a-ha

The story of A-Ha began in the far 1976, when musicians Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar formed their own band Bridges. They met their future lead vocalist Morten Harket, whose high and clear vocals became one of the recognizable features of a-ah, during one of their concerts. Bridges did not have much success, and Magne with Paul decided to try their fate in England. They came back home and in 1983, proposed Morten to join their band as the vocalist. The trio took the title A-Ha. After recording several demos, the artists came to the local department of the Warner label and immediately got a contract. Singles Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines On TV became smash hits all over Europe. The debut Hunting High And Low of 1985 received several prestigious prizes and headed on their first international tour. A-Ha’s videos for the songs also contributed to the popularity of the band, having immediately charmed the MTV viewers. The same 1986, the trio created disc Scoundrel Days with tuneful hits Swing Of Things and I've Been Losing You. Cold, Scandinavian electro-pop arrangements, dramatics of the songs and catchy melodies by A-Ha mesmerized the listeners all over the world for a long time.

In 1987, Waaktaar got a proposition to write the theme for the next film about James Bond - this theme, The Living Daylights, was featured on the release Stay On These Roads (1988). The same time, the musicians began to disclose to the public other sides of their talents. Morten played a small role in the Norwegian film Kamilla Og Tyven, while Magne made an exhibition of his pictures in 1989, and got positive critical reviews. In 1990, A-Ha recorded their fourth album East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon. The cover for Сrying In The Rain by Everly Brothers became the most prolific song on the disc. As by that time several fashionable musical genres came to the stardom, the artists decided to take a rest and postponed the support tour. Later, those concerts became the most successful in the history of the band. Paul Waaktaar married Lauren Savoy and added the wife's surname to his own. In 1992, the fifth studio attempt Memorial Beach saw light, but it did not have much success due to the dark moods. However, the disc was decorated by the hit Move To Memphis. The trio took a rest and paid attention to personal projects.

Magne went in for painting and sculpting. Along with his friend, he formed the Timbresound project, which recorded soundtracks to three films. Morten Harket began the solo career, his discs Wild Seed and Vogts Villa became national hits in Norway. Besides, he proved to be a successful businessman. Paul and Lauren founded their own band Savoy. However, in 1998, after playing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, the artists decided to re-unite under the name of A-Ha. The result, Minor Earth Major Sky (2000) became a sensation. A handful of hits was featured on the disc - cosmic Minor Earth Major Sky, lyrical Velvet, dramatic The Sun Never Shone That Day and saying a farewell to summer Summer Moved On. The follow-up Lifelines presented the listeners with piercing pop tracks Forever Not Yours and Lifelines. The band commemorated their twentieth anniversary with the hits collection The Singles 1984-2004. In 2005, A-Ha already finished the long-play Analogue, which was written under the storm of inspiration. Tuneful pop hits Celice, Cosy Prisons and Analogue showed that the Norwegian trio was still strong at creating excellent songs. It took A-Ha as long as four years to release their subsequent studio effort in 2009. Called Foot Of The Mountain, it brought the listeners back to the early years of the band’s career.