Morten Harket, lead vocalist of Norwegian pop group a-ha, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Harket revealed news on a-ha's website this morning (June 4), saying, "I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis. With time I’ve taken to heart my 94-year-old father’s attitude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: ‘I use whatever works.’"
At first the 65-year-old decided to keep the diagnosis private, due to the "unpredictable consequences of going public," the news release states.
“Part of me wanted to reveal it. Like I said, acknowledging the diagnosis wasn’t a problem for me; it’s my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me," Harket said. "I’m trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline. It’s a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects. There’s so much to weigh up when you’re emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general.”
Formed in 1982, the Oslo-based band achieved tremendous success with their 1985 debut album, Hunting High and Low, which spawned the global #1 hit "Take On Me." Over the past 40-plus years, the group have embarked on multiple successful reunions that last saw them tour the world in 2022.
The statement adds that Harket underwent advanced brain surgery at the renowned Mayo Clinic in the U.S. He is currently on medication and is being treated at NeuroClinic Norway, which have led to a "dramatic improvement in his symptoms."
As for what this means for Harket as the frontman for a-ha, singing will prove to be difficult for him.
Asked if he is able to sing at the moment, Harket said, “I don’t really know. I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign. I’m broadminded in terms of what I think works; I don’t expect to be able to achieve full technical control. The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. As things stand now, that’s out of the question. But I don’t know whether I’ll be able to manage it at some point in the future.”
But that hasn't stopped him from working on new music, but he's unable to determine if the songs will ever see the light of day.
"Time will tell if they make it," he said. "I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with something completely outside the box. It’s all up to me, I just have to get this out of the way first.”
Read the full article here.