a-ha

A-ha’s 1985 single “Take On Me” became an international number-one hit and remains the defining song of a career that has sold more than 100 million albums and singles combined. Formed in Oslo in 1982, the Norwegian synth-pop group brought together guitarist and vocalist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Magne Furuholmen, and lead singer Morten Harket. Their melodic writing, synthesizer-led arrangements and Harket’s high, clear vocal made them one of the most successful Scandinavian pop acts of the 1980s.

Their debut album, Hunting High and Low, arrived in 1985 and was a major international success. It reached number one in Norway, number two in the UK and number 15 on the US Billboard album chart, while also producing “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” The album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist, and remained one of the UK’s best-selling albums of 1986. A-ha followed it with further studio albums in 1986, 1988 and 1990, scoring hits including “Hunting High and Low,” “The Living Daylights,” “Stay on These Roads” and “Crying in the Rain.”

After 1993’s Memorial Beach did not match the commercial results of their earlier records, the band went on hiatus in 1994. They returned to the stage for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 1998, then recorded Minor Earth Major Sky, released in 2000. The album became another number-one record in both Norway and Germany. It was followed by Lifelines in 2002, Analogue in 2005 and Foot of the Mountain in 2009. Both Analogue and Foot of the Mountain were certified Silver in the UK, with the latter reaching the top five in several European countries.

A-ha ended their first run with the 2010 worldwide Ending on a High Note Tour. During that year, concert tickets, merchandise and a greatest-hits release generated an estimated 500 million Norwegian kroner, placing them among the world’s 40 to 50 highest-grossing bands. The group reunited in 2015 for their tenth studio album, Cast in Steel, followed by touring and an appearance at Rock in Rio, marking 30 years for both the band and the festival. Their live history includes a Guinness World Records listing for the biggest-paying rock concert attendance, after 198,000 people attended their Rock in Rio performance at Maracanã Stadium.

The trio have released eleven studio albums, several compilations and four live albums. Their latest studio album, True North, was released on 21 October 2022.