The frontman of veteran Norwegian band a-ha has credited Soft Cell with influencing their music.
Morten Harket revealed that when the trio first arrived in the UK, they were primarily listening to electric guitar-based rock such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.
However, he told the Guardian that the distinctive keyboard-led sound of acts such as Soft Cell made him sit up and take notice.
"There was a kind of desolation and a yearning in that that was quite similar to the music we were listening to and making," he commented.
Harket went on to dismiss the suggestion that he has an operatic approach to singing, insisting that this has "never" been the case.
"It's more of a sonic thing," he added.
The band, who are best known for their 1985 hit Take On Me, are currently touring in support of their latest album Foot of the Mountain, which debuted at number five in the UK charts and made number one in Germany.
