NEWS 2005

A-ha has been successfully touring for almost 2 months in Germany and Great Britain. The last date for December was in Cardiff several days ago. One more time, English fans have been there to support a-ha whereas the album has not been released yet in the UK. Indeed Polydor UK currently plans a major PR campaign in due to promote Analogue (album + single) at the end of January.
As a consequance, a-ha should perform Analogue at the HMV (Record music store on Oxford Street) on January 30. Entrance will be exclusively allowed to the ones who will be the chance to get a wristbands early in the morning in front of the music store. Polydor UK will also open a competition for a-ha fans onto their new official UK website
www.a-hamusic.co.uk. The band should also participate to several TV shows in the UK by the end of January. More to be followed.
But for the moment, the whole crew is taking some rest at home with their own family for Chrismas.

The first part of the European tour has started on October 29th in Koln. The band received such a warm welcome. The audience has been very enthusiastic in Brussels (13.11) and of course in Paris the day after. The French audience, in particular, as always, has well demonstrated their love to a-ha even after 20 years. People stood up in front of the stage from the beginning of the show and sang along with the band all along the show. The band seemed very touched and opened to the audience. Morten sang better than ever.
The concert in Basel has been more intimate and timid than Paris. Indeed, the show was organized by AVO Session, a Swiss festival. The hall was full of round tables with candles. The audience was composed of assorted people, and not only of fans. The atmosphere seemed quite weird at the beginning but after 3 songs, a-ha demonstrated their talent to the audience and everyone ended up cheering the band up and dancing.
In Amsterdam, yesterday night, the tracklist has been shorten as the band has to perform live the same night for a Dutch TV show in Leeuwarden. Several European TV channels have planned the broadcasting of the show (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France etc…) but France seemed to have missed the performance of the band.

1 - Celice
2 - Move to memphis
3 - Stay on these roads
4 - The weight of the wind
5 - Living a boy's adventure tale
6 - Cosy prisons
7 - Crying in the rain
8 - Manhattan Skyline
9 - Scoundrel days
10 - Keeper of the Flame
11 - Huntingh high and low
12 - Take on me
13 - I've been losing you
14 - Holyground + Présentation des musiciens
15 - I call your name
16 - The living daylights
• Encore :
17 - Analogue
18 - the sun always shines on TV
19 - Summer moved on

The band has been travelling around Europe for promotions for a few days now. Indeed, they have started a PR Universal trip and made a halt in Germany, Italy, Austria, Swizerland, Netherlands and Poland to promote their new single "Celice" as well as their new album "Analogue", the latest will be released on November 7. 

On October 11th, the band was indeed in Wien in Austria where they had the privilege to give their hands' print for the  "Walk of the Stars" which is an Austrian version of the Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. The prints of pop stars are thus exposed in front the new Entertainement Center, "The Gasometer" in the center of Wien.

http://www.walk-of-stars.com/
http://www.discothek.at/foto/in.php?se=4132&pic=1

27.08.2005 Frogner Parken Concert

A-ha played  in front of more than 120.000 people at the Frogner park this evening ,for the 100th birthday of the Hydro company. They played exlusive tracks of their new album: Analogues  which will be released this autumn.

Traklist:

1.Celice 
2.Move to Memphis 
3.Scoundrel Days
4.Weight Of The Wind
5.Living A Boys Adventure Tale
6.Cozy Prison
7.Crying In The Rain
8.Keeper of the flame
9.Early Morning
10.I Call Your Name (with tribute to Sigurd Kohn)
11.Manhattan Skyline
12.I've Been Losing You
13.Holy Ground
14.Summer Moved On
15.Hunting High And Low
16.Take On Me
17.Stay On These Roads
Encore
18.Analogue
19.The Sun Always Shines On TV
20.The Living Daylights
2nd Encore
21.Dark is the night

Videos/a-ha Live Frogner Parken Oslo (27.08.2005)

http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=288262
http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2005/08/27/441595.html
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/innenriks/5003447.html

10.08.2005 : New Album and Single "Celice "

After a break of 3 years, Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar Savoy are back with a new album. Universal Germany and dpa (german press agency) announce the release for the new album and single. 

The first single "Celice" will be release on october 4th.
The new album on november 7th.

Contact presse:
Universal Domestic Division

Update 05.08.05 :
Detailed Program announced by Hydro . A-ha will play at 9.00 pm at Frogner Park and the band will perform for the first time some titles of their new album which is coming soon.
see the program

13.04.05 : Free a-ha concert !


a-ha to launch new album at Hydro's Centennial Festival at Frogner Park in Oslo

Source : www.hydro.com
Article on Hydro website here.
French Translation of the article here

02.07.2005 : A-ha in trouble in Live 8 of Berlin

Unfortunetely, a-ha received very bad critics from Norwegian press due to the technical problems on stage. Indeed Morten couldn't hear himself on stage with his earplugs but after a couple of minutes he managed to sing along all the same. His voice was very clear and steady in spite of the high pressure. The band performed 3 songs ; Hunting High and low, Take on me and Summer moved on. They were willing to playing another one in front of the positive response of the audience but they have been thrown away from stage as other artists had to play.
NRK critics : Read more
VG article: http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=282671

Video link to see the performance

29.05.05 : "Some Sunny Night" on DVD

New double DVD from "Thomas Stanghelle's opera-musical Some Sunny Night" is now available on Thomas' website. The live performance took place at Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital's 50-year anniversary. The Norwegian Crown Princess Mette Marit was in the audience. Among the guest artists are A-HA vocalist Morten Harket, Olympic Champion Johann Olav Koss and Xiao Yan from China.
Morten Harket is interviewed in English by Johann Olav Koss for a couple of minutes but the song interpreted by Morten is not included into the DVD.
Thomas Stanghelle sings the tenor-part "Mark Wang" - the Chinese boy that survived an aircrash. Turid Stanghelle sings the part "Shen Lipeng" (Mark's mother). Kjetil Støa performs as the "marathon hero - Ketil Moe". Cecilie Rønning play Ketil Moes wife "Astrid".
Official site of the opera : http://www.somesunnynight.com/

To buy the DVD : official site of Thomas Stanghelle. http://www.thom.no/

15.05.05 : a-ha in studio in London

a-ha is currently recording the new album in London. The official site states that the band has just finished to record the demos. They are about to work on the next step, that is to say the recording of the album. Martin Terefe, the producer, states that the songs are really good and very high quality. Lauren Savoy Waaktaar, also declared that it should be the best a-ha album ever made.
The album should get a "soul' influence. The songs will be more agressive. Some songs have been written in New York in Paul's penthouse where Morten and Magne have spent a week in February.  Some other demos might have been recorded in Finland by Morten earlier. The atmosphere between the band is very positive and the album seems to be  very promising.
To be followed...
Source and picture : a-ha.com

News from a-ha official site. The band is currently in studio recording a new album between New York, London and Oslo. The album should release at the end of 2005. The band is working together in studio and they seem to get on well...to the contrary of Lifelines album (2002). They are working on 20 or 30 demos written by Morten, Paul and Magne. They want to try different instruments and different sounds. A few ballads could end up in a rock'n roll sound....Martin Terefe, Magne F producer for his solo album, is currently working on production with the band.

official source : www.a-ha.com  

http://www.frambu.no/modules/module_111/news_item_view.asp?iCategoryId=1&iNewsId=1324

09/11/2004

The new a-ha biography , « The Swing of things » is about to be translated in English for fans worldwide. On-line orders are now available on the officiel site www.a-ha.com on ware section.

Morten at Sunaas Hospital in Nesodden  on September 13th 2004

A mini opera will be held at Sunaas and Morten will sing a song from his own repertoire. Indeed, Morten sang a song from Simon & Garfunkel "Bridge over Troubled Water": Go to 17min42

mms://straumod.nrk.no/root02/Dagsrevyen/2004-0913/Dagsrevyen_13_09_04_300_WM_20040913_190001.wmv Link to the pictures : http://mortenharket-fr.forumactif.com/viewtopic.forum?t=24

New contract for a-ha

After a 4 year contract with WEA Germany , a-ha has just signed a new international contract with UNIVERSAL MUSIC, and especially Polydor Germany in Berlin . The band has normally signed for 3 new albums…let’s see !  Big change for the band who has always worked with Warner since the beginning of their carrier. Brian Lane (Bandana Management), manager of the band recently declared that the next a-ha album should be out in 2005.A world tour should follow afterwards.

Source : www.a-ha.com