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Morten Harket

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Morten Harket is the singer of the Norwegian pop group a-ha. He was born in 1959 in Kongsberg and grew up in Asker, near Oslo. Before joining a-ha he sang in the soul and blues band Souldier Blue in the clubs of Oslo. In 1982 he formed a-ha with Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen, and the trio moved to London to make their breakthrough there.

Music and breakthrough

Take On Me was released as early as 1984, but only became a hit in 1985, after a new recording and a video by Steve Barron. The debut album Hunting High and Low sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Scoundrel Days and Stay on These Roads, among others, followed. Harket's voice is the most recognisable element of the group: clear, with a wide range and a strong falsetto. The music magazine NME once called that falsetto the best in pop history.

Influence

After the album Memorial Beach, a-ha took a break; in 1998 the group got back together, in 2009 it stopped, and in 2015 a reunion followed. As a solo artist Harket made six albums; Wild Seed (1995) was number 1 in Norway. In 1996 he hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo. In 2012 the three members of a-ha were made knights of the Order of St. Olav. In 2025 Harket announced that he has Parkinson's disease; the treatment also affected his voice.

Listening

Listening tip. In Take On Me, listen to the chorus, in which Harket climbs higher and higher to a long, high falsetto note. Notice also the fast synthesizer riff at the start, which returns between the verses.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists