a-ha

One of the most successful bands to emerge from the effervescence of new wave and synth-pop in the 1980s, A-ha turned their first four albums into sources of hits that remain part of pop music history. "Take On Me," "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," "Hunting High and Low," "I've Been Losing You," "Stay on These Roads," and "Crying in the Rain" are songs that have immortalized the group over the decades.

The band was formed in 1982 in Oslo. With their first compositions under their belt, the trio—comprising lead singer Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen—moved to London and, in late 1983, signed a contract with Warner Bros.

In 1984, the band released its first single, “Take On Me.” However, it wasn’t the original version that became a hit. The definitive version, included on their debut album Hunting High and Low (1985), became their biggest global hit, driven by an innovative music video that combined animation and live-action footage. In 2020, the video reached 1 billion views on YouTube.

In addition to “Take On Me,” Hunting High and Low featured the title track and the song “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”

A-ha remained in the spotlight with their subsequent albums: Scoundrel Days (1986), Stay on These Roads (1988) and East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990). Following the commercial failure of Memorial Beach (1993), the group went on a long hiatus.

The trio returned in 2000 with the album Minor Earth Major Sky. This was followed by Lifelines (2002), Analogue (2005) and Foot of the Mountain (2009).

In 2009, the band announced it would disband after the following year’s tour, titled Ending on a High Note Tour. However, in 2015, the band reunited to perform at the Rock in Rio festival in celebration of their 30-year career. That same year, they recorded and released Cast in Steel, their tenth studio album. 

In October 2022, the trio released True North, an album that also inspired a film documenting the recording sessions held in 2021 in the Norwegian city of Bodø.