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Björk



 
 
Björk Guðmundsdóttir (born 21 November 1965) is an Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
ic singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter

File:Joan Baez Bob Dylan crop.jpgSinger-songwriter is a term that refers to performers who Lyricist, composer and singing their own Musical piece including lyrics and melody....
, composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, actress
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and music producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
, whose work includes seven solo albums and two film soundtracks.

She is best known for her expressive vocals, broad soprano vocal range, and a diverse and eclectic musical style which incorporates influences from many different genres, including pop
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as Grunge music, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop....
, jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, ambient
Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses on the timbre characteristics of sounds, particularly organised or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality....
, electronic
Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology....
, classical
Classical music

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western art history Religious music and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times....
, folk
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
 and trip hop
Trip hop

Trip hop is a music genre also known as the Bristol sound. The trip hop description was applied to the musical trend in the mid-1990s of downtempo electronic music that grew out of England's hip hop music and house music scenes....
, as well as her eccentric costumes and music videos.






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Quotations


I am grateful... grapefruit.

At the Brit Awards 1998

Americans are so dumb!

Paper magazine, September 1997

I thought I could organize freedom How Scandinavian of me.

"Hunter" (Homogenic; 1997)

His wicked sense of humour suggests exciting sex His fingers focus on her Her touches He's Venus as a Boy!

"Venus as a Boy", from the CD single Venus as a Boy (1993)

I want to go, on a mountain top! With a radio and good batteries And play a joyous tune And free the human race from suffering (saccharine).

"Alarm Call", from Homogenic (1997)

Emotional landscapes They puzzle me The riddle gets solved and you push me up to this state of emergency How beautiful to be! State of emergency Is where I want to be.

"Jóga", from Homogenic (1997)





Encyclopedia


Björk Guðmundsdóttir (born 21 November 1965) is an Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
ic singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter

File:Joan Baez Bob Dylan crop.jpgSinger-songwriter is a term that refers to performers who Lyricist, composer and singing their own Musical piece including lyrics and melody....
, composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, actress
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and music producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
, whose work includes seven solo albums and two film soundtracks.

She is best known for her expressive vocals, broad soprano vocal range, and a diverse and eclectic musical style which incorporates influences from many different genres, including pop
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as Grunge music, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop....
, jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, ambient
Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses on the timbre characteristics of sounds, particularly organised or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality....
, electronic
Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology....
, classical
Classical music

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western art history Religious music and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times....
, folk
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
 and trip hop
Trip hop

Trip hop is a music genre also known as the Bristol sound. The trip hop description was applied to the musical trend in the mid-1990s of downtempo electronic music that grew out of England's hip hop music and house music scenes....
, as well as her eccentric costumes and music videos. Her singles "It's Oh So Quiet
It's Oh So Quiet

"It's Oh So Quiet" performed by Bj?rk is a renamed cover of the Betty Hutton song "Blow a Fuse". It remains her biggest hit, reaching #4 in the UK and spending 15 weeks on the UK singles chart, generating plenty of mainstream airplay....
", "Army of Me
Army of Me

"Army of Me" is a song by Bj?rk, released in 1995 as the first, and leading, single from her second solo album Post . It is a grinding, industrial music tune, punctuated by numerous samples of explosions and lyrics which encourages the listener to stop complaining and get on with life ? or else....
" and "Hyperballad" all charted in the UK Top 10
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
.

Björk's avant-garde
Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
 pop style, using experimental beats, traditional elements and freeform singing, has been significantly influential on contemporary music.

Her record label, One Little Indian, reported in 2003 that she had sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. She has been nominated for 13 Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
s, an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards (including one for acting). For her performance in Dancer in the Dark
Dancer in the Dark

Dancer in the Dark is an award-winning musical film drama released in 2000 in film. It was directed by Lars von Trier and stars Bj?rk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse , Vladica Kostic, Cara Seymour and Peter Stormare....
, Björk won the Best Actress Award
Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)

The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946....
 at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival....
. She was ranked #36 on VH1
VH1

VH1 is an United States cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in television, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slighter older demographic than its sister channel, focusing on the lighter, softer side of popular music....
's "The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll" and #8 on MTV
MTV

MTV is an United States cable television network based in Media of New York City. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJ ....
's "22 Greatest Voices in Music". Her most recent album, Volta
Volta (album)

Volta is the Grammy Awards-nominated sixth full-length studio album from Icelandic singer Bj?rk, a follow-up to 2004 in music's Med?lla and comprises ten new tracks....
, was released worldwide on 8 May 2007.

Early life


Björk was born and raised in Reykjavík
Reykjavík

is the Capital and largest city of Iceland. Its latitude at 64?08' N makes it the world's most northern national capital city. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxafl?i Bay....
. Her musical career began when she was eleven with her study of classical piano
Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
 in elementary school. One of her instructors sent a recording of Björk singing Tina Charles
Tina Charles

Tina Charles is an England singer, who achieved success as a disco musician in the mid to late 1970s....
' song "I Love to Love" to RÚV
RÚV

R?kis?tvarpi? The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service – is Iceland's national public broadcasting organization. Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjav?k, as well as a number of regional centres around the country, the service broadcasts a variety of general programming to a wide audience across the wh...
, then the only radio station in Iceland. The recording was broadcast on radio nationally; after hearing it, a representative of the record label Fálkinn contacted Björk to offer a record contract. An album, Björk
Björk (album)

Bj?rk is the first official release from the Icelandic singer Bj?rk. In 1976, Bj?rk appeared on Icelandic radio singing "I_Love_to_Love_" through the music school she attended, which led her to a record deal....
, was recorded and released in 1977.

In her teens, Björk was influenced by punk
Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
; at 14 she formed the all-girl punk band Spit and Snot, shortly followed by the jazz fusion
Jazz fusion

Fusion or, more specifically, jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a musical genre that merges jazz with elements of other styles of music, particularly funk, Rock and roll, R&B, electronic music, and world music, but also pop music, classical music, and folk music, or sometimes even Heavy metal music, reggae, ska, country music, hip hop...
 group Exodus in 1979. In 1980 she graduated from music school. In 1981 she and bassist
Bassist

A bass player is a musician who plays a double bass, bass guitar, or another low-pitched instrument, such as keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as tuba or sousaphone....
 Jakob Magnússon formed another band called Jam-80, which later became Tappi Tíkarrass
Tappi Tíkarrass

Tappi T?karrass was a famous Icelandic Punk rock/Pop music band which added elements of funk, disco and jazz to their music, marking a difference from other traditional bands at that time....
 (which means "Cork the Bitch’s Ass" in Icelandic
Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic languages, the language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese language and Norwegian dialects such as Telemark dialect and Sognam?l....
), and released an extended single, "Bítið Fast í Vítið
Bítið Fast í Vítið

B?ti? Fast ? V?ti?, which in Icelandic language could be translated as Take a Firm Bite of Hell or Put Your Teeth Firmly into Hell, was an Extended play released in 1982 by Tappi T?karrass, an Iceland punk rock/pop music group led by vocalists Bj?rk and Ey??r Arnalds....
" in the same year. Their next album, Miranda
Miranda (Tappi Tíkarrass)

Miranda was an album released in December 1983 by Iceland band Tappi T?karrass, which was led by singer Bj?rk.With Miranda the band switched their music style to disco music, pop melodies and mellow songs counteracting their previous punkish EP, B?ti? Fast ? V?ti? in 1982....
, was released in 1983.

Afterward, Björk collaborated with Einar Örn Benediktsson
Einar Örn Benediktsson

Einar ?rn Benediktsson is a popular music singer and trumpet player who has worked with Bj?rk and The Sugarcubes.As a vocalist for The Sugarcubes, Benedikrsson was the subject of some controversy....
 and Einar Melax from Purrkur Pillnikk
Purrkur Pillnikk

Purrkur Pillnikk is a legendary Rock and roll band from late Punk rock era in Iceland. The band existed for 18 months and were very active as they released at least two LPs' worth of songs, along with one live-album and two EPs....
, and Guðlaugur Óttarsson, Sigtryggur Baldursson
Sigtryggur Baldursson

Sigtryggur Baldursson is an Iceland drummer and singer.Sigtryggur was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. He was a founding member of the Sugarcubes and has been a longtime fixture on the Icelandic punk rock and alternative music scene....
, and Birgir Mogensen from Þeyr. After writing songs and rehearsing for two weeks, the new band, KUKL ("sorcery" in Icelandic), developed a sound described as Gothic rock
Gothic rock

Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes....
. Björk began to show indications of her trademark singing style, which was punctuated by howls and shrieks.

KUKL toured Iceland with anarchist UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 punk band Crass
Crass

Crass were an English punk band, formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, lifestylism, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularized the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism....
, and later visited the UK in a series of performances with Flux of Pink Indians
Flux Of Pink Indians

Flux Of Pink Indians were an anarcho-punk/post punk band that originated from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England....
. They produced two albums as a result of these collaborations: The Eye in 1984, and Holidays in Europe in 1986, both on Crass Records
Crass Records

Crass Records is an independent record label which was set up by the anarchist Punk rock band Crass....
.

The band was eventually dissolved, in part due to the closure of their label, Gramm. In mid-1986, several members of KUKL and the surrealist
Surrealism

Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
 group Medusa got together to create the arts collective Smekkleysa (Bad Taste). They created a musical division, a band again called KUKL, but soon changed the name to The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes

The Sugarcubes were an Icelandic alternative rock musical band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally....
.

The Sugarcubes


The Sugarcubes' first single, "Ammæli" (meaning "Birthday" in Icelandic
Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic languages, the language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese language and Norwegian dialects such as Telemark dialect and Sognam?l....
), became a surprise hit in the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 after being declared single of the week by Melody Maker
Melody Maker

Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was 1926 in music as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 in British music it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express....
. The Sugarcubes were immediately signed up by One Little Indian, a new label set up by Derek Birkett, the former bass player of Flux of Pink Indians. They gained a cult following
Cult following

A cult following is a group of fan devoted to a specific area of pop culture. These dedicated followings are usually relatively small, and often pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal....
 in the U.S.
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, and calls from larger record companies began coming in. They rejected all these offers, and instead chose to have complete creative control by remaining with a friend's label. Björk is still signed to this label. The Sugarcubes also signed a distribution deal with Elektra Records
Elektra Records

Elektra Records is a now-dormant United States record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and recorded their first album, Life's Too Good
Life's Too Good

Life's Too Good, released in April 1988, was the first album by the Icelandic alternative rock-pop music band The Sugarcubes, which brought fame to lead vocalist Bj?rk....
, in 1988. Its release propelled them into international stardom—an unprecedented success for an Icelandic rock band. While with the Sugarcubes, Björk participated in several side projects. She recorded Gling-Gló
Gling-Gló

Gling-Gl?, released in 1990, is the only album by Bj?rk Gu?mundsd?ttir & Tr?? Gu?mundar Ing?lfssonar, consisting of Bj?rk on vocals, Gu?mundur Ing?lfsson on piano, Gu?mundur Steingr?msson on drums, and ??r?ur H?gnason on bass....
, a collection of popular jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
 and original work, with the jazz group Trio Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar

Tr?? Gu?mundar Ing?lfssonar was an Icelandic bebop group and a piano trio, no longer in existence, following the death of its leader, pianist Gu?mundur Ing?lfsson in 1992....
 (an octogenarian jazz group), released in Iceland. Björk also contributed vocals to 808 State
808 State

808 State are an English electronic music outfit formed in 1988 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and the "state of mind" shared by the members....
's album Ex:el
Ex:el

ex:el is an album by electronic music group 808 State that was released in 1991.The album features a couple of guest vocalists. Bernard Sumner, of Joy Division and New Order fame, sang on "Spanish Heart." Bj?rk, who sang on "Qmart" and "Ooops," is also credited with co-writing the two songs....
, with whom she cultivated her interest in house music
House music

House music is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discoth?ques catering to the African-American, Latino, and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit....
. The song "Ooops" was released as a single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 in the UK and was later included on 808 State's "Best Of" album, 808:88:98
808:88:98

808:88:98 is a greatest hits compilation by 808 State....
.

Solo career


Pop and dance beginnings: 1992-1996


In 1992 The Sugarcubes split up. They still remain friends and are all still involved in the management of Smekkleysa/Bad Taste. Björk moved to London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 to pursue a solo career; she began working with producer Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper

Nellee Hooper is a United Kingdom record producer/remixer/composer best-known for his work with Bj?rk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna , Garbage , U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack....
, who had produced for Massive Attack
Massive Attack

Massive Attack are a United Kingdom trip hop group, founded in 1988 by Robert Del Naja, Daddy G, and Andrew Vowles in Bristol, England. The trio were together prior to the formation of this band, as part of The Wild Bunch ....
, among others. Their partnership produced Björk's first international solo hit, "Human Behaviour". Her solo debut album, Debut
Debut (album)

Debut, released in July 1993, is an album by Icelandic singer-songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It was her first solo project after leaving The Sugarcubes, but was not her actual debut, as she released the self-titled album Bj?rk in 1977....
, was released in June 1993 to positive reviews; it was named album of the year by NME
NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition....
, and eventually went platinum in the United States.

Debut was the leap Björk made from being in numerous bands during her teens and early twenties, to her solo career. But although this was far from her real debut as a singer and musician, having released her very first solo album at the age of 11, she set the title to Debut to signify a start of something brand new.

At the 1994 BRIT Awards Björk won the awards for Best International Female and Best International Newcomer. Debut had a mix of songs Björk had been writing since she was a teenager, as well as more recent lyrical collaborations with Hooper.

The success of Debut enabled her to collaborate with other artists on one-off tracks. She worked with David Arnold
David Arnold

David Arnold is a Grammy Award-winning United Kingdom film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1996 in film film Independence Day , and the cult following television series Little Britain....
 on "Play Dead"
Play Dead (song)

"Play Dead" is a song by Icelandic singer Bj?rk, and was released as a single in 1993. It is a dark piece underscored by moody strings with lyrics about acting numb to prevent emotional pain....
, the theme to the 1993 film The Young Americans
The Young Americans (film)

The Young Americans is a 1993 crime drama that marked the feature film debut of United Kingdom director Danny Cannon....
 (which appeared as a bonus track on a re-release of Debut), collaborated on two songs for Tricky
Tricky

Tricky is an England musician. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style....
's Nearly God
Nearly God

Nearly God is the second album by Tricky, released on 29 April 1996....
 project, appeared on a track on the 1997 album Not For Threes
Not For Threes

Not For Threes is an album by Plaid released in 1997 on Warp Records. This was Plaid's first full length CD released. Bj?rk sung and wrote the lyrics for the track "Lilith"....
 by Plaid
Plaid (band)

Plaid is a British electronic music duo comprising Andy Turner and Ed Handley, and based out of London. They are former members of Black Dog Productions and used many other names, such as Atypic and Balil , before settling on Plaid....
, which was released on the cult
Cult following

A cult following is a group of fan devoted to a specific area of pop culture. These dedicated followings are usually relatively small, and often pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal....
 Warp Records
Warp Records

Warp Records is a pioneering independent United Kingdom record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music....
 label, and co-wrote the song "Bedtime Story
Bedtime Story

"Bedtime Story" is a song by United States singer Madonna from her 1994 album Bedtime Stories . The song was released as a single in April 1995....
" for Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance....
's 1994 album Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)

Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by United States singer-songwriter Madonna , released on October 25, 1994 by Maverick Records. In 1995, it was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop Vocal Album category....
.

Post
Post (album)

Post is the second studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It was released in June of 1995. The album was produced in conjunction with Nellee Hooper, Tricky, Graham Massey of 808 State, and electronic music Record producer Howie B....
 was Björk's second solo studio album. Released in June 1995, the album was produced in conjunction with Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper

Nellee Hooper is a United Kingdom record producer/remixer/composer best-known for his work with Bj?rk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna , Garbage , U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack....
, Tricky
Tricky

Tricky is an England musician. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style....
, Graham Massey
Graham Massey

Graham Massey was a founding member of the United Kingdom band , 808 State, formed in 1988 in Manchester, England. Originally a hip-hop group called Hit Squad Manchester, the band shifted to an acid house sound, sound recording and reproduction their debut album, Newbuild in 1988 under the new name 808 State....
 of 808 State
808 State

808 State are an English electronic music outfit formed in 1988 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and the "state of mind" shared by the members....
, and electronica producer Howie B.

Building on the success of her previous album Debut
Debut (album)

Debut, released in July 1993, is an album by Icelandic singer-songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It was her first solo project after leaving The Sugarcubes, but was not her actual debut, as she released the self-titled album Bj?rk in 1977....
, Björk continued to pursue different sounds, taking particular interest in dance
Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dance. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement....
 and techno
Techno

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988....
. Production by Tricky and Howie B also provided trip hop/electronica-like sounds on tracks like "Possibly Maybe". It was these producers' influence that gave Björk impetus to create material like the storming "Army of Me
Army of Me

"Army of Me" is a song by Bj?rk, released in 1995 as the first, and leading, single from her second solo album Post . It is a grinding, industrial music tune, punctuated by numerous samples of explosions and lyrics which encourages the listener to stop complaining and get on with life ? or else....
" and "Enjoy".

It was ranked #26 in Spins
Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr., it competes with industry stalwart Rolling Stone. Madonna was the artist on the cover of the first issue....
 "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005".
Post and Homogenic were placed back to back on Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication devoted to music journalism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews....
's "Best of the 90's" list. In 2003, the album was ranked number 373 on
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles:* The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums....
.

Post has been certified platinum
RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and single sold through retail and other ancillary markets....
 in the U.S.
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...


Embracing beats and strings: 1997-2002


In 1997, the album
Homogenic
Homogenic

Homogenic is the third studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician Bj?rk, released on 23 September 1997 by One Little Indian and Elektra Records....
was released. It marked a dramatic shift from her earlier "pixie
Pixie

Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name....
" image cultivated on the
Debut and Post albums. Björk worked with producers Mark Bell of LFO and Howie B on the album, as well as Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato

Eumir Deodato is a Grammy Award winning Brazilian musician, record producer and arrangement, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of Rock /Pop music, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music....
; numerous remixes followed.
Homogenic was her first conceptually self-contained album and is regarded as one of Björk's most experimental and extroverted works to date, with enormous beats that reflect the landscape of Iceland, most notably in the song "Jóga
Joga

Joga is an Italy Europop act produced by Nick Ferrando with Nathalie Aarts featured on vocals. Aarts had released four singles commercially in Europe: Dam Dariram, Bye Bye Baby Balloon, No Nobody's Love, and White Christmas. Joga is claimed to be quite popular among listeners of Toshiba-EMI's Dancemania non-stop megamix series...
", which fuses lush strings with rocky electronic crunches.

The emotionally-charged album contains a string of music video
Music video

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a pop music or rock music song with lyrics. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings....
s, several of which received airplay on MTV
MTV

MTV is an United States cable television network based in Media of New York City. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJ ....
. The video for "Bachelorette
Bachelorette (song)

"Bachelorette" is a song by Bj?rk, released as the second single from her 1997 album Homogenic. The song is emotionally charged and theatrical, following the album's theme of "beats and strings"....
" was directed by frequent collaborator Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry, born May 8, 1963, is a French Academy Awards-winning screenwriter, film, Television commercial and music video film director. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en sc?ne....
, while "All Is Full of Love
All Is Full of Love

"All Is Full of Love" is a song by Bj?rk, released as the fifth and final single from her album Homogenic. The version of the song used in the music video is actually the originally intended mix, while the version on Homogenic was a remix by Howie B....
" was directed by Chris Cunningham
Chris Cunningham

Chris Cunningham is an acclaimed England music video film director and video artist. He was born in Reading, Berkshire in 1970 and grew up in Lakenheath, Suffolk....
. The single "All is Full of Love" was also the first DVD
DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
 single to ever be released in the U.S., which paved the way for other artists to include DVD video and other multimedia
Multimedia

Multimedia is media and content that utilizes a combination of different content format. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms....
 features with their singles.

In an interview with
Spin
Spin

Spin may refer to:* Rotation or spin, a movement of an object in a circular motion* Spin or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles...
magazine, Radiohead
Radiohead

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire. The band is composed of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway ....
 singer Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English people musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. As a singer, Yorke is recognisable by his distinctive tenor voice, vibrato, frequent use of falsetto and ability to reach, and sustain, notes over a wide vocal range....
 called the song "Unravel
Unravel

"Unravel" is the third song on the album Homogenic by Bj?rk, which was released in 1997.The song features a prominent example of Bj?rk's use of a half-singing, half-speaking technique which, according to folklore specialist Njall Sigurason, is comparable to that of Old Icelandic choir-men....
" from this album his favourite song ever, claiming "I'm trying to get Radiohead to do a cover because I think it's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard." In November 2007, the band covered the song as part of a live webcast. The video can be seen on YouTube
YouTube

YouTube is a Video hosting service website where users can upload, view and share video clips. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005....
.

The album reached gold status in the U.S. in 2001 and platinum in 2006.

In 2001, Björk released the album
Vespertine
Vespertine

Vespertine, released in August 2001, is an album by the Icelandic singer/songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It sees Bj?rk creating an introverted, quiet world of swirling microbeats and personal lyrics....
. The album featured chamber orchestras, choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
s, hushed vocals and personal, vulnerable themes. She collaborated with experimental sound manipulators Matmos
Matmos

Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M....
, Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
-based DJ Thomas Knak, and the experimental harp
Harp

The 'harp' is a stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the Sounding board. It is also considered to be a percussion instrument....
ist Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins

Zeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion....
 for the album. Lyrical sources included the works of American poet
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
 E. E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings

Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, was an Poetry of the United States, painter, essayist, author, and playwright....
, the American independent filmmaker Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine

Harmony Korine is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter, and author.He is best known for the screenplay Kids and for directing the film Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy and Mister Lonely....
 and English
English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English language in England. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
 playwright Sarah Kane's penultimate play,
Crave. To coincide with the album's release, Björk released a coffee table book
Coffee table book

A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom....
 of loose prose
Prose

Prose is writing that resembles everyday Speech communication. The word "prose" is derived from the Latin prosa, which literally translates to "straightforward"....
 and photographs titled
Björk
Björk (book)

Bj?rk is a 192-page coffee table book published by the Icelandic singer and composer Bj?rk that went on sale in August 2001, coinciding with the release of her album Vespertine....
. Björk embarked on a tour of theatre
Theatre

Theatre is the branch of the performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one or more actor, isolated in time and/or Theater , present themselves to Audience." By this broad definition, theatre has existed since the dawn of man, as a result of human tendency for story telling....
s and opera
Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
 houses in Europe and North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 in support of the album, accompanied by the musicians Matmos
Matmos

Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M....
, Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins

Zeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion....
 and an Inuit
Inuit

Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
 choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
, whom she had held auditions for on a trip to Greenland
Greenland

Greenland is a member country of the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago....
 prior to the tour. At the time
Vespertine was Björk's quickest selling album ever, having sold two million copies by the end of 2001.

Vespertine spawned three singles: "Hidden Place
Hidden Place

"Hidden Place" is a song by singer Bj?rk from her 2001 album Vespertine.It introduced the mood of the album well, with minimal soundscapes and quiet, whispery singing....
", "Pagan Poetry
Pagan Poetry

"Pagan Poetry" was the second single from singer Bj?rk's album Vespertine. The single peaked at number 38 in the UK and number 12 in Canada....
", and "Cocoon
Cocoon (song)

"Cocoon" was the third and final single from singer Bj?rk's album Vespertine. It was written by Bj?rk and Thomas Knak, and mixed by Mark Stent....
." MTV2
MTV2

MTV2 is a cable television network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to basic cable lineups across the nation....
 played the album's first video, "Hidden Place", which was subsequently released as a DVD single. However, the next video, for "Pagan Poetry
Pagan Poetry

"Pagan Poetry" was the second single from singer Bj?rk's album Vespertine. The single peaked at number 38 in the UK and number 12 in Canada....
", brought Björk to an even higher level of controversy with the channel. The song's video features graphic piercings and Björk's exposed nipples, as well as distorted images of sexual acts, which included vaginal penetration and fellatio
Fellatio

File:Wiki-fellatio.pngFellatio, also called fellation, is oral sex performed upon the penis. It may be performed to induce orgasm and ejaculation of semen, or it can be used as foreplay prior to sexual intercourse or anal sex forms of human sexuality....
. As a result, the clip was initially rarely shown by MTV, and certain parts (for example, Björk's breasts) were censored
Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of freedom of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful or sensitive, as determined by a censor....
 during the rare occasions when it was played. In 2002, the clip finally enjoyed unedited American airing as part of a late night special on MTV2 entitled "Most Controversial Music Videos". The video for "Cocoon" also featured a seemingly naked Björk (actually wearing a close fitting bodysuit), this time with her nipples secreting a red thread that eventually enveloped the singer in a cocoon. The video was directed by Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese artist Eiko Ishioka
Eiko Ishioka

is an Oscar-winning costume designer, known for her work in stage, screen, advertising, and print media. She won a 1992 Academy Award for costume design for Bram Stoker's Dracula....
, and was not aired by MTV
MTV

MTV is an United States cable television network based in Media of New York City. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJ ....
.

2002 saw the appearance of the CD box set
Family Tree containing a retrospective of Björk's career, comprising many previously unreleased versions of her compositions, including her work with the Brodsky Quartet
Brodsky Quartet

The Brodsky Quartet is a United Kingdom string quartet, in existence since 1972, though only Ian Belton and Jacqueline Thomas are original members....
. Also released alongside
Family Tree was the album Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Björk album)

Greatest Hits is a compilation album released in November 2002 featuring the songs of Icelandic singer Bj?rk. Although not all of Bj?rk's singles are included on this collection, all of the songs on Greatest Hits were released as singles....
, a retrospective of the previous 10 years of her solo career as deemed by the public: the songs on the album were chosen by Björk's fans through a poll on her website. A DVD edition of the CD was also released; it contained all of Björk's solo music videos up to that point. The new single from the set, "It's In Our Hands", charted in the UK at #37. The video, directed by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is an United States film director of Music video and commercials, and an Academy Award-nominated director and film producer in film and television, most notably the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 in film Adaptation., both written by Charlie Kaufman....
, features a heavily pregnant Björk.

Vocal development: 2003-2006

In 2003, Björk released a box set called
Live Box
Live Box

Live Box is a set of 4 CDs, a DVD and a 32-page booklet by Icelandic singer/songwriter/musician Bj?rk, released in August 2003 . Each CD represents one album in her four album solo discography, although some tracks appear on the wrong CD, some appear more than once, and some don't appear at all....
, consisting of four CDs containing live recordings
Concert

A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band....
 of her previous albums and a DVD featuring a video of one track from each CD. Each of the four CDs were later released separately at a reduced price.

In August 2004, Björk released
Medúlla
Medulla

Medulla refers to the middle of something, and derives from the Latin word for 'marrow' .In medicine it refers to either bone marrow, the spinal cord, or more generally, the middle part of a structure ....
. During production, Björk decided the album would work best as an entirely vocal-based album. However, this initial plan didn't materialize exactly that way, as the majority of the sounds on the album are indeed created by vocalists (although these sounds are often electronically distorted) but several feature prominent basic electronic programming. Björk used the vocal skills of throat singer Tagaq
Tanya Tagaq Gillis

Tanya Tagaq Gillis is an Inuit Inuit throat singing from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut , Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island . After attending school in Cambridge Bay she went, at age 15, to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories to attend high school where she first began to practice throat singing....
, hip hop
Hip hop music

Hip hop music is a music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rapping which is accompanied with backing beats. Hip hop music is part of hip hop culture, which began in the Bronx, in New York City in the 1970s, predominantly among African Americans and Latino Americans....
 beatboxer Rahzel
Rahzel

Rahzel or Rahzel M. Brown, also known as the "Godfather of Noise," is an American musician and virtuoso beatboxer, formerly a member of The Roots....
, Japanese beatboxer Dokaka
Dokaka

Dokaka is a Japanese Beatboxing who performs music solely by multitrack recording his own voice, generally with one instrument per track. He has distributed his recordings primarily as free downloads from his website; these include interpretations of works by King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Wes Montgomery, Slayer, the Rolling Stones, and Miles...
, avant-rocker Mike Patton
Mike Patton

Michael Allan Patton is an United States singer, songwriter, composer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist and video game voice actor, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Faith No More....
, Soft Machine
Soft Machine

Soft Machine was an England Rock music band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the so-called "Canterbury scene," and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre....
 drummer/singer Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt

Robert Wyatt is an England musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine. He is married to English painter and songwriter Alfreda Benge....
, and several choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
s; she again appropriated text from E. E. Cummings for the song "Sonnets/Unrealities XI." At the time
Medúlla became her highest charting album in the U.S., debuting at number 14. It has since been surpassed by Volta
Volta (album)

Volta is the Grammy Awards-nominated sixth full-length studio album from Icelandic singer Bj?rk, a follow-up to 2004 in music's Med?lla and comprises ten new tracks....
, which debuted at number nine in the U.S.

In August 2004, Björk performed the song "Oceania
Oceania (song)

"Oceania" is a song by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. It was formerly planned to be the first single release from Bj?rk's Med?lla album. Later it was just released as a promo....
" at the Opening Ceremony
2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games was held on August 13, 2004 at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Maroussi, Greece, a suburb of Athens....
 of the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
 in Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
. As she sang, her dress slowly unfurled to reveal a 10,000 square foot (900 m²) map of the world, which she let flow over all of the Olympic athletes. The song "Oceania" was written especially for the occasion and features the talents of Shlomo
Shlomo (human beatbox)

Shlomo is a Beatboxer artist from Leeds. He has worked with artists such as Bj?rk, Martha Wainwright, DJ Yoda, Mad Professor, Damon Albarn, Mr Scruff, Nitin Sawhney and toured the world with UK hip hop crew Foreign Beggars....
, a Leeds
Leeds

Leeds is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. It is the urban core and administrative centre of the wider metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds....
-based beatboxer, and a London choir. An alternate version of the song began circulating on the Internet
Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
 with additional vocals by Kelis
Kelis

Kelis Rogers-Jones , better known as Kelis , is an American contemporary R&B singer-songwriter. Since her debut, Kelis has had nine top forty singles as a solo artist and, as a featured artist, has had six top forty singles to date....
. It originally appeared on the promotional "Oceania" single released to radio stations and later became available to the public as a B-side of the "Who Is It" single, which charted at number 26 in the UK. This was followed in early 2005 by "Triumph of a Heart
Triumph of a Heart

"Triumph of a Heart" was the third single from Bj?rk's album Med?lla. The hip-hop flavored song featured Japanese beatboxer, Dokaka. The lyrics use the human body as a metaphor of a relationship - its various parts all work in harmony because they "love" each other....
", charting at number 31. A video for the potential next single, "Where Is the Line?
Where Is the Line

"Where Is the Line" is a song by Bj?rk from the album Med?lla. It was rumored to be the fourth single from the album, but instead a music video was made for artistic purposes instead of a commercial single release....
", was filmed in collaboration with the Icelandic artist Gabríela Fridriksdóttir
Gabríela Friðriksdóttir

Gabr?ela Fri?riksd?ttir is an Icelandic artist and sculpture.Outside of her contributions in the art world, she is known for her collaboration with the Icelandic musician and superstar Bj?rk....
 in late 2004. This was initially a sequence from an art installation movie of the artists, but was released exclusively on the
Medúlla Videos
The Medúlla Videos

The Med?lla Videos is an official DVD released by Bj?rk on May 30, 2005. The DVD includes all of the videos from her fifth studio album, Med?lla....
DVD as an official promo for the track.

Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote
Medúlla. Björk said in numerous interviews that this was because she wished to immediately continue writing and recording yet another new album. She spoke to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
in June 2004: "Every album I've done, the minute that it's done, I feel really lubricated and, like, 'Wow, now I can write an album in five minutes'... And I just want to find out if that's just a fantasy
Fantasy (psychology)

A fantasy is a situation imagination by an individual or group, which does not correspond with reality but expresses certain desires or aims of its creator....
 or if it's true." Also, Björk thought it would be too difficult to play the songs live.

In 2006, Björk remastered her first three solo studio albums (
Debut, Post, Homogenic) and her two soundtrack albums (Selmasongs and Drawing Restraint 9) in 5.1 surround sound for a re-issue in a new box-set titled (____surrounded):
Surrounded

Surrounded is a box set released on June 27, 2006, featuring seven of Bj?rk's albums in DualDisc format.The seven-disc box set contains the original albums on the Compact Disc sides, and the DVD sides contain each album remastered in Dolby Digital and Digital Theater System 96/24 5.1 surround sound....
, released on 27 June. Vespertine and Medúlla were already available in 5.1 as either DVD-A or SACD but are also included in the box set in repackaged format. The DualDisc
DualDisc

DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group and now under the aegis of the Recording Industry Association of America ....
s were also released separately.

During this era, Björk earned another BRIT Awards
Brit Awards

The BRIT Awards, often simply called The BRITs, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of British or Britannia, but has subsequently become a "backronym" for British Record Industry Trust....
 nomination for Best International Female Solo Artist. She was also awarded the Inspiration Award at the Annual
Q Magazine Awards in October 2005, accepting the prize from Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt

Robert Wyatt is an England musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine. He is married to English painter and songwriter Alfreda Benge....
, with whom she collaborated on
Medúlla.

Björk's former band, The Sugarcubes, reunited for a one-night-only concert in Reykjavík on 17 November 2006. Profits from the concert were donated to The Sugarcubes' former label, Smekkleysa, who according to Björk's press statement "continue to work on a non-profit basis for the future betterment of Icelandic music".

Recent work: 2007-present

Björk contributed a cover of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell, Order of Canada is a Canada musician, songwriter, and Painting.Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Western Canada and then busking on the streets of Toronto....
's song "The Boho Dance
The Hissing of Summer Lawns

The Hissing of Summer Lawns is a 1975 album by Joni Mitchell. Fans and critics regard this as an artistic turning point, and the beginning of her unique blend of Folk music, jazz and Rock and roll....
" to the tribute album
A Tribute to Joni Mitchell
A Tribute to Joni Mitchell

A Tribute To Joni Mitchell is a tribute to Joni Mitchell featuring Sufjan Stevens, Bj?rk, Caetano Veloso, Brad Mehldau, Cassandra Wilson, Prince , Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, k.d....
, released on 24 April 2007.

Björk's sixth full-length studio album,
Volta
Volta (album)

Volta is the Grammy Awards-nominated sixth full-length studio album from Icelandic singer Bj?rk, a follow-up to 2004 in music's Med?lla and comprises ten new tracks....
, was released on 7 May 2007. It was primarily written and produced by Björk herself and features 10 new tracks, containing electronic, kora
Kora

Kora can refer to:* Kora , a stringed musical instrument of West African origin* Kora , a type of pilgrimage in the Buddhist tradition* Kora , another name for the Banjaras, a tribe of central India...
, pipa
Pipa

The pipa is a plucked China string instrument. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body. It has been played for nearly two thousand years in China, and belongs to the plucked category of instruments ....
, and brass
Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
 compositions. The disc features input from acclaimed producer Timbaland
Timbaland

Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapping, and singer. Timbaland has produced albums and singles for a number of artists from the mid-1990s to the present day....
, Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty

Antony Hegarty is an England-Ireland singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons....
 and Sjón
Sjón

Sj?n is the pen name of Sigurj?n Birgir Sigur?sson . His pen name is formed from his given name , and means 'Sight'.Sj?n is an List_of_Icelandic_authors and a poet....
, among other artists.

The first single from the album, "Earth Intruders
Earth Intruders

"Earth Intruders" is a song written and recorded by Iceland singer Bj?rk. The song was released as the first single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta ....
", was released digitally on 9 April 2007 and became her second-ever Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
 entry in the United States.
Volta debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling Albums and extended play in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine....
 albums chart, becoming her first Top 10 album in the U.S., netting week-one sales of 43,000. The album also reached number three on the French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 albums chart with sales of 20,600 albums sold in its first week, and number seven in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart

The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus....
 with 20,456 units sold. The second single from the album, "Innocence
Innocence (Björk song)

"Innocence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. The song was released as the second single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta ....
", was digitally released on 23 July 2007, with an accompanying music video chosen from a contest conducted through her official website. "Declare Independence
Declare Independence

"Declare Independence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. The track was released as the third single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta ....
" was released on 1 January 2008 in a super deluxe packaging including 2 x 12" Vinyls, a CD and a DVD featuring Oscar-winning French director Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry, born May 8, 1963, is a French Academy Awards-winning screenwriter, film, Television commercial and music video film director. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en sc?ne....
's "Declare Independence" video. "Wanderlust
Wanderlust (Björk song)

"Wanderlust" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. The track was released digitally as the fourth single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta , on April 7....
" was subsequently released in a similar format, featuring Encyclopedia Pictura's short film directed for the track, shot in stereoscopic 3D
Three-dimensional space

Three-dimensional space is a geometric model of the physical universe in which we live. The three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three mutually perpendicular directions can serve as the three dimensions....
. The fifth single released from the album was "The Dull Flame of Desire
The Dull Flame of Desire

"The Dull Flame of Desire" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer Bj?rk featuring Antony Hegarty from the band Antony and the Johnsons. The track was released as the fifth single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta , on September 29th 2008....
", featuring vocals by Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty

Antony Hegarty is an England-Ireland singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons....
. Upon its 27 September 2008 digital release, it topped the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart and reached number three on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.

Björk has recently completed an 18 month world tour, having performed at many festivals and returning to Latin America after nine years, performing in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind S?o Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, behind S?o Paulo and Buenos Aires....
, São Paulo
São Paulo

S?o Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul and Mexico City is among the four largest metropolitan regions of the world....
, Curitiba
Curitiba

Curitiba is the capital city of the Brazilian Brazilian state of Paran? . The city has the largest population and also the largest economy in Southern Region, Brazil....
, Guadalajara
Guadalajara

Guadalajara may refer to the following places:: Mexico::*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico: Spain::*Guadalajara , a province in Castile-La Mancha:*Guadalajara *...
, Lima
Lima

Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chill?n River, R?mac River and Lur?n River rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean....
, Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of the R?o de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent....
 as part of different events. She also returned to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 for the first time in 12 years in January 2008, touring the nations with the Big Day Out Festival
Big Day Out

The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, Western Australia by 1993, with the Gold Coast, Queensland and Auckland, New Zealand joining in 1994....
. She also played a one-off intimate show at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Denmark architect J?rn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour....
, as part of the Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival

Sydney Festival is Australia's largest and most attended annual cultural event running every January since it was first held in 1977. Its program features more than 50 events including European classical music and Contemporary classical music music, dance, circus, drama, visual arts and public lectures....
. On 4 May, Björk was forced to cancel her performance at Sheffield City Hall due to swollen vocal cords that plagued her in Australia.

Announced via an eBay
EBay

eBay Inc. is an United States Internet company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide....
 auction
Auction

An auction is a process of trade goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the winning bidder....
, a new Björk track was recently discovered under the title Náttúra
Náttúra

"N?tt?ra" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. The track was released as a single promoting the protection of the Iceland. All proceeds from the single will be donated to the N?tt?ra Foundation, the environmental preservation campaign after which the song is named....
. Björk commented the song was "composed especially to encourage active support for a more environmental approach to Iceland’s natural resources than those suggested by parties who are aloof and blind to the consequences of their actions."
The songs was initially labeled as a new single by Björk with backing vocals from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English people musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. As a singer, Yorke is recognisable by his distinctive tenor voice, vibrato, frequent use of falsetto and ability to reach, and sustain, notes over a wide vocal range....
. Björk's official website later confirmed that the single would be released on October 27 '08, through iTunes, however the track was eventually made available at nattura.grapewire.net, exclusively. Damian Taylor has mentioned collaborating with Björk on her new album using instruments like the Reactable
Reactable

The reactable is an electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop Tangible User Interface that has been developed within the at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain by Sergi Jord?, Marcos Alonso, Martin Kaltenbrunner and G?nter Geiger....
 and the Tenori-on
Tenori-on

Tenori-on is an electronics musical instrument, designed and created by Japanese artist, Toshio Iwai and Yu Nishibori of the Music and Human Interface Group, Yamaha Center for Advanced Sound Technology....
.

According to an interview with Pitchfork magazine, Björk plans to take the next three to four years to record her next album.

According to bjork.com, a limited edition boxset called
Voltaic
Voltaic

Voltaic is a four-disc box set of related material from singer-songwriter Bj?rk's sixth studio album Volta . The box set will include a CD of 11 songs performed live at the Olympic Studios, a DVD of Bj?rk's live performance in Paris and Reykjav?k during the Volta tour, a second DVD of the Volta music videos as well as videos o...
will be released via OneLittleIndian Records in March. The release will consist of various live recordings from Paris and Reykjavik. The live set was also recorded in a studio in London. The release will be available as Standard, Deluxe and Deluxe Vinyl. It will include up to four discs, depending on format. Disc 1 (AUDIO) Songs From The Volta Tour Performed Live At Olympic Studios Disc 2 (DVD) The Volta Tour Live In Paris, Live in Reykjavik Disc 3 (DVD) The Volta Videos and the video competition Disc 4 (CD) The Volta Mixes

Björk in film

Björk's intermittent acting career began in 1990, when she appeared in
The Juniper Tree, a tale of witchcraft
Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or Magic powers....
 based on the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm , Jakob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were Germans academics who were best known for publishing collections of folk tales and fairy tales and for their work in linguistics, relating to how the sounds in words shift over time ....
 story of the same name. Björk played the role of Margit, a girl whose mother has been killed for practicing witchcraft. Björk also had an uncredited role in 1994's
Prêt-à-Porter
Prêt-à-Porter (film)

Pr?t-?-Porter is a 1994 in film satirical black comedy written, directed and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers....
.

In 1999, Björk was asked to write and produce the musical score for the film
Dancer in the Dark
Dancer in the Dark

Dancer in the Dark is an award-winning musical film drama released in 2000 in film. It was directed by Lars von Trier and stars Bj?rk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse , Vladica Kostic, Cara Seymour and Peter Stormare....
, a musical drama about an immigrant named Selma who is struggling to pay for an operation to prevent her son from going blind. Director Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier

Lars von Trier is an Academy Award-nominated Denmark film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches....
 eventually asked her to consider playing the role of Selma, convincing her that the only true way to capture the character of Selma was to have the composer of the music play the character. Eventually, she accepted. Filming began in early 1999, and the film debuted in 2000 at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival....
. The film received the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee....
, and Björk received the Best Actress Award
Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)

The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946....
 for her role. It was reported that the shoot was so physically and emotionally tiring that she swore off acting ever again, but Björk later stated that she always wanted to do one musical in her life, and this was the one.

The soundtrack Björk created for the film was released with the title
Selmasongs. The album features a duet with Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English people musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. As a singer, Yorke is recognisable by his distinctive tenor voice, vibrato, frequent use of falsetto and ability to reach, and sustain, notes over a wide vocal range....
 of Radiohead
Radiohead

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire. The band is composed of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway ....
 titled "I've Seen It All
I've Seen It All

"I've Seen It All" is a song by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. It was released as the first promotional single from the Dancer in the Dark soundtrack, Selmasongs: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack Dancer in the Dark....
", which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song
Academy Award for Best Song

The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the film industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ....
 and was performed at the 2001 Oscars, while Björk was wearing her celebrated "swan dress," which was recently auctioned off on eBay
EBay

eBay Inc. is an United States Internet company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide....
, for charity. She was invited to record "Gollum's Song" for the film
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (film)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 in film fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the The Two Towers of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings....
but declined the invitation, as she was then pregnant; the song was instead recorded by another Icelander, Emilíana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini

Emil?ana Torrini Dav??sd?ttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song", during the ending credits of Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ....
.

Björk also appeared in the 2005 documentary
Screaming Masterpiece
Screaming Masterpiece

Screaming Masterpiece is a 2005 in film documentary film directed and written by Ari Alexander Ergis Magn?sson about the Music of Iceland. It attempts to explore the reasons why Iceland has such a rich variety of musical talent....
, which delves into the Icelandic music scene. The movie features archive footage of The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes

The Sugarcubes were an Icelandic alternative rock musical band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally....
 and Tappi Tíkarrass
Tappi Tíkarrass

Tappi T?karrass was a famous Icelandic Punk rock/Pop music band which added elements of funk, disco and jazz to their music, marking a difference from other traditional bands at that time....
, and an ongoing conversation with Björk herself.

Her long-time boyfriend Matthew Barney
Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney is an American artist. He was born March 25, 1967, in San Francisco, California. He lived in Boise, Idaho from 1973 to 1985 where he attended primary and secondary school....
 is a contemporary artist based in New York. Björk collaborated with him on the experimental art film
Drawing Restraint 9
Drawing Restraint 9

Drawing Restraint 9 is project by visual artist Matthew Barney consisting of a feature length 35mm film, large-scale sculptures, photographs, drawings, and books....
, a dialogueless exploration of Japanese culture. Björk and Barney both appear in the film. The film was released in 2005. She is also responsible for the film's soundtrack, her second after Selmasongs.

Director and previous collaborator Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry, born May 8, 1963, is a French Academy Awards-winning screenwriter, film, Television commercial and music video film director. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en sc?ne....
 had asked Björk to star in his film
The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep

The Science of Sleep is a 2006 France film, written and directed by Michel Gondry. The film stars Gael Garc?a Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou and Alain Chabat....
, but she declined.

Charitable work

After the tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

The was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 Coordinated Universal Time on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia....
 which struck Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
 in late 2004, Björk began work on a new project entitled
Army of Mixes to help raise money for a relief fund. This project recruited fans and musicians from around the world to either cover or remix the 1995 track, "Army of Me". From over 600 responses Björk and her co-writer Graham Massey picked the best twenty to appear on the album. The album was released in April in the UK and in late May 2005 in the US. By January 2006, the album had raised around £250,000 to help UNICEF's work in the south east Asian region. Björk visited Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an elevation of 21 m. The population was approximately 260,000 in 2006....
 in February 2006 to view some of UNICEF's work with the children who were affected by the tsunami.

On 2 July 2005 Björk took part in the historic Live 8
Live 8

Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and 31st G8 summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6-8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid....
 series of concerts, headlining the Japan show
Live 8 concert, Chiba

On 2 July 2005, a Live 8 concert was held at Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.The event is also referred to as "Live 8 Tokyo" or "Live 8 Japan"...
 with Do As Infinity
Do As Infinity

Do As Infinity is a popular Japanese band which debuted on September 29, 1999 with the release of their first single, "Tangerine Dream ". Their name is sometimes abbreviated as D.A.I., revealing that Do As Infinity was named after the band's guitarist and composer, Dai Nagao....
, Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte

Good Charlotte is an American band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. They took their name from the children's book called "Good Charlotte: The Girls of Good Day Orphanage," written by Carol Beach York....
 and McFly. She performed eight songs with Matmos
Matmos

Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M....
, a Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese string
String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones....
 octet
Octet

An octet is a group consisting of 8 elements. It has several specific meanings:* Octet , a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments....
 and Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins

Zeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion....
.

Björk has also taken an interest in environmental issues in her native country. In 2004 Björk took part in the "Hætta" concert in Reykjavik, organised in protest against the building of Alcoa aluminium smelters in the country, which would make Iceland the biggest smelter in Europe. She founded the organisation "Nattura" which aims to promote Icelandic nature and grassroots industries. On October 28, 2008 Björk wrote an article for The Times discussing the state of the Icelandic economy, and her thoughts on the proposed use of natural resources to get the country out of debt. Björk, in collaboration with Audur Group, set up a venture capital fund titled "BJÖRK" to support the creation of sustainable industries in Iceland. She has written the foreword to the English translation of the Iceland bestseller by Andri Snaer Magnason entitled "Dreamland".

Personal life

Björk's father, Guðmundur Gunnarsson
Guðmundur Gunnarsson

Gu?mundur Gunnarsson is the father of Icelandic singer Bj?rk and is a well-known labour leader in his country. He is famous in his own right, with him and his daughter each achieving fame independently....
, is a well-known union leader in Iceland and was nationally recognized before his daughter became famous. Her mother, Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir, has also been politically active.

Björk and her partner, artist Matthew Barney
Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney is an American artist. He was born March 25, 1967, in San Francisco, California. He lived in Boise, Idaho from 1973 to 1985 where he attended primary and secondary school....
, have a daughter, Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, born 3 October 2002. Björk also has a son, Sindri Eldon Þórsson , born 8 June 1986, with Þór Eldon, who was her band mate in The Sugarcubes. Sindri is a journalist
Journalism

Journalism is the craft of conveying news, descriptive material and editorial via a widening spectrum of Media . These include newspapers, magazines, radio and television, the internet and, more recently, the cellphone....
 and plays bass for several bands.

Björk has complained of being hounded by paparazzi
Paparazzi

File:Paparazzi by David Shankbone.jpgPaparazzi is a plural term for photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographys of celebrities caught unaware....
. In 1996, two separate incidents involving them brought media attention. First, after a long flight to Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
 an exhausted Björk emerged from her aircraft at Don Muang Airport with her then 9-year-old son to find a group of journalists and cameramen waiting to greet her. When one reporter greeted her with the words, "Welcome to Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
," and then laughed, Björk attacked the reporter and landed several blows before she was pulled away. Björk even tried to go back and continue attacking the woman, but was put onto a bus. Her record label alleged the reporter had been pestering her for four days. Björk later apologized for the attack.

Later that year, fan Ricardo López mailed an acid spraying letter bomb to Björk's London home and then killed himself
Suicide

Suicide is the intentional taking of one's own life. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"....
, but the package was intercepted by the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service

The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within Greater London, excluding the City of London which is the responsibility of a City of London Police....
. López filmed himself in the process of making the acid bomb intended to kill her. The nearly 18 hours of videotape described López's obsession with Björk, the construction of the device, his thoughts on love and other subjects, including racial remarks against Björk's then-boyfriend Goldie
Goldie

Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an England electronic music artist, disc jockey, and actor. As a musician he works mainly within the jungle and drum and bass genres, and has helped to promote these styles globally....
. The video footage continues after his mailing the bomb to Björk's London home and ends dramatically as López applies face paint, shaves his head and commits suicide by shooting himself on camera. Extracts from his videotapes were leaked onto the internet in January 2008.

Björk was reluctant to comment on either of these incidents and later told
The Guardian
The Guardian

Sorry, no overview for this topic
: "It just got a bit much."

In an interview with
Diva
Diva (magazine)

Diva is a leading lesbian magazine in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1994 by Millivres Prowler Group Ltd., who also produce the Gay Times....
magazine in October 2004, she said, "I think everyone's bisexual to some degree or another; it's just a question of whether or not you choose to recognize it and embrace it. Personally, I think choosing between men and women is like choosing between cake and ice cream. You'd be daft not to try both when there are so many different flavours."

On 13 January 2008, Björk made headlines when she attacked a photographer who had photographed her arrival at Auckland International Airport
Auckland International Airport

Auckland Airport is the largest and busiest airport in New Zealand with over 13 million passengers a year, expected to more than double by 2025....
 in New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 for her scheduled performance at the Big Day Out
Big Day Out

The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, Western Australia by 1993, with the Gold Coast, Queensland and Auckland, New Zealand joining in 1994....
 festival. Björk allegedly tore the photographer's shirt down the back, and in the process she fell to the ground. There were no charges filed by the photographer, or her employer
The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald

The New Zealand Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand. It is owned by APN News & Media. Circulation peaked at over 200,000 copies in 2006, declining to 187,129 by June 2008....
, and Auckland police did no further investigation.

Political views


While Björk has been hesitant to appear like a political figure and has denied being a politician on her website, she is strongly supportive of numerous separatist and national liberation movements across the globe, including support for independence
Independence

Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
 for Kosovo
Kosovo

Kosovo is a disputed region in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo . Serbia does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija that was re-created by Slobodan M...
.

She dedicated her song "Declare Independence
Declare Independence

"Declare Independence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Bj?rk. The track was released as the third single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta ....
" to Greenland
Greenland

Greenland is a member country of the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago....
 and the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe or Faeroes are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately half way between Scotland and Iceland....
, which caused a minor controversy in the Faroes. When Björk twice dedicated "Declare Independence" to the people of Kosovo
Kosovo

Kosovo is a disputed region in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo . Serbia does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija that was re-created by Slobodan M...
 during a concert in Japan, a planned performance of hers was cancelled at Serbia
Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
's Exit Festival, purportedly due to safety concerns.

In 2008 Björk set off an international controversy after she dedicated "Declare Independence" to the Tibet freedom movement
International Tibet Independence Movement

File:Free-tibetlogo.jpgThe Tibetan independence movement is a movement to establish historical Tibet, comprising the three traditional provinces of Amdo, Kham, and ?-Tsang as an independent state....
 during a Shanghai
Shanghai

Shanghai is the List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population in China and one of the List of metropolitan areas by population in the world, with over 20 million people....
 concert, shouting "Tibet! Tibet!" during the song. China's Culture Ministry planned to implement a crackdown on foreign musicians and so in May 2008 the Midi concert was cancelled.

Discography

  • Björk
    Björk (album)

    Bj?rk is the first official release from the Icelandic singer Bj?rk. In 1976, Bj?rk appeared on Icelandic radio singing "I_Love_to_Love_" through the music school she attended, which led her to a record deal....
    (1977)
  • Debut
    Debut (album)

    Debut, released in July 1993, is an album by Icelandic singer-songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It was her first solo project after leaving The Sugarcubes, but was not her actual debut, as she released the self-titled album Bj?rk in 1977....
    (1993)
  • Post
    Post (album)

    Post is the second studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It was released in June of 1995. The album was produced in conjunction with Nellee Hooper, Tricky, Graham Massey of 808 State, and electronic music Record producer Howie B....
    (1995)
  • Homogenic
    Homogenic

    Homogenic is the third studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician Bj?rk, released on 23 September 1997 by One Little Indian and Elektra Records....
    (1997)
  • Vespertine
    Vespertine

    Vespertine, released in August 2001, is an album by the Icelandic singer/songwriter/musician Bj?rk. It sees Bj?rk creating an introverted, quiet world of swirling microbeats and personal lyrics....
    (2001)
  • Medúlla
    Medulla

    Medulla refers to the middle of something, and derives from the Latin word for 'marrow' .In medicine it refers to either bone marrow, the spinal cord, or more generally, the middle part of a structure ....
    (2004)
  • Volta
    Volta (album)

    Volta is the Grammy Awards-nominated sixth full-length studio album from Icelandic singer Bj?rk, a follow-up to 2004 in music's Med?lla and comprises ten new tracks....
    (2007)


Awards and nominations


Films, including cameos

  • 1982 – Rokk í Reykjavík
    Rokk í Reykjavík

    Rokk ? Reykjav?k was a documentary directed by Iceland Fri?rik ??r Fri?riksson during the Icelandic winter of 1981-1982 and released for the local television the same year....
    (Íslenska Kvikmyndasamsteypan), film directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson
    Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

    Fri?rik ??r Fri?riksson , sometimes credited as Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, is an Icelandic film director.He started his film making career with experimental films and documentaries in the early 1980s....
    .
  • 1983 – Nýtt Líf
    Nýtt Líf

    N?tt L?f is a film directed by ?r?inn Bertelsson and released in 1983. The film is a comedy shot in the Vestmannaeyjar Islands and stars Eggert ?orleifsson and Karl ?g?st ?lfsson, among others....
    (Nýtt Líf ehf.), film directed by Þráinn Bertelsson
    Þráinn Bertelsson

    ?r?inn Bertelsson , is an Icelandic writer, journalist and a pioneer of the Icelandic cinema....
    .
  • 1987 – The Juniper Tree, character: Margit. (Rhino Home Video)
  • 1994 – Prêt-à-Porter
    Prêt-à-Porter (film)

    Pr?t-?-Porter is a 1994 in film satirical black comedy written, directed and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers....
    , featuring Björk as a model. (Robert Altman
    Robert Altman

    Robert Bernard Altman was an United Statesn film director known for making Cinema of the United States that are highly Naturalism , but with a stylized perspective....
    )
  • 2000 – Dancer in the Dark
    Dancer in the Dark

    Dancer in the Dark is an award-winning musical film drama released in 2000 in film. It was directed by Lars von Trier and stars Bj?rk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse , Vladica Kostic, Cara Seymour and Peter Stormare....
    , character: Selma Ježková. (Lars von Trier
    Lars von Trier

    Lars von Trier is an Academy Award-nominated Denmark film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches....
    )
  • 2005 – Drawing Restraint 9
    Drawing Restraint 9

    Drawing Restraint 9 is project by visual artist Matthew Barney consisting of a feature length 35mm film, large-scale sculptures, photographs, drawings, and books....
    , character is known as the "Guest". (Matthew Barney
    Matthew Barney

    Matthew Barney is an American artist. He was born March 25, 1967, in San Francisco, California. He lived in Boise, Idaho from 1973 to 1985 where he attended primary and secondary school....
    )
  • 2005 – Screaming Masterpiece
    Screaming Masterpiece

    Screaming Masterpiece is a 2005 in film documentary film directed and written by Ari Alexander Ergis Magn?sson about the Music of Iceland. It attempts to explore the reasons why Iceland has such a rich variety of musical talent....
    , herself.
  • 2005 – Arakimentari
    Arakimentari

    Arakimentari is a 2004 in film USA film directed by Travis Klose. It is a Documentary film about acclaimed and controversial Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki....
    , documentary on Japanese
    Japanese people

    The are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan....
     photographer Nobuyoshi Araki
    Nobuyoshi Araki

    is a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist. He is also known by the nickname ....
    .
  • 2006 – Matthew Barney: No Restraint
    Matthew Barney: No Restraint

    Matthew Barney: No Restraint is a 2006 in film Documentary film directed by Alison Chernick. It follows artist Matthew Barney and his collaborator, singer-songwriter Bj?rk, as they embark on a filmmaking journey in Japan....
    , documentary on the making of Drawing Restraint 9
    Drawing Restraint 9

    Drawing Restraint 9 is project by visual artist Matthew Barney consisting of a feature length 35mm film, large-scale sculptures, photographs, drawings, and books....
    .
  • 2007 – Anna and the Moods
    Anna and the Moods

    Anna and the Moods is a 2007 Computer animation movie by the Icelandic digital design and animation company CAOZ in Reykjav?k. The voice of the main character Anna is performed by singer, songwriter and composer Bj?rk....
    , Björk performs the voice of Anna Young. (CAOZ Ltd.
    CAOZ Ltd.

    CAOZ Ltd is a 3D computer animation and digital design company located in Reykjav?k. CAOZ is active since 2001 and released several productions;...
    )


Bibliography

  • 1984 – Um Úrnat frá Björk (free distribution)
  • 1995 – Post
  • 2001 – Björk (Little-i)
  • 2003 – Björk Live Book


Related bibliography

  • Post, by Sjón
    Sjón

    Sj?n is the pen name of Sigurj?n Birgir Sigur?sson . His pen name is formed from his given name , and means 'Sight'.Sj?n is an List_of_Icelandic_authors and a poet....
     Sigurðsson/Björk Ltd. Bloomsbury (1995).
  • Björk – The Illustrated Story, by Paul Lester. Hamlyn (1996).
  • Björk – An Illustrated Biography, by Mick St. Michael. Omnibus Press (1996).
  • Björk Björkgraphy, by Martin Aston. Simon & Schuster (1996).
  • Björk, Colección Imágenes de Rock, N°82, by Jordi Bianciotto. Editorial La Máscara (1997).
  • Dancer in the Dark, by Lars von Trier. Film Four (2000).
  • Lobster or Fame, by Ólafur Jóhann Engilbertsson. Bad Taste (2000).
  • Army of She, by Evelyn McDonnell. Random House (2001).
  • Human Behaviour, by Ian Gittins. Carlton (2002).
  • Björk: There's More to Life Than This: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Ian Gittins. Imprint (2002).
  • Wow and Flutter, by Mark Pytlik. ECW (2003).


See also

  • Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
    Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar

    Bj?rk Gu?mundsd?ttir & Tr?? Gu?mundar Ing?lfssonar was an Icelandic jazz and bebop music band.The band formed in 1990 when the singer-songwriter Bj?rk, who at the time sang and wrote for The Sugarcubes, joined the Tr?? Gu?mundar Ing?lfssonar ....
  • List of number-one dance hits (United States)
    List of number-one dance hits (United States)

    This is a list of number-one dance hits as recorded by Billboard magazine's Hot Dance Club Play chart — a weekly national survey of popular songs in United States dance clubs....
  • List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
    List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

    This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Dance Club Play chart. Billboard began ranking dance music on the week ending October 26 1974 and this is the standard music popularity chart in the United States for play in nightclubs....
  • Vegvísir
    Vegvísir

    Vegv?sir is an Icelandic magic sign intended to guide people through rough weather. Icelandic singer Bj?rk has it tattooed on her left arm....
     – Björk's largest tattoo, located on her left arm
  • Music of Iceland
    Music of Iceland

    The music of Iceland is related to Nordic music forms, and includes vibrant folk music and pop music traditions, including medieval music group Voces Thules, alternative rock band The Sugarcubes, singers Bj?rk and Emiliana Torrini, and post-rock band Sigur R?s....
  • Mononymous persons
    Mononymous persons

    A mononymous person is an individual who is known by a wikt:mononym, or "single name". In some cases, that name has been selected by the individual, who may have originally been given a polynym ; in other cases, it has been determined by the custom of the country or by some interested segment of the public....
  • Kraumur
    Kraumur

    Kraumur Music Fund is an independent Icelandic music fund and operation established by the in the beginning of 2008 to "to strengthen Icelandic musical life, primarily by supporting young musicians in performing and presenting their works."...
     – a music fund, Björk is an advisory board member


External links