When Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway interviewed Paul Waaktaar-Savoy in 2025, “Take On Me” had passed 2.5 billion Spotify streams. Waaktaar-Savoy wrote the original bones of that song as a teenager in Norway, years before the world heard it.
A songwriter with that on his résumé invites a big question about money. The honest answer is that Paul Waaktaar-Savoy’s net worth has not been publicly confirmed. Below we explain why, what is documented about his career and income, and which online claims you should ignore.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Pål Gamst (later Pål Waaktaar, then Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) |
| Born | 6 September 1961, Tonsenhagen, Oslo, Norway |
| Age (October 2026) | 65 |
| Citizenship | Norway and United States (per Wikidata) |
| Profession | Guitarist, songwriter, singer, painter |
| Bands | a-ha, Savoy |
| Spouse | Lauren Savoy (married 21 December 1991, per IMDb) |
| Honour | Knight First Class, Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (2012) |
| Net worth | Not publicly confirmed |
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy Net Worth 2026: Why There Is No Reliable Number
A search for “Paul Waaktaar-Savoy net worth” returns figures from under $1 million to $185 million. A spread that wide means nobody has real data.
| Claimed figure (USD) | Where it appears | Our assessment |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000 – $1 million | CelebsMoney | Produced by a “proprietary algorithm” and implausibly low for a principal writer of global hits |
| $20 – $30 million | A celebrity-wealth blog | The same page also quotes $50–70 million in its FAQ |
| $185 million | A viral “highest-paid musician” story | The publishing site later marked the story as apparently false |
None of these cite financial filings, company accounts, or original reporting.
We also found no entry for him in Forbes or in Kapital, Norway’s business magazine. Kapital publishes an annual list of the 400 wealthiest Norwegians based on total assets rather than income. Norwegian tax lists show only taxable wealth, and the real figure is typically estimated to be far higher. Because neither source gives a figure for him, we do not publish one.
How a Songwriter Earns
Waaktaar-Savoy’s money does not come mainly from album sales. It comes from publishing: the share of royalties paid to whoever wrote the music and lyrics. That is also why net worth is hard to guess from sales alone.
Some numbers do exist. A Norwegian report relaying figures from VG described how a-ha’s publishing income was split. Waaktaar-Savoy was the band’s main writer for its first decade, and the split of songwriting credits then ran about 80/20 in his favour.
For the period from 2003 to June 2004, the report said 3.1 million NOK arrived in the band’s publishing account. Of that:
- Waaktaar-Savoy received 1.4 million NOK, the largest share at about 45%.
- Furuholmen received 703,000 NOK.
- Harket received 279,000 NOK.
The catalogue was administered by Sony ATV, with 25 songs as the basis and 16 of them written by Waaktaar-Savoy alone.
Treat these figures with care. They cover a short window roughly two decades ago, before streaming changed the economics of old hits. They are publishing receipts, not net worth. We could not confirm the report’s publication date from the page we accessed.
Sales claims also vary. a-ha’s label, Rhino, has reported 55 million records sold, while other sources claim more than 100 million units. Neither figure translates into a songwriter’s income.
Early Life and Bridges
Pål Gamst was born in Tonsenhagen, on the outskirts of Oslo, and raised in the Manglerud district with his older sister Tonje. According to Wikipedia, his parents appreciated classical music and encouraged him to learn the flute and then study composition.
He took his mother’s family name, Waaktaar, as his stage name. Before a-ha he led the Oslo band Bridges with keyboardist Magne Furuholmen. According to Discogs, Bridges released an LP, Fakkeltog, in 1981.
Building a-ha
Waaktaar and Furuholmen left Norway for London in 1982 to make a career in music. Singer Morten Harket joined them.
The path to stardom was not smooth. As Song Exploder recounts, “Take On Me” flopped twice in the UK before finding a foothold in the US. Producer Alan Tarney’s remix and the famous animated video helped turn it into a worldwide hit, and it reached number one in the US.
The debut album Hunting High and Low went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide, according to Wikipedia. Waaktaar-Savoy has writing credits on “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”, “Hunting High and Low”, “Take On Me”, and the 1987 James Bond theme “The Living Daylights”.
Savoy and the Hiatus Years
When a-ha paused in 1994, Waaktaar-Savoy formed Savoy with his wife Lauren and drummer Frode Unneland. AllMusic notes that Savoy won Norway’s Spellemannprisen for Best Pop Band for Mountains of Time (1999) and Reasons to Stay Indoors (2001).
Savoy sold about 200,000 albums in total, according to Wikipedia. Another listing claims 300,000, so the figure is approximate. Either way, Savoy was a respected Norwegian act but a modest earner next to a-ha.
He later formed the duo Waaktaar & Zoë with singer Zoë Gnecco, who released World of Trouble in early 2017. He is also a lifelong painter.
Reunion, Farewell, Return
a-ha reunited in 1998 and released Minor Earth Major Sky in 2000. In 2009 the band announced it would disband after a 2010 farewell tour. The Shropshire Star covered the “Ending on a High Note” run, in which Furuholmen described the 25-year collaboration as having reached its endpoint.
It was not the end. The band’s eleventh album, True North, arrived in 2022, as Waaktaar-Savoy discussed in an interview marking 40 years of the band.
Achievements
- 2012: Named Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, alongside Harket and Furuholmen, for services to Norwegian music.
- Principal writer of several of a-ha’s best-known songs.
- Two Spellemannprisen wins for Best Pop Band with Savoy.
What We Could Not Verify
We found no credible reporting on his property holdings, endorsement deals, business investments, salaries or touring fees. Several websites list restaurants, vodka brands and fashion lines under his name, but we could not trace those claims to a reliable source, so we have left them out. We will update this article if Kapital, Forbes or an official filing publishes an estimate.
Conclusion
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy’s net worth in 2026 is unknown, not low and not massive. What is documented is a catalogue that still streams in the billions and a songwriter who historically took the largest share of a-ha’s publishing income. Anyone quoting a precise figure is guessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Paul Waaktaar-Savoy’s net worth in 2026?
It has not been publicly confirmed. Online estimates range from under $1 million to $185 million, and none comes from Forbes, Kapital or company filings.
How does Paul Waaktaar-Savoy make money?
Mainly through songwriting and publishing royalties from a-ha’s catalogue, plus live work and releases with Savoy and other projects.
How old is Paul Waaktaar-Savoy?
He was born on 6 September 1961, so he is 65 in October 2026.
Is Paul Waaktaar-Savoy the richest member of a-ha?
That has not been verified. He historically received the largest share of publishing income, but income shares are not net worth, and none of the three members’ wealth is confirmed.
Is Paul Waaktaar-Savoy married?
Yes. He married Lauren Savoy in December 1991, and the two have worked together in Savoy.
Sources & References
- Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Wikipedia
- a-ha, Wikipedia
- Morten Harket, Wikipedia
- Savoy (Norwegian band), Wikipedia
- Song Exploder: a-ha, “Take On Me” (episode page)
- Klikk.no: “Tjener fett på gamle låter” (relaying VG)
- Life in Norway: Kapital’s 400 richest list
- Dagens Næringsliv: tax-list wealth vs. Kapital estimates
- AllMusic: Savoy
- Wikidata: Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
- The Big Takeover: interview with Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
- The Shropshire Star: a-ha, “Ending on a High Note”
