Born in Kongsberg, Norway on September 14, 1959, vocalist Morten Harket is best-known as the lead vocalist for Norwegian pop trio A-ha. He possesses a five octave range, which was unique in electronic pop and new wave music. In 2012, alongside his A-ha bandmates Magne Furuholmen and Päl Waaktaar-Savoy, Harket was named Knights First Class of the Order of St. Olav by King Harald for his services to Norwegian music and his international success. Harket’s interest in music began when he was very young – he was writing songs and playing piano at the age of 4. In 1982, he was performing with Oslo blues band Souldier Blue when he met Waaktaar and Furuholmen and formed A-ha. After two years of writing songs and perfecting their sound, A-ha released the original version of their signature song “Take on Me”. The band signed with Warner Bros. Records, releasing their debut album, Hunting High and Low, in 1985. The album included a re-recorded version of “Take on Me”, which was the album’s first single. The song climbed to the Top 3 all around the world, hitting Number 1 in most major markets. A-ha continued to release a series of hit singles and albums until their temporary hiatus in 1994. Harket released his first Norwegian-language solo album, Poetenes Evangelium, in 1993. He also recorded a cover version of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” for the soundtrack to the 1993 comedy Coneheads. His first English solo album was 1995’s Wild Seed. His third solo album, Vogts Villa (1996), was another album sung in Norwegian. A-ha reunited in 1998 and Harket devoted most of his creative energy to the band. In 2008, he issued his next solo album Letter from Egypt. That album was followed by his albums Out of My Hands (2012) and Brother (2014), released in between his A-ha commitments.
