[a-ha] (the name is typically written in all lower case) is a synthpop/rock{1} band from Norway, formed in 1982. The group initially rose to fame during the 1980s and has had continued global success in the 1990s and 2000s. The band is the best selling Norwegian music artist in that country's history.

[a-ha] achieved its biggest success with their debut album [Hunting High and Low] and the single "Take on Me," in 1985. [Hunting High and Low] peaked at number 15 on the [Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart] and "Take on Me" became an international #1 single, earning the band a [Grammy Award] nomination as [Best New Artist.] (They have not been nominated since. Causing those not knowing of [a-ha]'s success in the rest of the world to call them a "One-Hit Wonder.) [Hunting High and Low] was one of the best-selling albums of 1986.

In 1994, the band went on a hiatus, and that same year [a-ha] reached sales of 26 million albums sold worldwide. After a performance at the [Nobel Peace Prize Concert] in 1998, the band returned to the studio and recorded 2000's [Minor Earth Major Sky,] which resulted in a new tour. By 2000, they had reached 36 million albums sold worldwide plus a double figure million singles. In 2002 the band released its seventh studio album [Lifelines.] 2005's [Analogue] has been certified silver and is their most successful album in the UK since their 1990, [East of the Sun, West of the Moon.] Their 9th album, [Foot of the Mountain,] was released on June 19, 2009 (release date different in some countries). On October 15, 2009 the band announced they will split after a worldwide tour in 2010, more specifically after their two farewell shows in Oslo on December 3rd and 4th.

Gutarist, Pål "Paul" Waaktaar-Savoy (Pål Waaktaar until his marriage in 1994), and keyboardist, Magne "Mags" Furuholmen, originaly formed a group named [Bridges]. In the early '80s, lead vocalist, Morten Harket joined the duo, and they left for London to "make it" in the music business. By late 1983 they had achieved part of that goal by signing to Warner Entertainment Arts(WEA) (a.k.a. Warner Bros.).

In London, they chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff because it had a [Space Invaders] arcade game. John Ratcliff introduced them to his manager, Terry Slater, and after a few meetings, [a-ha] had two managers. Slater and Ratcliff together formed T.J. Management. Ratcliff dealt with technical and musical aspects, and Slater acted as the group's international business manager and as liaison to Warner Brothers's head office in Los Angeles.

The origin of the name "[a-ha]" comes from a title that Pål contemplated giving to a song. The song used the words "a-ha" and "ahem." Morten was looking through Pål's notebook and came across the name "a-ha." He liked it and after checking dictionaries in several languages, he found out that "a-ha" was an international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was short, easy to say, and unusual.

An early version of "Take on Me" was the first song that Morten Harket heard Mags & Paul play, when they still known as [Bridges]. At that time, the song was called "The Juicy Fruit Song." The song was re-named "Lesson One" when it was first recorded by new trio, [a-ha]. After some rewriting, multiple re-recordings, and three releases, "Take on Me" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985 and was the second-best-selling single of 1985.

On January 24, 2009, [a-ha] won the Norwegian Spelleman award for [Hit of All Time] for "Take on Me" on the 50th anniversary of the official hit list in Norway.

[a-ha] has won six [MTV Video Music Awards,] for "Take On Me" and two for "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." They have also won eight[ Spellemannprisen Awards,] the Norwegian equivalent of the [Grammy Awards.]

Discography: Studio albums: Year Title Label 1985 Hunting High and Low Warner Bros. Records 1986 Scoundrel Days Warner Bros. Records 1988 Stay on These Roads Warner Bros. Records 1990 East of the Sun, West of the Moon Warner Bros. Records 1993 Memorial Beach Warner Bros. Records 2000 Minor Earth Major Sky Warner Bros. Records 2002 Lifelines Warner Bros. Records 2005 Analogue Universal Music Group 2009 Foot of the Mountain Universal Music Group As of October 2008, [a-ha] have held 461 concerts around the world.

[a-ha] has toured in: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

• Tour names and dates:
• Hunting High and Low Tour 1986-1987 (USA, Europe, Australia & Japan)
• Stay On These Roads Tour 1988-1989 (Europe, Japan and South America)
• Walk Under the Sun Dance Under the Moon Tour 1991 (South America)
• East of the Sun West of the Moon Tour 1991 (Europe)
• Memorial Beach Tour 1993-1994 (Europe, South Africa & Lebanon)
• Minor Earth Major Sky Tour 2000-2001 (Japan, Russia & Europe)
• Lifelines Tour 2002-2004 (Europe, Brazil & Russia)
• Analogue Tour 2005-2007 (Europe, Russia, USA, Senegal & Chile)
• Foot of The Mountain Tour 2009 (Europe, South America and Japan)
• Ending on A High Note Tour 2010 (Dates and venues TBA, only known concerts are Oslo Spektrum December 2-4, 2010.

Other personnel: [a-ha] has on tour, been backed up by various musicians, including some of the very best studio and touring musicians in Norway and Scandinavia. Most of them have also been involved in studio with [a-ha].

• 1986-1987 Leif Karsten Johansen (Bass)
• 1986-1987 Mike Sturgis (Drums)
• 1986-1987 Dag Kolsrud (Keyboards)
• 1988-1989 Ian Wherry (keyboards)
• 1988-1989 Randy Hope-Taylor (Bass)
• 1988-1989 Matthew Lettley (Drums)
• 1988-1989 Danny Gayol (Percussion)
• 1991-1994 Jørun Bøgeberg (Bass)
• 1991-1994 Per Hillestad (Drums)
• 1991-1994 Sigurd "Siggy" Køhn (Saxophone)
• 1994 Øyvind Madsen (Bass) (Africa leg of tour 1994)
• 2000-2007 Sven Lindvall (Bass)
• 2000-2007 Per Lindvall (Drums)
• 2000-2007 Krister Karlsson (Keyboards)
• 2000-2002 Anneli Drecker (Backing vocals, Duet partner, Tambourine)
• 2003 May Kristin Kaspersen (Backing vocals, Duet partner) (Russian leg of tour)
• 2009 Karl-Oluf Wennerberg (Drums)
• 2009 Erik Ljungren (Programming, Keyboards, Bass)
• On occasion between 2000-2005 Johnny Sjo (Bass)
• Occasionally Kjetil Bjerkestrand (Keyboard)

_____________________________________________________________________________ {1}Synthpop is a subgenre of pop and electronic music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It originated during the New Wave era of the late 1970s and to mid-1980s, and it has continued to exist and develop ever since.