Morten Harket on ‘Human Grace’, his voice and a-ha’s future
Morten Harket discusses “Human Grace”, his Parkinson’s recovery and conditions for an a-ha reunion, in new comments from a-ha.com and VG.
Morten Harket promo picture
Morten Harket has given further detail on his solo album “Human Grace” and on the conditions under which he would consider returning to a-ha, in an interview published by a-ha’s official website on 24 September 2026. Norwegian newspaper VG followed up the same day with comment from the band’s manager, Harald Wiik, on the prospects of renewed studio work.
Morten Harket told the interview’s author, Jan Omdahl, that the album’s title track predates the current news cycle by several years: “Human Grace was written during the lead up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s when it was written, but generally speaking, the lyric is a response to the false representation of mankind we are facing daily, as presented to us through media, and in particular through SoMe.”
Morten Harket on his voice since his Parkinson’s diagnosis
On the voice itself, he said: “The voice I have now is not just caused by Parkinson’s itself, but also by the medicines and their side effects. It’s a very complex balance to find. At its worst, even my speaking voice was gone. It was just flat, unmusical, with no detectable emotions. Dead, almost. I couldn’t express what I felt, which was a tough place to be in. But the symptoms comes and goes.”
And he adds: “Nothing is damaged on the physical side with regards to the voice. Since we spoke last, it has come back to a certain extent. When I speak now, there is melody in my voice, even though it is somewhat suppressed. It’s not back to the point where I can use it actively as a singer.”
Of the disease more broadly, he said it “makes you question everything. It makes you humble, sometimes mad…It’s a huge, massive test of patience,” adding: “Parkinson’s didn’t break my spirit. Instead, it showed me how impossibly fabulous the human system is, how incredible our design is.”
Morten Harket leaves the door open to a-ha
Harket said friction among his bandmates is not what concerns him about a reunion. What worries him is the media and public attention it would draw. He added: “If the opportunity was to arise, and the conditions were right, I’d be available with my head and my heart. I’m an artist, and that’s what interests me.”
Wiik told VG there have been positive signs: “There have been good conversations in a-ha over the summer and fall, and there are as usual lots of good songs available,” adding, “I hope we can hear Morten sing them before too long.”
The Washington Post feature behind the reunion question
The question of a-ha’s future has been live for longer than this week’s interviews suggest. The Washington Post published an extensive feature on the band on 9 November 2025, timed to the 40th anniversary of “Take On Me,” built on separate interviews with Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. According to that piece, Harket raised the idea of Furuholmen and Waaktaar-Savoy continuing to perform as a-ha without him. Furuholmen turned the idea down, saying it would be unfair to the band’s history since all three members built it together.
Separately, a solo album Harket recorded in 1993 alongside “Wild Seed” has never been released. Its existence was reported by VG in 2019, drawing on Ørjan Nilsson’s biography “Hjemkomst. Morten Harket 1993-1998.” Harket has said he does not want the record released, and it remains in storage outside London.
About Morten Harket
Morten Harket was born on 14 September 1959 in Kongsberg, Norway, and formed a-ha in Oslo in 1982 with Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. The band’s breakthrough single, “Take On Me,” reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1985 from the debut album “Hunting High and Low,” followed by “Scoundrel Days” (1986), “Stay on These Roads” (1988), “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” (1990) and “Memorial Beach” (1993).
A-ha went on hiatus in 1994 and reunited in 1998 for a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, returning to the studio for “Minor Earth Major Sky” (2000), “Lifelines” (2002), “Analogue” (2005) and “Foot of the Mountain” (2009). The band split again after its 2010 “Ending on a High Note” farewell tour, then reunited a second time in 2015 to record “Cast in Steel,” followed by “True North” (2022) and its accompanying documentary.
Alongside a-ha, Morten Harket has released six solo albums: “Poetenes Evangelium” (1993), “Wild Seed” (1995), “Vogts Villa” (1996), “Letter from Egypt” (2008), “Out of My Hands” (2012) and “Brother” (2014). He has also acted, including the “Kamilla og tyven” films (1988-1989) and “Yohan: The Child Wanderer” (2009), and was made a Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 2012 for his contribution to Norwegian music. Harket disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in June 2025. “Human Grace,” his seventh solo album and first since “Brother,” is set for release on 27 November 2026 through Warner Music, led by the single “Hold Me” featuring his daughter Tomine Harket and the track “Falling Down” featuring his daughter Karmen Poppi A. Harket.
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