MUSIC-A-HA Norwegian pop stars A-ha celebrate 30th anniversary with new album and world tour

Record ID: 140508

  • Title: MUSIC-A-HA Norwegian pop stars A-ha celebrate 30th anniversary with new album and world tour
  • Date: 2nd September 2015
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 1, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MORTEN HARKET, VOCALS SAYING: "For us you have to make peace with that song because it's stronger than you in a way. It's not going away. We played it to death and that means to death. It means you get sick of it. People get sick of it but the public don't get sick of it somehow. At the same time it just stays there so we have to make peace with it." SHOT MORTEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) MORTEN HARKET, VOCALS SAYING: "For me being bad at that I have always been a recluse really and to bring me out in the open like that is not easy. I think it has a lot of good things to it. And I do think it's possible for me to learn but it hasn't come anywhere beyond that."
  • Embargoed: 17th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA53T63LEGS1DMFHAMW2WV9DFIN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Norwegian pop group A-ha are back together after six years of pursuing their individual solo projects.
    Lead vocalist Morten Harket said of the reunion: "It's incredible how quickly you fall back into where you left off. And that's one of the good things about being away is to digest things and maybe learn from things and see if there are better ways to get to where you want to be. But it's hard not to fall back into old habits."
    The band celebrate their 30th anniversary this year and are about to embark on a world tour. Meanwhile their new album 'Cast in Steel' will be released on 4th September, 2015.
    'Cast In Steel' is the band's tenth studio album, and the first new music by the group since the critical and commercial success of 2009's 'Foot of the Mountain'.
    The band formed in 1982 in Norway and produced a string of international chart topping hits including 'Take On Me', their most famous track. Reflecting on the success of that single Morten Harket said: "For us you have to make peace with that song because it's stronger than you in a way. It's not going away. We played it to death and that means to death. It means you get sick of it, the public don't get sick of it somehow. At the same time it just stays there so we have to make peace with it."
    The band said they are getting to grips with social media and how it impacts the music industry unlike when they first broke into the business, "I have always been a recluse really and to bring me out in the open like that is not easy. I think it has a lot of good things to it", Harket added.
    Their first album 'Hunting High and Low' became a bestseller worldwide, remaining at the top 20 Billboard Top 200 Album chart for two months.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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