Morten Harket

As the vocalist for a-ha, Morten Harket was considered as just another '80s MTV pretty boy. Born in Kongsberg, Norway, on September 14, 1959, Harket learned how to play piano at the age of four; raised on classical music, Harket was oblivious to rock and pop artists until he was 16. Harket originally wanted to become a priest; however, when he joined the rock group Bridges, he had to quit his theological studies to find time for his band. In 1983, Harket formed a-ha with Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, harmonica, vocals) and Paal Waaktaar (bass, guitar, piano, vocals). When a-ha released the video for "Take On Me" in America in 1985, critics tossed darts at Harket's pin-up looks, dismissing him as a Simon Le Bon clone. However, a-ha's debut album Hunting High and Low was much more diverse than "Take On Me" suggested, and Harket spilled his pain with a high-pitched falsetto over a bed of acoustic guitars and electronics long before Thom Yorke of Radiohead reaped awards and platinum albums for doing it. Harket's stunning vocals finally acquired critical acclaim with a-ha's second album, Scoundrel Days, in 1986. In 1987, Harket's voice could be heard in the James Bond adventure The Living Daylights; a-ha peformed the film's theme song. In addition to his work with a-ha, Harket has recorded three solo albums, Poetenes Evangelium, Wild Seed, and Vogts Villa. In 2000, Harket's haunting vocal work on a-ha's Minor Earth Major Sky mesmerized critics, drawing comparisons to Neil Young, the Verve, and R.E.M. ~ Michael Sutton