A-ha singer Morten Harket has revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and may not be able to sing again.
The “Take on Me” superstar shared in an interview on the Norwegian synth pop band’s website that treatment for symptoms of the condition have affected his voice and “creative future.”
The 65-year-old singer said he has been undergoing deep brain stimulation treatment for the past year after two procedures to implant electrodes into the left and then right side of his brain.
The electrical impulses fired into his brain have reduced the impact of some of the disease’s physical symptoms but have affected his soaring vocal power and ability to sing.
“I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign,” he told the band’s biographer Jan Omdahl.
“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 said he had kept the diagnosis private until now so he could focus on the “delicate balancing act” of managing his symptoms with medication and advanced neurological treatment.
He said he had “no problems accepting the diagnosis” and took his 94-year-old father’s advice to “use whatever works” as he navigates living with the degenerative disorder.
“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.”
Harket and bandmates Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy last toured Australia in 2020 and performed what may be their final concert at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2022.
The musician said he had been working on new songs in recent years but was unsure “if I’ll be able to finish them for release.”
But the philosophical singer told fans not to worry about him.
“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,” he said.
“Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.”
