included works by Peter Blake, Damien Hirst and Kevin Cummins. Unfortunately, Magne's art was not on display on the walls, but there were a number of prints available to view in a portfolio case (see below).

a-ha receive Multi-Million Performance Award for 'Take on Me'

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:04:00 GMT

2007-10-17

Magne and Morten were present at the London BMI Awards last night, where a-ha were recognized with a Multi-Million Performance Award for 'Take on Me.' The event took place at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

'Take on Me' has been played more than three million times on US airwaves. According to BMI.com,

"Prestigious "Million-Air" certificates were also presented throughout the evening in recognition of those songs that have achieved over three million U.S. radio and television performances — the equivalent of more than 17 years of continuous airplay."

More details about the event, along with pictures of the winners, can be found at the BMI website. Morten and Magne are featured in images 9, 11, 23 and 25. There is an additional picture of Morten here.

See also:

Billboard.biz

MSN broadcast of Kiel concert

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:10:00 GMT

2007-09-17

This Saturday, 15 September, a-ha will play a free concert in the town of Kiel, Germany. The concert will be broadcast live on MSN and will be viewable online by fans around the world.

Update 17 September: Setlist update

The live broadcast from Kiel lasted for 80 minutes and is over now, but if you missed it MSN is replaying the broadcast. Fans have reported having trouble viewing the stream in Firefox, so be sure to try Internet Explorer if you have similar problems. Direct link to the stream

Setlist:

I've Been Losing You
Stay on These Roads
Minor Earth Major Sky
Scoundrel Days
I Call Your Name
Move to Memphis
#9 Dream
Lamb to the Slaughter
Hunting High and Low
Take on Me
Crying in the Rain
Summer Moved On
The Living Daylights
Analogue
The Sun Always Shines on TV

The concert took place on a massive stage erected in the Kiel Harbor. Above the stage was a large screen made up of long vertical banners on which various images were projected during the show, including some 'Take on Me' style drawings of the band in real-time. Although clearly relaxed and enjoying the performance, the band were not very talkative between songs, instead focusing on delivering the best sound possible. There was a funny moment following 'Lamb to the Slaughter' when Magne said, "That's the first time we've had a ship leave in the middle of a concert."

A collage of images from the MSN broadcast contributed by Michal

Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience a-ha live online along with the thousands of fans who will be there during the Color Line celebration! This will be a-ha's last concert before the release of their next album, and the production is something they have never tried before.

The concert will viewable at the following URLs from approximately 1600 CET: MSN | Color Line

Additional images from the MSN broadcast contributed by Sandra Schmelzer.

25th Anniversary of a-ha

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:27:00 GMT

2007-09-14

"On 14 September 1982, Morten's birthday, two joyful young men visited the Harket household to wish him happy birthday, and also welcome him as the new singer in their band. Pål was courteously dressed in a dark suit, while Magne had his hands full of celebratory poems and palm branches. From then on, the newly-formed trio put all their efforts into the band." ("Så Blåser Det På Jorden", page 49)

Thus is recorded the modest beginning of a band later made world-famous by a catchy tune and ground-breaking video. Although a-ha had a difficult road ahead of them, they were confident in their sound and talent, and became the first Norwegian band to reach the pinnacle of international success. 25 years later, a-ha is still making chart-topping music, performing quality concerts and continuing to reach new audiences.

To mark the occasion, we invite our visitors to share their memories of a-ha's career milestones by sending in stories for the Fan Features section. We welcome your 25th anniverary fan art too! Please send all fan contributions to contributions@a-ha.com.

Thanks to Jakob Sekse for the translation from "Så Blåser Det På Jorden."

Magne at Punkt Music Festival

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:10:00 GMT

2007-09-10

On August 30, Magne performed a 30 minute set as part of the Punkt Music Festival in Kristiansand, Norway. The set included two previously unreleased songs which are expected to be on Magne's new solo album currently slated to be released early next year.

Update: Pictures added to Magne's official site here

Attendence at the concert was limited, so it was an intimate atmosphere. Many of those who attended also participated in the Motion Conference which was taking place concurrently. Magne was accompanied by Jonny Sjo (bass), Karl Wennerberg (drums) and Jan Martin Vågen and Roald Andersen (scenography).

Setlist:

All The Time
Nothing Here to Hold You
Past Perfect Future Tense
Running out of Reasons*
Dot of Blackness*
Kryptonite

*Unreleased songs

Some links of interest:

Pictures from the concert
Review
Ballade.no
Motion
Punkt Festival
Kick Cafe
Experience Economy
MIC

Photos courtesy of Roz Smith.

a-ha concert in Fredrikstad

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:21:00 GMT

2007-08-19

On Friday a-ha played their first concert of 2007 at the Fredrikstad Stadium in Norway. Morten, Magne and Paul enjoyed playing the show together and are now looking forward to their next concert in Tromsø on 25 August.

There was a new song in the setlist, a cover of Lennon's '#9 Dream' which was released as part of a compilation for Amnesty International earlier this summer. Fans were delighted with this song, as well as a rare performance of 'Lamb to the Slaughter.'

Setlist:

I've Been Losing You
Stay On These Roads
Minor Earth | Major Sky
Scoundrel Days
I Call Your Name
Move To Memphis
Cosy Prisons
Keeper Of The Flame
#9 Dream
Lamb To The Slaughter
Hunting High And Low
Take On Me
Crying In The Rain
Summer Moved On
The Living Daylights

Encore:

Analogue
The Sun Always Shines On TV
Dark Is The Night

Pre-concert Press:

Concert Reports and Pictures:

a-ha concert in Kiel, Germany

Wed, 23 May 2007 21:26:00 GMT

2007-05-23

On September 15 a-ha will play a free outdoor concert in the Kiel Harbour. The concert will be the cornerstone of a Color Line ship christening celebration, and is expected to be 'quite spectacular.' According to Harald Wiik, the a-ha concert will take place during the daytime and the band will bring a special production which has never been used on an a-ha show before. If other recent Color Line events are any indication, there will be many thousands of people present and lots of boats - it will be a very special event that a-ha are excited to be involved with.

Magne taps into the creative minds of a-ha fans

Tue, 08 May 2007 11:27:00 GMT

2007-05-08

In an unexpected and unprecedented move, Magne has invited fans and friends via his MySpace site to take part in his artproject commissioned by 'Punktfestivalen' - a festival of contemporary art and music held annually in the town of Kristiansand, Norway.

The work will be shown at the prestigious art museum Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in September during the time of the festival. Little is known about the project as of yet, and when asked by a-ha.com to make a comment, Magne's answer was typically obscure: 'No one has a lock on the situation yet, but there's an outside chance that some day someone will...'

Read more in Magne's latest blogs on MySpace. There is also an article about the project online here.

There is at least one Magne doll out there that we know of, made by Natascha Sabo. Say hello to Magne Furryholmen and the rest of a-ha:

Update

Magne received around 100 dolls from fans all over the world, and has now added pictures of the dolls to his two official websites. Here are some doll-related links:

Selected images were included on Magne's art site, the slideshow can be found here

Pictures of all the dolls received have been added to Magne's official site, the slideshow can be found here

A fan report from the exhibit can be found in Fan Features

International release for a-ha's cover of #9 Dream

Fri, 04 May 2007 11:53:00 GMT

2007-05-04

a-ha's rendition of the classic John Lennon song, #9 Dream, will be included on Amnesty International's upcoming 'Make Some Noise' compilation. The album will have an international release on June 25.

The 2-CD set will be released under two different titles:

United Kingdom, United States and Canada - Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur
Everywhere else - Make Some Noise: The Campaign to Save Darfur

The tracklist will be the same on both versions:

Disc 1:

U2 - Instant Karma
R.E.M. - #9 Dream
Christina Aguilera - Mother
Aerosmith featuring Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - Give Peace A Chance
Lenny Kravitz - Cold Turkey
The Cure - Love
Corinne Bailey Rae - I'm Losing You
Jakob Dylan featuring Dhani Harrison - Gimme Some Truth
Jackson Browne - Oh, My Love
Raveonettes - One Day At A Time
Avril Lavigne - Imagine
Big & Rich - Nobody Told Me
Youssou N'Dour - Jealous Guy
Eskimo Joe - Mind Games

Disc 2:

Green Day - Working Class Hero
Black Eyed Peas - Power to the People
Jack Johnson - Imagine
Ben Harper - Beautiful Boy
Snow Patrol - Isolation
Matisyahu - Watching the Wheels
Postal Service - Grow Old With Me
Jaguares - Gimme Some Truth
The Flaming Lips - (Just Like) Starting Over
Jack's Mannequin featuring Mick Fleetwood - God
Regina Spektor - Real Love
A-ha - #9 Dream
Tokio Hotel - Instant Karma

The songs will also be available for download beginning June 25. To learn more about this project and find out how to make an impact, be sure to visit these sites:

Make Some Noise | Amnesty International

Places to buy 'Karma Boomerang'

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:24:00 GMT

2007-04-26

The following is a list of sites which have the new Savoy single available for download.

'Karma Boomerang' single (available now):

Forthcoming album, Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 (once available, release date to be determined):

CD Planet | Free Record Shop | CDON | Platekompaniet | Zailor

Savoy Songbook Vol 1.

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:46:00 GMT

2007-04-19

The new Savoy album is finished, recorded and mastered. It is called Savoy Songbook Vol. 1, and will work as an introduction to the band outside Norway. The band has been in the studio and has recorded new versions of songs from the previous albums, as well as three brand new songs.

Update 25 June: Tracklist added

"The record is finished, and the creative part is done," Paul says. "Now we are working on where the record shall be released." So far we know that the record will be out soon in Norway. "It will be a 'Best of 'album for the Norwegian audience, while abroad the record is meant to be kind of an introduction to the band," Paul explains.

Why did you choose to record the songs again, instead of just releasing them as they are?

"We feel that we have a really good back catalogue, which deserves a bigger audience. The previous albums have been released in Norway and in some other countries. When we decided to make a collection of Savoy songs for a wider release, we wanted to record them again to make it sound fresh. During the years, for instance when we play the songs live, new ideas come up that works really well. Some songs have a new verse; some get a new arrangement. I have always envied Woody Allen who gets to do his films two times; once to see how everything looks, and another time that is the final version. That's the way it should be done," Paul laughs.

The recording session for the new album has also been different than Savoy's earlier albums: "Our previous recordings have been more of a piecemeal," says Paul. "We recorded some parts, and added other instruments little by little. This time we were all sitting in a ring in the studio recording the songs live. Eighty percent of the sound on the songs will be from one take, and the rest is overdubs. This gives the recording session another dynamic."

"The whole production is bigger, with a larger budget. Our previous albums have been recorded at our home studio with small budgets. Now we have been working with a producer, and the record was recorded in LoHo studio in New York."

When Savoy's last album was recorded you had been listening a lot to The Band, which seemed to influence you both musically and aesthetically. Do you have any favourites that might have influenced the recording this time?

Paul laughs. "No, during this recording we have mainly been listening to ourselves," he says.

Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 will be a double album. One CD has new recordings - a mix of old and new songs, and the second CD has 14 of Paul and Lauren's favorite Savoy songs, recorded between 1996 and 2006. The first single, "Karma Boomerang," was released on April 13 in Norway.

Karma Boomerang

Let's go down and see the man
throw some coins in the Karma Boomerang.

We're going to Grey Dog.
Somewhere down on Carmine st.
Throw flowers in the air
and slowly come awake.

Let's go down and see the man
throw some coins in the Karma Boomerang.

Above us drunken birds
news filled with bloody murders.
Skylines and broken words.

You take your crystal pill
you get an instant thrill
you get your cup refilled and slowly come away.

Let's go down and see the man
throw some coins in the Karma Boomerang.

Is this the year that we will turn it on it's side,
and lead a stationary life.

Let's go down and see the man
throw some coins in the Karma Boomerang.

Karma is a boomerang.

Visit Savoy's MySpace site to hear the song

Media Links:

Review from VG on May 9:

Savoy: "Karma Boomerang"
5 out of 6

Drowzy pop magic from Mr. and Mrs. Waaktaar-Savoy.
Savoy have always been standing in the shadows of two giants: a-ha is obviously one of them, their own debut single "Velvet" is the other one. Considering this, the married couple's project may not always have received fair treatment, but one thing is certain: "Karma Boomerang" is better than most of the material that a-ha have included on their last few albums.
The song is remarkably nice and safe, but also irresistibly ingratiating. It's got both sun and ice cream in the face, and is bathing in a deliciously porous guitar sound which is topped by a charmingly quirky harmony song between Lauren and Paul.
It won't be fair if this one doesn't get a lot of radio airplay in the coming months.

Review by Thomas Talseth

Update June 25: Tracklist

Expected release date (Norway): August 6

CD 1 - 2007

Rain
Karma Boomerang
Best Western Beauty
Star
Tears From A Stone
Grind You Down
Reasons To Stay Indoors
Whalebone
Barefoot In A Denim Jacket
Lackluster Me

CD 2 - 1994-2004

Velvet
Man In The Park (Single V)
End Of The Line
Star (Single Edit)
Daylights Wasting
Empty Of Feeling
Foolish
Unsound
Fearlist
Bottomless Pit
You Won't Come To The Party
The Breakers
You Should've Told Me
Face

Magne launches new website and art exhibitions

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:58:00 GMT

2007-03-09

Today Magne has launched a new website related to his art projects, just in time for the opening of his 'Monologues' exhibit in Asker, Norway tomorrow. 'Monologues' will also open in London, UK next week.

New art website

Magne's art career dates back to 1989 with his first exhibition in Stavanger; however his breakthrough exhibition was perhaps 'Kutt,' which took place in 1995. Following on his critically and commercially successful debut, Magne has often used art as a creative counterbalance to his music career, expanding his art skills beyond drawing and painting to include glasswork, ceramics, origami and printmaking. Finally, there is one website where one can find information about Magne's art, http://www.magnef.org.

The new website was launched today and was designed by Frode Lamøy, Magne's drummer and webmaster of his official site at http://www.magnef.net. The site includes information and images from Magne's art exhibits and other projects, as well as a bibliography, interesting links and a mailing list.

'Monologues'

A continuation of his earlier work, 'Monologues' will include prints, paintings, music and poetry. The exhibition will take place in both London and Asker, Norway. "...I'm just trying to teach myself to read and write," Magne says.

16 march - 14 april 2007
paul stolper gallery
78 luke street
london ec2a 4py
tel: 020 7739 6504
www.paulstolper.com

10 march - 1 april 2007
galleri trafo 2
lensmannslia 60
1386 asker, norway
tel: +47 66 90 40 06
www.galleritrafo.no

Media links about 'Monologues': Oslopuls | Norway.org.uk

Discussion about 'Monologues' and Magne's new art site on the a-ha.com forum:

"Monologues" - new art by Magne (2007) | Announcement: New art site Magne F

Two a-ha concerts confirmed in August

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:39:00 GMT

2007-02-13

a-ha will play two concerts in Norway this August, and tickets will go on sale on February 16 and 17 via Billettservice and Billettluka.

The two confirmed concerts will be:

Fredrikstad Stadium in Fredrikstad, Norway on Friday, August 17

Links: Fredrikstad Stadium (1) | Fredrikstad Stadium (2) | Fredriksstad Blad | Buy tickets

Alfheim Stadium in Tromsø, Norway on Saturday, August 25

Links: Nordlys.no | Bladet Tromso.no | NRK.no | Folkebladet.no | Buy tickets

Tickets for the Tromsø concert went on sale Friday, February 16, and tickets for Fredrikstad went on sale today Saturday, February 17. Additional information will be added as it is received.

Update 18 May: New concert announced in Haugesund

Haraldsvang Amfi, Haugesund, Norway on Saturday, September 1

Links: Avis.no | TV Haugesund | Tickets (on sale May 22)

a-ha 2007 Calendar Available

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:39:00 GMT

2006-12-16

by Catherine Sexton

It has been many years since an official a-ha calendar was made available for fans to buy. This year, some fans on the Minor Earth Forum decided to create their own unofficial a-ha calendar to enjoy for 2007. The process began as far back as January, and now the Minor Earth Forum is proud to announce the availability of a calendar made for the fans, by the fans.

Calendar details

Full color
Number of pages: 112
Format: 53 week desk agenda
Price: $21.33 USD + shipping and handling
Featuring: pages dedicated to Morten, Magne and Paul's solo projects, 53 pictures of the band and facts and release dates spanning the band's 20+ year career

Calendar cover image copyright Mick Hudson/Redferns/MUSICPICTURES.COM

To Order

The calendar is being printed by an American self-publishing site called Lulu.com. The publisher distributes books worldwide and offers order tracking and a variety of payment and shipping options.

Click HERE to order!

The ordering process at www.lulu.com is very simple.

First, click "Add to Cart" from the a-ha calendar page.
Next, click on "Save and Continue".
Now you will be asked to create an account.
Once you've done that you're ready to "Checkout".

Remember that the calendars are printed as they are ordered so the ship date will be a couple of days after your order date.

How did the calendar come together?

Around the time that a-ha were preparing for their in-store appearance at HMV in London, I was contacted by a fan via the Minor Earth Forum. Emma Garbutt, a graphic designer by profession and devoted a-ha fan, asked if there were any plans to create an official a-ha calendar. When I told her I didn't know of any plans for this, she offered to help design a calendar for the fans. We discussed having it as a download on the site or even actually printing one. Once I saw her sample calendar pages, I knew there was a lot of potential in the idea!

Sample 1 | Sample 2

As you can see, Emma (known as 'mer' on the forum) is a very good designer! We began to talk about what could be done, but back in January it seemed we had plenty of time to decide what to do.

In midsummer, the idea came up again, and this time we began working on identifying a concept, a budget and a timeline for creating an unofficial calendar via the forum. The moderators made up the rest of the project team, and spent many hours reviewing pictures and ideas submitted by fans. In the end, we had over 600 original pictures to choose from - and it was a very difficult selection process!

It wasn't all work, though. The project team met up on MSN messenger on several Sundays and discussed the calendar as well as a-ha's recent live concerts and plans for a global a-ha fan meeting next summer. We had a lot of fun working together to create the calendar, and we hope everyone will like it!

After weeks of drafting text, selecting images, soliciting full resolution pictures from the fan photographers, creating a layout and confirming design elements, the calendar is finally finished and ready to order!

'Analogue' reaches platinum in Russia

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 17:04:00 GMT

2006-11-25

On 11 November, a-ha played their last concert of 2006 in Moscow, Russia. Following the concert, a-ha received a platinum award for the "Analogue" album from Universal Music Russia. Platinum in Russia is achieved when an artist has sold more than 20.000 records legally.

a-ha Receives Q Inspiration Award

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:16:00 GMT

2006-11-01

At the Q Awards 2006 event held in London yesterday, a-ha were presented with the Q Inspiration Award. Norwegian press were on hand to interview a-ha following the event, and Morten, Magne and Paul were very proud to receive such recognition from the well-respected 20-year old Q magazine.

According to the Q Music website,

"Morten Harket, Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen have worked together as A-Ha for nearly 25 years now, and their deft blend of pop and rock has marked them out for special distinction at this year's Q Awards. From their teeny-bop days of the mid-80s with hits like Take On Me and the UK Number One, The Sun Always Shines On TV, to their successful appearance at the Berlin leg of Live8 in 2005, the band have continued to show up and coming acts how a long and rich career in pop can be achieved."

Morten arriving at the Q Awards.

The band arrived in London following a 25-hour journey from the Ukraine, where they had just played several concerts. The trip was so prologed because of bad weather; a train ride and two harrowing flights rendered the guys exhausted by the time they reached the award event. Together they joked that the near-death experience flying through an electrical storm was cathartic. According to a quote from Dagbladet, Magne jokes, "We solved all the problems during the flight," speaking of the much-publicized internal problems in the band. After the award event, the guys head to Russia to continue their fall tour.

a-ha are in very good company in receiving this award. Past winners of the Q Inspiration Award include U2, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Bjork, Blondie, among others.

There has been quite a lot of press about the award; not only has there been UK media coverage, but also Norwegian papers VG and Dagbladet were on hand to speak with Morten, Magne and Paul about the award. Below is a listing of media links, which will be updated with new links, translations and excerpts very soon.

Q Links:

Q Awards website - here you can find a full listing of this year's winners.

Q Inspiration Award - a-ha - here you can read comments from Q4music.com's visitors about the award and add your own.

UK and Irish Press

The Guardian | Yahoo! Launch | Irish Examiner | Sky

Norwegian Press

VG | Dagbladet (1) | Dagbladet (2) | Nettavisen

More pictures from the Q Awards

All photos courtesy of Karen Wilson