Morten Harket, singer for Norwegian pop legends a-ha, has revealed that he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Harket shared the news in a post on the band's website, which takes the form of an article written by journalist and a-ha biographer Jan Omdahl. "I've got no problem accepting the diagnosis," the frontman told Omdahl. "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.'"
He continued, "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. 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."
Last June, Harket underwent a deep brain stimulation procedure on his left side, with a similar procedure on his right side following in December. He said these operations have helped eliminate many of his physical symptoms.
When asked if he's able to sing at all now, he told Omdahl, "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."
Harket went on to say that he was "always meant to do other things, but I've ended up with a fairly permanent position as singer in a band," explaining that, in addition to being a singer, he also has other passions that feel like just as big of a part of him. However, the musician has been working on some songs that he told Omdahl he has "great belief in."
"I feel the lyrics, especially, have something of a different aspect of me in them," he added. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish them for release. Time will tell if they make it. 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."
a-ha's most recent album remains 2022's True North.