The Rise and Reign of Björk

Photo via FACT magazine

Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic songwriter, producer, and DJ. Her career, which has spanned over four decades, has gained her notoriety as an eclectic musician with a range of influences. Known for her distinctive boundary-breaking style and unique sound, Björk’s musical persona isn’t something you can find anywhere else.

Björk’s musical scope was wide from the start — as a teen, she formed both an all-girl punk band Spit and Snot and a jazz fusion group called Exodus, and was also a member of the groups JAM80 and Tappi Tikarrass. She continued making music with various groups, including as the lead singer of The Sugarcubes, a group that formed in 1986 and gained attention in the U.S. and the U.K. They released records together until the conclusion of their contract in 1992, after which Björk moved to London to pursue her solo career.

Her career took off almost instantly with her first international solo hit “Human Behaviour” and Debut (June 1993). In 1994, she was awarded Best International Female and Best International Newcomer at the Brit Awards, which earned her exposure and respect in the industry. She began collaborating with other established artists, including her work with David Arnold on “Play Dead,” which became the theme for the film Young Americans.

Onward, Björk continued developing her style and became known for her avant-garde music and persona. She notoriously arrived at the 2001 Academy Awards donning a fully-body swan dress, and would perform in outlandish costumes and create notoriously curious music videos. Her 2011 album Biophilia combined her musical endeavors with technological and scientific themes, including her creation of the first-ever “app album,” where each song on the album was paired with a specific interactive iPad app specially designed by a team of programmers. Along with this album was Björk’s creation of the Biophilia education program, designed to teach children about the “intersections of music and science.”

Today, Björk’s career is still going strong, with her last album release being Utopia in November 2017. She has continued evolving as a musician, going places no one in the industry has even conceived of and maintaining her distinctive style while doing so. Keep up with Björk on Instagram and check out her music on Soundcloud and her iconic videos on Youtube.