One of the handicaps of a band with a “larger than life” signature hit single is the capacity of that hit single (and it’s overinflated media exposure) to eclipse even greater achievements of the band. No band has been a victim of this phenomenon any more than Norwegian pop/rock trio a-ha has. While the music video for their debut hit single “Take On Me” has immortalized them in pop music history and made them global poster-children for a generation, it created a situation for them wherein the American mainstream media seemed solely fascinated with that one feat of theirs and refused to acknowledge that the band was capable of scaling greater heights. The absolute zenith of their career was in 1991 – when the band played to the largest “paying audience” of 198,000 people at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro for the Rock In Rio festival. The band had officially set a record that has been captured in the Guiness Book of World Records for playing to the largest paying audience ever. This feat is even more noteworthy in the context of the music scene today – in which the largest contribution to revenue in the music business is that generated from live performances – especially in the wake of dramatically declining record sales and a large-scale shift in music consumption to a streaming model (which we all know, generates revenues that do not even come remotely close to compensating for the revenue loss from declining record sales). MTV ignored this and failed to interview the band post this unprecedented success in a concert environment. The band was gutted to say the least at the lackluster reaction and media coverage to a milestone event in pop music history. It must be noted that at the time, they more than outsold pop/rock heavyweights such as George Michael, Prince, and Guns ‘N Roses at that year’s “Rock In Rio” festival.

On September 27 – 2015, a-ha will take the stage again at the Rock In Rio festival to commemorate 30 years since they rose through the ranks of pop music royalty and become global pop superstars with their smash hit single “Take On Me” and their stunning debut album “Hunting high and low“. MTV may have ignored their crowning achievement in 1991, but we would like to celebrate the band revisiting a key moment in their artists/commercial legacy by inviting fans to participate in our a-ha “Countdown to Rio” request event.

Send us an audio recording of your “voice request” of ANY song by a-ha (EXCEPT the bonus tracks from “Cast in Steel” – sorry, we don’t have license clearance for those songs yet!) that you would like to see played on Radio Creme Brulee. The “voice request” should be not more than 20 seconds long. We will play your voice request before the song AND we will play your request 8 times on the day (once every 3 hours) that we air it. We will also send you an e-mail to inform you on which day of the weekend your request will get multiple plays. That way, we know you will not miss the song. Take this opportunity to celebrate Norway’s hottest musical export and while doing so, get your voice heard on a global broadcast. You can listen to our station from anywhere in the world via www.radiocremebrulee.com. We are accepting requests from ALL OVER THE WORLD since you can listen to us anywhere. As we had mentioned earlier, We will tell you in advance on what day we plan to play your request.

So how do you do this? Here goes:

What are the dates for the a-ha “Countdown to Rio” event?

The first request for “Countdown to Rio” will be aired on September 23, 2015 and the last requests will be aired on September 27, 2015 – so get your requests in QUICKLY!

What do you need for a “voice” request?

– A computer or a smartphone
– A microphone (your smartphone comes with this!)
– A software that can record your voice (ALL computers have at least a “Sound Recorder” software on them).
– If you are using your phone, use the “voice memo” to record the audio request.

Rules for the request:

– The recording must NOT be longer than 20 seconds.

What would a sample request sound like?

Here is an example:

— Hi, this is Daniel from Brooklyn, New York. I would love to hear “Cast In Steel” by a-ha.———-

OR

—- Hi, this is Chris from from London. Please could by play “Summer Moved On” by a-ha.———–

Where do I e-mail my request to?

Send your request and voice attachment to pranavc@radiocremebrulee.com

I am super-shy and am too self-conscious for an “audio request”? May I just send a message indicating the song I’d like to hear by a-ha?

Well, we would love to hear your voice on our radio station but if you absolutely DO NOT want to be heard, send us a message via our “CONTACT US” form and let us know the song you would like to hear.

What is the last day for submissions of voice requests?
September 26, 2015

So what are you waiting for? Get your requests in to us ASAP!