Latest news with #Omdahl
American Military News
5 days ago
- Health
- American Military News
A-ha frontman Morten Harket reveals Parkinson's diagnosis
A-ha frontman Morten Harket has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he revealed in an article published on the band's website Wednesday. The 'Take On Me' singer told biographer Jan Omdahl that he underwent a procedure for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in June 2024, addressing the left side of his brain, and a similar one in December for the right. Parkinson's causes parts of one's brain to deteriorate and affects muscle control, balance and movement, as well as thinking ability and mental health, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 'The simple fact that, on good days, Morten shows virtually no sign of many of the most familiar physical symptoms of Parkinson's, doesn't mean that he is well,' wrote Omdahl, who penned the Norwegian band's 2003 biography, 'The Swing of Things.' Omdahl recounted Harket's 'round-the-clock effort to balance medication, signals from the electrodes in his brain, sleep, blood sugar and mindset in a way that keeps the symptoms and side effects more or less in check,' though it 'isn't always successful.' Harket said he doesn't 'expect to be able to achieve full technical control' of his voice anymore, even as he works on unreleased music. 'The question is whether I can express myself with my voice,' he told Omdahl. 'As things stand now, that's out of the question.' Harket, however, told fans not to worry and instead 'spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.' A-ha — a synth-pop trio whose members also include Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy — is best known for their 1980s hits 'Take On Me,' 'Cry Wolf' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV.' The band split in 2009 but briefly reunited in 2015. The music video for 'Take On Me' hit 1 billion views in early 2020 and crossed the 2 billion-view threshold this past September. ___ © 2025 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A-ha's Morten Harket Reveals Parkinson's Diagnosis: ‘Take On Me' Vocalist Says 'I Don't Feel Like Singing'
Morten Harket, the singer of the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha who helped define the 1980s MTV sound with its gorgeously sung global hit 'Take On Me,' revealed Wednesday that he has Parkinson's disease. 'I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign,' Harket said in an interview on the band's official website. '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.' More from Deadline Gkids Takes North America For Cannes & Annecy Title 'Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain' King Charles III Visits SXSW London Channel 4 Strategy Boss Exiting After Five Years The 65-year-old Harket disclosed his illness in an interview with Jan Omdahl, the band's biographer. He did not indicate how long he's been battling Parkinsons. Using a two-and-a-half of his five octave vocal range and with model good looks, Harket became the voice and face of MTV and pop radio during the mid-1980s as a-ha's infectious hit song (and its inventive music video that made heavy use of rotoscoping) 'Take On Me' became ubiquitous. With a bouncy synth pop introduction, the song was particularly distinguished by Harket's performance of the song's chorus that begins with a low-register 'take on me' and moves skyward to a falsetto 'I'll be gone in a day or two,' the final word sung near at dog-whistle heights. The New Wave song has proven remarkably durable, appearing in such films as Deadpool 2, Despicable Me 3, La La Land and Ready Player One. Most recently, the song and the band became a talking point during a memorable scene in Episode 4 of Netflix's hit series Adolescence. In his interview with band historian Omdahl, Harket said, '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.'' Wednesday announcement follows the the 40th anniversary of the song's release. 'Take On Me' was the first single of the group's first album Hunting High and Low. Omdahl reports that Harket has to date shared his diagnosis with few people in his immediate circle. 'Part of me wanted to reveal it,' Harket says. '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. 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.' In the interview, Harket said he took medicine to manage his symptoms. Last June, he traveled to the United States, where surgeons at the Mayo Clinic implanted, inside the left side of his brain, electrodes that receive electrical impulses from a small pacemaker-like device in his upper chest. He underwent the same procedure in December for the right side of his brain. The treatment, known as deep brain simulation, is an established treatment for Parkinson's. Omdahl writes that the treatment has helped keep Harket's symptoms in check. Still, problems with his voice 'are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,' he said. The dopamine supplements that he takes affect his voice, but his underlying symptoms become more pronounced if he doesn't take them, he said. Parkinson's is a progressive and incurable disease that affects the central nervous system and causes tremors, muscle stiffness, impaired balance and other symptoms. More than 10 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with Parkinson's, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. Harket, who maintained a steady solo and band career since his 1980s heyday, says he visited the Mayo Clinic last June and again in December to have electrodes implanted in his brain to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's. He also takes dopamine supplements that help with his muscle movements but seem to have little effect on his weakening voice, a situation he says is 'one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future.' Parkinson's is a progressive and incurable disease that affects the central nervous system and causes tremors, muscle stiffness, impaired balance and other symptoms. See a-ha's classic video for 'Take On Me' below. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A-ha frontman Morten Harket reveals Parkinson's diagnosis
A-ha frontman Morten Harket has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he revealed in an article published on the band's website Wednesday. The 'Take On Me' singer told biographer Jan Omdahl that he underwent a procedure for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in June 2024, addressing the left side of his brain, and a similar one in December for the right. Parkinson's causes parts of one's brain to deteriorate and affects muscle control, balance and movement, as well as thinking ability and mental health, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 'The simple fact that, on good days, Morten shows virtually no sign of many of the most familiar physical symptoms of Parkinson's, doesn't mean that he is well,' wrote Omdahl, who penned the Norwegian band's 2003 biography, 'The Swing of Things.' Omdahl recounted Harket's 'round-the-clock effort to balance medication, signals from the electrodes in his brain, sleep, blood sugar and mindset in a way that keeps the symptoms and side effects more or less in check,' though it 'isn't always successful.' Harket said he doesn't 'expect to be able to achieve full technical control' of his voice anymore, even as he works on unreleased music. 'The question is whether I can express myself with my voice,' he told Omdahl. 'As things stand now, that's out of the question.' Harket, however, told fans not to worry and instead 'spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.' A-ha — a synth-pop trio whose members also include Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy — is best known for their 1980s hits 'Take On Me,' 'Cry Wolf' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV.' The band split in 2009 but briefly reunited in 2015. The music video for 'Take On Me' hit 1 billion views in early 2020 and crossed the 2 billion-view threshold this past September.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A-ha frontman Morten Harket reveals Parkinson's diagnosis
A-ha frontman Morten Harket has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he revealed in an article published on the band's website Wednesday. The 'Take On Me' singer told biographer Jan Omdahl that he underwent a procedure for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in June 2024, addressing the left side of his brain, and a similar one in December for the right. Parkinson's causes parts of one's brain to deteriorate and affects muscle control, balance and movement, as well as thinking ability and mental health, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 'The simple fact that, on good days, Morten shows virtually no sign of many of the most familiar physical symptoms of Parkinson's, doesn't mean that he is well,' wrote Omdahl, who penned the Norwegian band's 2003 biography, 'The Swing of Things.' Omdahl recounted Harket's 'round-the-clock effort to balance medication, signals from the electrodes in his brain, sleep, blood sugar and mindset in a way that keeps the symptoms and side effects more or less in check,' though it 'isn't always successful.' Harket said he doesn't 'expect to be able to achieve full technical control' of his voice anymore, even as he works on unreleased music. 'The question is whether I can express myself with my voice,' he told Omdahl. 'As things stand now, that's out of the question.' Harket, however, told fans not to worry and instead 'spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.' A-ha — a synth-pop trio whose members also include Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy — is best known for their 1980s hits 'Take On Me,' 'Cry Wolf' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV.' The band split in 2009 but briefly reunited in 2015. The music video for 'Take On Me' hit 1 billion views in early 2020 and crossed the 2 billion-view threshold this past September.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A-ha Singer Morten Harket Reveals Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis
A-ha's Morten Harket revealed Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which could impact the 'Take on Me' singer's powerful voice and 'creative future.' Harket, who was quietly battling Parkinson's over the past few years, announced the diagnosis on the Norwegian new wave band's official website via a new interview with A-ha biographer Jan Omdahl. More from Rolling Stone A-ha Detail Evolution of 'Take On Me' in Documentary Clip Tribeca to Premiere Films on Anthony Bourdain, A$AP Rocky, Rick James A-ha Release Remastered 4K Version of Classic 'Take on Me' Video '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,'' Harket said. '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. 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.' According to Omdahl, beginning in June 2024, Harket underwent a neurosurgical procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS), where electrodes are implanted deep inside both sides of the brain. The procedure, 'among the most advanced treatments in neurology,' greatly reduced the physical toll of Parkinson's for Harket, combined with treatment from the NeuroClinic Norway that 'led to a dramatic improvement in his symptoms,' Omdahl wrote. However, Harket's skyscraping vocals — as evidenced on the band's hits 'Take on Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV' — remain impacted by the Parkinson's. 'The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,' Harket said, adding, 'The voice problem comes especially when I take dopamine supplements. If I don't take dopamine, my voice settles down – but then the general underlying symptoms become more pronounced.' 'I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign. I'm broad-minded in terms of what I think works; I don't expect to be able to achieve full technical control,' Harket continued. '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.' A-ha last performed live in July 2022 on a world tour in support of their then-new album True North. Despite the diagnosis, Harket stressed to fans, 'Don't worry about me. Find out who you want to be – a process that can be new each and every day. Be good servants of nature, the very basis of our existence, and care for the environment while it is still possible to do so. Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
