Morten Harket facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Morten Harket
|
|
|---|---|
Harket performing in 2013
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 14 September 1959 Kongsberg, Norway |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels |
|
Morten Harket (born 14 September 1959) is a Norwegian singer. He is best known as the lead singer of the famous synth-pop band A-ha.
A-ha has released 11 studio albums. They became very popular around the world after their big hit song "Take On Me" in 1985. Morten Harket has also released six albums on his own. Before he joined A-ha in 1982, Morten sang for a blues band called Souldier Blue in Oslo.
King Harald of Norway honored Morten Harket. He was named a Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav. This was for his great work in Norwegian music and his success worldwide.
Contents
Morten Harket's Early Life
Morten Harket was born in Kongsberg, Norway. His father was a chief doctor, and his mother was an economics teacher. Morten grew up in Asker, a town in southern Norway. He has four brothers and sisters.
When he was young, Morten loved music. He listened to bands like Uriah Heep and Queen. He also enjoyed artists like Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie. Morten started writing music and playing piano when he was only four years old. His father had wanted to be a classical pianist. Morten took piano lessons too, but he found it hard to practice regularly.
Morten Harket's Music Career
A-ha: The Famous Band
Morten Harket formed the band A-ha on 14 September 1982. He was the lead singer. The other members were Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitarist) and Magne Furuholmen (keyboardist). The three friends left Norway and moved to London. They wanted to make a career in music.
They chose a studio because it had a Space Invaders game! There, they met John Ratcliff, who became their manager. He helped them connect with Terry Slater, another manager. Together, they formed T.J. Management. The band chose the name "A-ha" because Morten liked it. Paul had thought of it for a song title.
In 1984, A-ha released their first song, "Take On Me". It became a huge hit in 1985. This happened after they re-recorded it and made a cool music video. The video was directed by Steve Barron. The song's success helped their first album, Hunting High and Low, sell over 10 million copies.
A-ha released more albums, including Scoundrel Days and Stay on These Roads. After their album Memorial Beach, the band took a break.
Morten joined A-ha again in 1998. They performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert. Since then, A-ha has released more albums. Their album Analogue (2005) was very popular. It even became Platinum in the UK. Their album Foot of the Mountain came out in 2009.
Morten Harket is known for holding a very long note. In A-ha's 2000 song "Summer Moved On", he held a note for 20.2 seconds! This is thought to be the longest note in UK chart history. It's even longer than the famous note in Bill Withers' song "Lovely Day".
In 2009, A-ha announced they would stop making music after a farewell tour in 2010. Tickets for their last concert in Oslo sold out in just two hours. But good news! On 27 September 2015, A-ha got back together. They played at a big festival in Brazil. This led to a new tour and an album called Cast in Steel.
In 2017, the band performed for MTV Unplugged in Norway. This live album was called Summer Solstice. An acoustic version of "Take On Me" was even used in the Hollywood movie Deadpool 2.
A-ha Band Members' Thoughts
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy says Morten is "totally different" from him. He remembers Morten burning all his old clothes and buying new ones when they first went to London. Paul feels Morten has given him confidence. He says Morten is the only one in Norway who had as much ambition as him. Paul thinks their differences create good music.
Magne Furuholmen says Morten "believes strongly in everything he does." This helps the whole band. Magne says Morten is brave and sticks to his beliefs. He is also very loyal and fair to people.
Morten has sung with other famous musicians on A-ha recordings. These include Graham Nash and Alison Moyet.
Royal Honor: Order of St. Olav
All three members of A-ha received a special honor. Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy were made Knights of the First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. This award is given for great service to Norway and to people around the world. The special ceremony happened on 6 November 2012.
Morten Harket's Solo Work
Before A-ha, Morten was the lead singer of a soul band called Soldier Blue. In 1993, he sang a cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for the Coneheads movie soundtrack.
After A-ha took a break in 1994, Morten started his own solo career. He has released six studio albums. His album Letter from Egypt came out in 2008. In 2012, he released Out of My Hands. His sixth album, Brother, was released in 2014.
Morten has also worked with many other artists. He sang with the Pakistani rock band Junoon. He also sang with Hayley Westenra on the song "Children First". He has worked with many other Scandinavian artists too.
In 2009, Morten created and sang the main song for a film called A Name is a Name.
Other Performances
Morten Harket has performed in many other shows and concerts. He has performed both by himself and with A-ha. Here are some notable ones:
- He was a co-host for the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway. He hosted it with TV presenter Ingvild Bryn.
- Morten sang a duet with Klaus Meine from the German band Scorpions. They sang "Wind of Change" at a Scorpions concert in Athens, Greece, in 2013.
- Christina Aguilera and Pitbull performed "Feel This Moment" at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards. This song uses parts of A-ha's "Take On Me". Morten Harket made a surprise appearance and sang with them.
- He sang the official UNICEF song "Children First" at a special concert in Denmark in 2005. This was a duet with Hayley Westenra.
- In 2021, Morten Harket appeared on the British TV show The Masked Singer. He was dressed as a Viking. He was the first person on the show to sing their own song, "Take on Me". He finished in seventh place.
Morten Harket's Voice
Morten Harket is famous for his amazing singing voice. Some people say his voice can reach five octaves, which is a very wide range! However, Morten himself said in 2009 that he has "never counted".
NME magazine said he has "the greatest falsetto in pop music EVER." A sound engineer who worked on "Take On Me" described Morten as "an excellent singer" with a "very strong falsetto."
Morten Harket's Personal Life
Morten Harket was married to Camilla Malmquist Harket from 1989 to 1998. They have three children: Jakob, Jonathan, and Anna Katarina Tomine (known as Tomine). He also has a daughter named Henny with Anne Mette Undlien. And another daughter named Karmen Poppy with Inez Andersson.
His oldest daughter, Tomine, sings in the song "Darkside" by Alan Walker.
Morten enjoys drawing, painting, music, and cars. He and his bandmate Magne Furuholmen are fans of Stoke City, an English football team. Morten lives in Norway but also has a home in London.
Discography
Morten Harket has released six solo studio albums:
- Poetenes Evangelium (1993)
- Wild Seed (1995)
- Vogts Villa (1996)
- Letter from Egypt (2008)
- Out of My Hands (2012)
- Brother (2014)
He has also released many singles, including "A Kind of Christmas Card" and "Scared of Heights".
Filmography
Morten Harket has appeared in a few films and TV shows:
- 1988 Kamilla og tyven (Kamilla and the Thief) as Christoffer
- 1989 Kamilla og tyven II as Christoffer
- 1996 Eurovision Song Contest as co-host
- 2009 Yohan: The Child Wanderer as Yussuf
- 2010 The Armstrong & Miller Show as himself (a small appearance)
- 2021 The Masked Singer – as Viking
Awards
See also
In Spanish: Morten Harket para niños
- List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters
