A-ha were one of the most successful groups of the ’80s, but as singer Morten Harket once stated: “We were reluctant pop stars – virtually from day one.”
Speaking in 2009, when the Norwegian trio’s album Foot Of The Mountain was released, Harket explained: “In the ‘80s it was like we were run over by this massive train. We were not there to be pin-up idols. We knew that was part of it, but it was not the reason for doing what we were doing.
“The media was crazy, and that was one of the main reasons why we quit for some years, because we just had enough of it. We just wanted to make music.”
The artistry behind A-ha’s success was neatly summarised by the group’s other two members – keyboard player and Magne Furuholmen and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy.
Furuholmen said of A-ha’s signature sound: “The key elements that first defined the band are soaring vocals, synth hooks, yearning lyrics and melodic melancholia.”
He added: “Morten has an incredible voice – one of the very few instantly recognisable voices in pop music. And that voice is most effective in a synth-based musical landscape.”
Waaktaar-Savoy, the group’s principal songwriter, said of his creative process: “Writing is for me is the hardest part but also the most enjoyable. You might spend months searching for that missing verse or the title that you think defines a song. But when it comes together, there’s no other feeling like it.”