a-ha to Break Up After Final Tour

Norwegian band a-ha have announced that they will break up at the end of 2010 after a farewell tour.

The following was posted on their official website:

With the current album Foot of The Mountain enjoying both commercial success and critical acclaim, A-ha has decided to call it a day.

As a consequence, A-ha will not be releasing any further albums in the future.

The band would like to thank their fans and everyone who has contributed to their amazing journey, and say:

'We've literally lived the ultimate boy's adventure tale, through a longer, more rewarding career than anyone could hope for. Doing this now will give us a chance to get more involved in other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else - and of course through new constellations in the field of art and music. We are retiring as a band, not as individuals.

Change is always difficult and It is easy to get set in one's ways. Now it is time to move on.'

Tickets for their final concert on December 4, 2010 in Oslo, Norway go on sale Friday at 10 AM CET.

Their 1985 hit Take on Me reached number 1 on the U.S. singles chart while the follow-up, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., was a Dance Club hit. In the U.K., they had eight top ten singles and four top ten albums including their latest, Foot on the Mountain, which peaked at number 5.