Magne Furuholmen - photo credit Nina Djærff

“A-Ha Was Not A Stage For Pushing Politics” – Eiken Bruhn Shares Interview With A-ha’s Magne Furuholmen

November, 16th, a windowless dressing room in the catacombs of the Bremen concert hall ÖVB Arena, where everything seems to be coloured in beige, the faux leather couches and even the bizarre table-arrangement of a plastic agave. Next door Morten Harket is practising scales; A-ha will appear on stage in this sold out arena in one and a half hours. Keyboarder and co-songwriter Magne Furuholmen (57) is using the occasion to promote his current solo record “White X-Mas Lies”. It’s near the end of the first part of A-ha’s ongoing world tour and he seems a bit tired, but answers all questions with a friendly attentiveness.

Nineties Nostalgia Issues A New Wave Of Reunion Tours

The nineties was an eclectic period of music history, with the emergence of grunge and Britpop, and the continued growth of urban music and hip-hop. But one genre undoubtedly dominated the UK charts from 1990-1999, where nine out of ten artists who spent the most weeks at number one were pop groups or pop acts, and 12 out of 14 of artists with the most number ones in that decade hailed from the same category. Pop music, not to be confused with the sixties-punk sound inherited by Britpop, was a force to be reckoned with.

Here’s The Secret To Getting Superfans

Think of some of the most influential music of all time…Beyoncé, The Beatles, Michael Jackson…now think, what made these artists so successful? Sure, they made great music, but who’s listening to that great music? The fans! In this day an age, getting exposure to the right audience is just as important as getting your sound right. Reaching the right audience gives you the best shot at growing your fanbase, getting scouted, playing a live gig or even getting your first album deal. We’ve rounded up some top tips from music industry expert, Chris Grayston, on how to grow your fans and followers.

‘I Have A Dream’ – Owen Paul Guest Writes For Essentially Pop

Best known for his 1986 number 3 hit, ‘My Favourite Waste Of Time’, which he co-wrote, Scottish singer Owen Paul released ‘The One’, in January 2014, his first official single in the UK since 1987, and followed it with his album, ‘About Time II’ in the autumn that year. He continues to perform extensively, both as a solo artist and with his full band Live 80s show, and as lead vocalist for XSM (Ex Simple Mind). He played all three Rewind Festivals last year as part of the British Electric Foundation.
Owen’s latest single, ‘Amazing’, released in November 2017 is a remix by Stonebridge, and spent three weeks in the Music Week Club Charts.
Owen is our guest writer today.