165-417: Homogenic is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk . It was released on 22 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records . Produced by Björk, Mark Bell , Guy Sigsworth , Howie B , and Markus Dravs , the album marked a stylistic change, focusing on similar-sounding music combining electronic beats and string instruments with songs in tribute to her native country Iceland. Homogenic
330-566: A Channel 4 documentary along with Sir David Attenborough called When Björk Met Attenborough , as part of their Mad4Music season of programmes. Björk and Attenborough discussed the human relationship with music, focusing around Biophilia , and also featuring scientist Oliver Sacks . In 2014, the apps were the first ever to be inducted into the Museum of Modern Art 's permanent collection. In June, Björk recorded original vocal samples for Death Grips , which they used on all 8 songs of Niggas on
495-755: A jazz fusion group, Exodus, collaborated in another group, JAM80, and graduated from music school. In 1982, she and bassist Jakob Magnússon formed another group, Tappi Tíkarrass ("Cork the Bitch's Ass" in Icelandic ), and released the EP Bitið fast í vitið ("Bite Hard Into the Mind" in Icelandic), in August 1982. Their album Miranda was released in December 1983. The group was featured in
660-591: A box set meant to celebrate the end of the album cycle which 14 wooden flutes that imitate various bird calls and a USB stick featuring the digital albums, music videos and remixes, alongside an unreleased instrumental track, "Arpegggio". On 6 September 2019, two remixes of "Features Creatures" were released as digital singles, one by Fever Ray and the other by the Knife . Both remixes, as well as Björk's own remix of Fever Ray's 2017 song, "This Country", were collected on Country Creatures . On 27 September 2019, Björk made
825-512: A chance to assert themselves". American critics rated Homogenic highly in year-end polls. It ranked at number nine in The Village Voice 's Pazz & Jop critics' poll, while Spin ranked it number four in their "Top 20 Albums of the Year". In Britain, Melody Maker ranked it at number 33 in the "Albums of the Year" and NME placed it at number 15 in a critics' poll. In 2024, the album
990-442: A combination of speaking and singing as illustrated in the song " Unravel ". The majority of songs on Homogenic have lyrics about love and failed relationships. The song "Jóga" was written as a tribute to her best friend and tour masseuse of the same name. Björk called " All is Full of Love " a song about "believing in love" and that "Love isn't just about two persons. It's everywhere around you". " All Neon Like " contains snippets of
1155-457: A conceptual focus on her native Iceland. Producer Markus Dravs recalled Björk wanting it to sound like "rough volcanoes with soft moss growing all over it..." In an interview for Oor , Björk explained that "in Iceland, everything revolves around nature, 24 hours a day. Earthquakes, snowstorms, rain, ice, volcanic eruptions, geysers... Very elementary and uncontrollable. But at the other hand, Iceland
1320-566: A cover of Joni Mitchell 's song "The Boho Dance" to the album A Tribute to Joni Mitchell (2007). Director and previous collaborator Michel Gondry asked Björk to star in his film The Science of Sleep , but she declined. The role was played by Charlotte Gainsbourg instead. Björk starred in Gunar Karlsson's 2007 animated film Anna and the Moods , along with Terry Jones and Damon Albarn . Björk's sixth full-length studio album, Volta ,
1485-544: A favorable review of the album and stated " Wu-Tang Forever is a smooth, clean set of 25 songs and two speeches, with only a few throwaways on the second CD. The Wu-Tang Clan offers something for every kind of rap fan. More important, after a four-year wait, on Wu-Tang Forever the Clan retains its mantle as rap's standard bearers." Melody Maker gave Wu-Tang Forever a favorable review as well, stating "It had to be this big. It didn't have to be this good ... Every single track
1650-560: A featured artist on "Afi", a track from the Björgvin Gíslason 1983 record Örugglega . Due to the imminent cancelling of radio show Áfangar , two radio personalities, Ásmundur Jónsson and Guðni Rúnar, requested musicians to play on a last live radio show. Björk joined with Einar Melax (from the group Fan Houtens Kókó), Einar Örn Benediktsson (from Purrkur Pillnikk), Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson and Sigtryggur Baldursson (from Þeyr), and Birgir Mogensen (from Spilafífl) to perform in
1815-541: A festival in Iceland was headlined by English anarchist punk band Crass , whose record label, Crass Records offered the band a record deal. The Eye was released in 1984, followed by a two-month tour in Europe, which also included a performance at Roskilde Festival in Denmark. This made Kukl the first Icelandic band to play at the festival. During this period Björk published a hand-coloured book of poems. Um Úrnat frá Björk
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#17328692679771980-486: A few outside producers behind the board this time, but it's his gritty samples and numbing beats that get the party moving." Sasha Frere-Jones from Spin called it an album "for hip-hop junkies, rhyme followers who want to hear their favorite sword-swallowers drop unusually good styles over unusually good beats." Comparing some of the album's production to that of Wu-Tang member GZA's Liquid Swords (also produced by RZA), Neil Strauss from The New York Times wrote
2145-454: A flute rendition of "The Anchor Song" from 1993's Debut before embarking on the brief Utopia tour , playing in several European music festivals during the summer. On 12 November 2018, Björk announced a new concert production centered around her Utopia album, entitled Cornucopia . Björk described the show as one "where the acoustic and digital will shake hands". Cornucopia opened in May 2019 at
2310-426: A form of therapy. Björk would let audio engineer Markus Dravs into her home studio to start creating new songs. The sessions with Dravs and Björk were casual, with Björk allowing Dravs freedom with the album. Björk only left the studio to cook meals for the both of them. One of the first songs created during the sessions was "5 Years" which Dravs created the fast beat for. The progress of Homogenic in these sessions
2475-516: A frequent collaborator for Björk. Her first adult solo album, Debut , was released in June 1993 to positive reviews; it was named album of the year by NME 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. She named the album Debut to signify a start of something new. Debut had
2640-453: A mix of songs Björk had been writing since she was a teenager, as well as more recent lyrical collaborations with Hooper. The dance -oriented album varied in instrumentation. One single from the album, " Venus as a Boy ", featured a Bollywood -influenced string arrangement. Björk covered the jazz standard " Like Someone in Love " to the accompaniment of a harp, and the final track, "The Anchor Song",
2805-488: A more experimental sound for his fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak (2008). All tracks are written by Björk, except where noted Credits adapted from the liner notes of Homogenic . Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Bj%C3%B6rk Björk Guðmundsdóttir OTF ( / b j ɜːr k / BYURK , Icelandic: [pjœr̥k ˈkvʏðmʏntsˌtouhtɪr̥] ; born 21 November 1965)
2970-461: A musical genre. Tiny Mix Tapes considered that "Björk has managed to create something so refreshingly unique that trying to categorize and label the music is rather dubious." Writing for Beats Per Minute , Cole Zercoe felt Homogenic represented a pinnacle work of trip hop , forming part of "a sort of holy trinity of this musical aesthetic" along with Massive Attack 's Mezzanine and Portishead 's Dummy . Björk wanted Homogenic to have
3135-418: A musical genre. Although she often calls herself a pop artist, she is considered a "restlessly experimental creative force". According to The New Yorker ' s Taylor Ho Bynum , "no contemporary artist so gracefully bridges the divide [between music experimentalist and pop celebrity] as Björk". Her album Debut , which incorporated electronic, house , jazz, and trip hop, has been credited as one of
3300-579: A novel "tangible-interface" synthesizer from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona , which on Volta is played by Damian Taylor. The first single from the album, " Earth Intruders ", was released digitally on 9 April 2007 and became her second-ever Billboard Hot 100 entry in the United States. Volta debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming her first top 10 album in
3465-556: A one-off show at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Sydney Festival . Her music was featured in the 2008 documentary Horizons: The Art of Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir directed by Frank Cantor. Announced via an eBay auction , a new Björk track was revealed under the title " Náttúra ". Björk commented the song was intended "to encourage active support for a more environmental approach to Iceland's natural resources." The song
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#17328692679773630-466: A pink funnel-necked dress with her skin cast in a blueish metallic hue, one eyeball blankly white, a large safety pin closing a slash through her forehead, and her hair pulled into tight buns as she challenges the camera with a direct gaze. Björk explained her vision for the Homogenic cover, which carries a resemblance to "someone who is put into an impossible situation, so impossible that she has to become
3795-516: A poem Björk wrote called "Techno Prayer" in 1996. The song "5 Years" appeared in live form a few weeks after her breakup with musician Tricky and music journalists considered it a response to it. " Bachelorette " was originally written for director Bernardo Bertolucci for his film Stealing Beauty . Björk later faxed Bertolucci, informing him the song would be used for her album instead. "Bachelorette" and "Jóga" were written with Icelandic poet Sjón , because Björk wanted to use epic lyrics. "Immature"
3960-425: A range of disciplines and genres, and exploring a variety of multimedia projects. Her later, post-nineties, albums consist of Vespertine (2001), Medúlla (2004), Volta (2007), Biophilia (2011), Vulnicura (2015), Utopia (2017) and Fossora (2022). With sales of over 40 million records worldwide, Björk is one of the best-selling alternative artists of all time. Several of her albums have reached
4125-412: A re-release of Debut ), collaborated on two songs for Tricky's Nearly God project, appeared on the track "Lilith" for the album Not for Threes by Plaid , and co-wrote the song " Bedtime Story " for Madonna 's 1994 album Bedtime Stories . Björk also had an uncredited role as a runway model in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter . Post was Björk's second solo studio album. Released in June 1995,
4290-550: A real genius," he said. "No one's been as radical or innovative and still made pop music. I got into it when I was first discovering music. It still has a deep resonance for me." Homogenic debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart on 4 October 1997, spending 17 weeks on the chart. It debuted at number six on the Australian Albums Chart on 12 October 1997, but descended to number 45 after five weeks on
4455-570: A reshoot. Towards the end of August 1997, One Little Indian delayed the album by a month. Homogenic was released on 22 September 1997 on One Little Indian in the United Kingdom and on 23 September Elektra Records in North America on compact disc and cassette . The album was later issued on vinyl and DualDisc formats. The Japanese version of Homogenic included several bonus tracks and remixed versions of songs. The DualDisc release featured
4620-420: A retrospective review, Heather Phares of AllMusic cited Homogenic as being more emotionally deep than any of Björk's previous work and called it a "seamless fusion of chilly strings, stuttering, abstract beats, and unique touches like an accordion and glass harmonica." In 2002, Homogenic placed at number ten on Slant Magazine ' s list of "The Greatest Electronic Albums of the 20th Century". In 2003, it
4785-463: A seemingly naked Björk (actually wearing a close fitting bodysuit), this time with her nipples secreting a red thread that eventually enveloped her in a cocoon. The video was directed by Japanese artist Eiko Ishioka and was not aired by MTV. She was invited to record " Gollum's Song " for the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers but declined the invitation, as she was then pregnant;
4950-432: A solo career. She began working with producer Nellee Hooper (who had produced Massive Attack , among others). Their partnership produced Björk's first international solo hit, " Human Behaviour ", a dance track based on a guitar rhythm sampled from Antônio Carlos Jobim . In most countries, the song was not widely played on radio, but its music video gained strong airtime on MTV. It was directed by Michel Gondry , who became
5115-443: A supposed full version of the album leaked online . In an effort to salvage potential losses in sales due to the leak and to allow fans to hear the album in superior quality, it was made available worldwide on 20 January 2015 on iTunes. Vulnicura is a portrayal of her breakup with former partner, Matthew Barney , with lyrics that are emotionally raw in comparison to the abstract concerns of her previous album. Its surprise release
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5280-528: A surprise appearance during Mutant;Faith , Arca's performance-art piece at the Shed, to debut "Afterwards", a new collaboration which Björk performed in a combination of Spanish and gibberish. The song is included on Arca's fourth studio album KiCk i , which was released on June 26, 2020. Björk is currently set to embark on her eleventh concert tour, called Björk Orkestral , in which she will perform orchestral arrangements of songs from her career so far. As part of
5445-588: A tale of witchcraft based on the Brothers Grimm story, directed by Nietzchka Keene . Björk played the role of Margit, a girl whose mother has been killed for practising witchcraft. That summer, former band member Einar Örn and Eldon formed the arts collective Smekkleysa ("Bad Taste" in Icelandic), created with the intention of being both a record label and book publishing company. Various friends, namely Melax and Sigtryggur from Kukl, along with Bragi Ólafsson and Friðrik Erlingson from Purrkur Pillnikk, joined
5610-832: A tribute to McQueen, with whom Björk collaborated on multiple occasions. Björk appeared on Átta Raddir , one of Jónas Sen's TV shows. The episode aired on 27 February 2011. The shows are produced by the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. In the show Björk performed eight songs, including "Sun in My Mouth", which had not previously been performed live. Biophilia was released in 2011. The album project combined music with technological innovation and themes of science and nature, including an " app album", educational collaborations with children and specialised live performance, debuting in Manchester , United Kingdom at
5775-426: A warrior. A warrior who has to fight not with weapons, but with love. I had 10 kilos of hair on my head, and special contact lenses and a manicure that prevented me from eating with my fingers, and gaffer tape around my waist and high clogs so I couldn't walk easily." The album was released later than One Little Indian Records had intended. Björk was behind schedule and the album's cover design by Nick Knight needed
5940-469: A week later. On 7 December 2015, Vulnicura was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album . On 15 July 2016, a standard "commercial" edition of Vulnicura Live was released, featuring the same performances but newly mixed and with different artwork. A luxury version of Vulnicura Live was released on 23 September. The performance of "Come to Me" from the album was also included in
6105-499: Is idiosyncratically collaborative, having worked with various producers, photographers, fashion designers and music video directors. She however believes that her male collaborators have received more credit than her, which Björk attributes to her being a female artist. Wu-Tang Forever Wu-Tang Forever is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan , released June 3, 1997, by Loud and RCA Records in
6270-459: Is Full of Love" was also the first DVD single to ever be released in the US, which paved the way for other artists to include DVD video and other multimedia features with their singles. Björk began to write more personally, saying "I realised that I'd come to the end of the extrovert thing. I had to go home and search for myself again." In 1999, Björk was asked to write and produce the musical score for
6435-441: Is a detonation of every single pop rule you thought sacrosanct ... Forever is one of the greatest hip hop LPs of all time." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic stated: Where contemporaries like 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. issued double-discs cluttered with filler, Wu-Tang Forever is purposeful and surprisingly lean, illustrating the immense depth of producer RZA and the entire nine-piece crew ... The result
6600-400: Is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three- octave vocal range , and sometimes eccentric public persona, she has developed an eclectic musical style over a career spanning four decades, drawing on electronica , pop , dance , trip hop , jazz , and avant-garde music. Regarded as the " Queen of Experimental Pop ," Björk
6765-475: Is an intoxicating display of musical and lyrical virtuosity, one that reveals how bereft of imagination the Wu-Tang's contemporaries are. Describing the album's lyrics as "hauntingly descriptive tales of ghetto hustlers and victims," Rolling Stone ' s Nathan Brackett stated "The whole of Wu-Tang Forever crackles with a shootout-at-midnight electricity that more than justifies the double-disc indulgence, while
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6930-638: Is considered one of the greatest in hip-hop. Despite not having yet released a solo album, and not releasing one until October 1999, Deck's contributions throughout Wu-Tang Forever led to him being a sought-after collaborator for other artists in the wake of the album's release; during the 1998-1999 period he would make highly-regarded contributions to tracks on well-received albums from Gang Starr ("Above The Clouds" from Moment of Truth ), Pete Rock ("Tru Master" from Soul Survivor ) and Big Pun ("Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)" from Capital Punishment ) among others. Ghostface Killah 's verse in "Impossible"
7095-415: Is incredibly modern; everything is hi-tech. The number of people owning a computer is as high as nowhere else in the world. That contradiction is also on Homogenic . The electronic beats are the rhythm, the heartbeat. The violins create the old-fashioned atmosphere, the colouring." Björk's vocals on Homogenic range from primitive-sounding screams to a traditional singing method used by Icelandic choir men,
7260-616: Is often cited as one of the best of all time and a milestone in computer animation ; it has been displayed in art exhibitions and was on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Homogenic received widespread acclaim from critics. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly stated that " Homogenic could have been stuffy and dull — Sting with a sex-change operation . It's a testament to Bjork's continued weirdness that even overtures toward adulthood come out delightfully skewed". Neva Chonin of Rolling Stone cited it as "one of
7425-579: Is one of the most influential pioneers in electronic and experimental music . Born and raised in Reykjavík , Björk began her music career at the age of 11 and gained international recognition as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes by the age of 21. After the Sugarcubes disbanded in 1992, Björk gained prominence as a solo artist with her albums Debut (1993), Post (1995), and Homogenic (1997), collaborating with artists from
7590-447: Is the same version on display at MoMA earlier that year. On 2 October 2015, Vulnicura Strings was announced. The album serves as a purely acoustic companion to Vulnicura , and features additional string arrangements plus the viola organista , a unique string instrument played on a keyboard designed by Leonardo da Vinci . It was released on 6 November 2015 on CD and digital and 4 December 2015 on vinyl. A week later, Vulnicura Live
7755-490: Is very exciting, but now I think it's a bit more Björk goes home." The themes of Homogenic are reflected in the album cover designed by Alexander McQueen . According to McQueen biographer Andrew Wilson, Björk approached McQueen after seeing the futuristic image of model Devon Aoki in the February 1997 edition of Visionaire . Dressed by McQueen and photographed by Nick Knight , who shot the Homogenic cover as well, Aoki wears
7920-481: The Billboard 200 with 612,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified 4× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 15, 1997 (each disc in the double album counted as separate unit for certification purpose), selling over 4 million copies in the United States. It is the group's highest selling album to date. Track listing information is taken from
8085-684: The 100 most influential people in the world . Rolling Stone named her the 64th-greatest singer and the 81st- greatest songwriter of all time in 2023. Björk starred in the 2000 Lars von Trier film Dancer in the Dark , for which she won the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival , and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for " I've Seen It All ". Björk has also been an advocate for environmental causes in Iceland. A retrospective exhibition dedicated to Björk
8250-601: The Antony and the Johnsons album Swanlights . The song is titled "Flétta". On 20 September 2010, Björk performed her version of " Gloomy Sunday " at designer Alexander McQueen 's memorial in St. Paul's cathedral in London. On 7 December 2010, a previously unreleased song, called "Trance", was released by Björk as the backing track of a short film made by Nick Knight, titled "To Lee, with Love", as
8415-508: The Biophilia instruments (Tesla coil, MIDI controlled organ, the newly created Gameleste, and gravity harp) were on display in the lobby of the museum and played automatically throughout the day, the MoMA commissioned video installation, "Black Lake", directed by Andrew Thomas Huang , which consisted of 2 complementary edits of the "Black Lake" video screened in a small room with 49 speakers hidden in
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#17328692679778580-747: The Icelandic albums chart , peaking at number 28 on the US Billboard 200 and number 4 on the UK Albums Chart . The album produced five singles—" Jóga ", " Bachelorette ", " Hunter ", " Alarm Call ", and " All Is Full of Love "—and was further promoted with the Homogenic tour (1997–1999). Retrospectively, Homogenic has continued receiving critical acclaim, being listed among the best albums of all time by numerous critics. After an extensive tour in support of her 1995 album Post , Björk returned to her home in Maida Vale with an urgent need to write new songs as
8745-479: The Manchester International Festival on 30 June. This was the first part of the Biophilia tour , that toured the world for two years. In June 2011, the first single from Biophilia , " Crystalline ", was released. The song was composed using one of the several instruments custom built for the project, the "gameleste", a celesta modified with elements of gamelan . A central part of Biophilia
8910-531: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies. Homogenic debuted at twenty on the Canadian Albums Chart , becoming Björk's first album to enter the chart but spent only one week there. It was certified gold by the Music Canada on 12 June 1998. In the years following its release, Homogenic has continued to receive acclaim from critics, audiences and musicians. In
9075-460: The next year's ceremony , Chris Cunningham 's video for " All Is Full of Love " was nominated for the same award, but lost to Korn 's " Freak on a Leash ". Homogenic earned Björk the Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist at the 1998 ceremony . Accepting the award, she declared: "I am grateful grapefruit." Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke cited it as his favourite album. "She's
9240-426: The "Wu Mansion" and access additional content. While the group's previous album is known for its minimalistic production style, producer RZA had been expanding the musical backdrop of each solo Wu-Tang album since then. Raekwon 's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... , in particular, was praised for its cinematic feel. RZA earned accolades for his new dense style of production, incorporating strings, heavy synthesizers, and
9405-425: The "emotional kick" that she found Post lacked, in addition to lyricism she found to be "less opaque". Though Music Week praised the album for its "darker atmosphere" and "more consistent sound", a more negative review came from Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club , who said in contrast that " Homogenic is stylish enough, and it's as restlessly creative as you'd expect, but the album rarely gives Björk's songs
9570-633: The 18-month Volta tour , having performed at many festivals and returning to Latin America after nine years, playing in Rio de Janeiro , São Paulo , Curitiba , Guadalajara , Bogotá , Lima , Santiago de Chile , and Buenos Aires , as part of different events. She also returned to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in 12 years in January 2008, touring the nations with the Big Day Out Festival. She played
9735-468: The 1995 Hector Zazou collaborative album Chansons des mers froides , singing the traditional Icelandic song " Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu ". Björk left London for Spain, where she recorded the album Homogenic , released in 1997. Björk worked with producers Mark Bell of LFO and Howie B , as well as Eumir Deodato ; numerous remixes followed. Homogenic is regarded as one of Björk's most experimental and extroverted works, with enormous beats that reflect
9900-415: The 500 greatest albums of all time . During this period, the press exalted Björk's eccentricity by creating a " pixie " persona around her, a descriptor she later confronted with her following albums. Although Björk continued to receive more mainstream attention for her videos than her singles, Post included several UK pop hits and was eventually certified platinum in the US. Björk also contributed to
10065-719: The April/May cover of Vogue Scandinavia , her first ever Vogue cover, photographed by Viðar Logi wearing Maison Margiela . In October, a newly discovered large butterfly species was named Pterourus bjorkae in honor of Björk. Over her three-decade solo career, Björk has developed an eclectic and avant-garde musical style that incorporates aspects of electronic , dance , alternative dance , trip hop , experimental , glitch , jazz , alternative rock , instrumental , and contemporary classical music . Her music has since been subject to critical analysis and scrutiny, as she consistently defies categorisation in
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#173286926797710230-516: The Brodsky Quartet recorded "Prayer of the Heart", a composition written for her by composer John Tavener in 2001, and it was played then for a slide show presentation in 2003 for the American photographer, Nan Goldin . In 2003, Björk released a box set, Live Box , consisting of four CDs containing live recordings of her previous albums and a DVD featuring a video of one track from each CD. Each of
10395-449: The Cinema room of the MoMA exhibit), "Stonemilker" (a 360-degree VR video) "Family", and "Mouth Mantra" were also produced for the album, as well as a three part remix series available digitally and on limited edition vinyls. No traditional singles were released for Vulnicura . In December, the "Stonemilker VR App" was released for iOS devices, featuring an exclusive strings mix of the song. It
10560-590: The Icelandic theme of the album, Björk ordered the services of the Icelandic String Octet. By June 1997, the album was behind schedule and Björk was uncertain of the final track listing and unhappy with some of the recorded vocals. Homogenic is an electronica , trip hop , art pop , and experimental album. Before production began on Homogenic , Björk wanted to create an album with "a simple sound" and "only one flavour". Heather Phares of AllMusic described
10725-578: The Line ", was filmed in collaboration with the Icelandic artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir in late 2004. This was initially a sequence from an art installation movie of the artists but was released exclusively on the Medúlla Videos DVD as an official promo for the track. In 2005, Björk collaborated with partner Matthew Barney on the experimental art film Drawing Restraint 9 , a dialogueless exploration of Japanese culture . Björk and Barney both appear in
10890-506: The Moon , the first part of their double LP, The Powers That B . In late 2014, a concert film, Björk: Biophilia Live , was released worldwide, including in more than 400 cinemas. Björk worked with producers Arca and the Haxan Cloak on her ninth studio album, titled Vulnicura . On 18 January 2015, just days after being publicly announced, and two months ahead of its scheduled release,
11055-572: The UK Singles Chart and UK Indie Chart , respectively. Gondry returned to direct the music video for "Bachelorette", which features Björk as Bachelorette, a woman who finds a book titled My Story buried in her garden which begins to write itself, describing what Bachelorette does as she describes it. It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video . " Hunter "
11220-480: The US, netting week-one sales of 43,000. The album also reached number three on the French albums chart with sales of 20,600 albums sold in its first week, and number seven in the UK Albums Chart with 20,456 units sold. The second single from the album, " Innocence ", was digitally released on 23 July 2007, with an accompanying music video chosen from a contest conducted through her official website. " Declare Independence "
11385-465: The United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects from various members of the group, and serves as the follow-up to their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) . Forever features several guest appearances from Wu-Tang affiliates Cappadonna , Streetlife , 4th Disciple , True Master , and Tekitha . The original run of compact discs featured an enhanced CD which allowed users to walk around
11550-424: The album as impactful on Björk's own discography, stating: "In retrospect, it's easy to see the way that Homogenic paves the way for later career triumphs like Vespertine and Vulnicura : In its formal audacity and sustained emotional intensity, it represents a phase shift from Debut and Post , fine though they were." In an interview with Spin , Radiohead singer Thom Yorke called
11715-476: The album at number 202 on its " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time " list. In 2023, British GQ ranked it at number four on their list of ten best electronic albums of all time. According to Tiny Mix Tapes , Homogenic is "one of the most groundbreaking albums of all-time, an album that assuredly caused countless hearts to soar." With Homogenic , Björk has been credited for connecting art pop to electronic dance music . Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork described
11880-444: The album number 57 on their 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995–2005 list. Also in 2005, Blow Up magazine from Italy included Wu-Tang Forever in their 600 Essential Albums list. It also earned the group a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards . Despite limited radio/TV airplay, and the nearly-six minute lead single "Triumph" which features no chorus, Wu-Tang Forever debuted at number one on
12045-510: The album was produced in conjunction with Nellee Hooper , Tricky , Graham Massey of 808 State , and electronica producer Howie B . Building on the success of Debut , Björk continued to pursue different sounds, taking particular interest in dance and techno . Production by Tricky and Howie B also provided trip hop/electronica-like sounds on tracks like " Possibly Maybe " and "Enjoy". It was these producers' influence along with older friend Graham Massey that inspired Björk to create material like
12210-480: The album's first video, "Hidden Place", which was subsequently released as a DVD single. The next video, for "Pagan Poetry", brought Björk to an even higher level of controversy with the channel. The video features graphic piercings, Björk's exposed nipples, and simulated fellatio . As a result, the clip was banned from MTV. In 2002, it was aired unedited as part of a late night special on MTV2 titled, "Most Controversial Music Videos". The video for "Cocoon" also featured
12375-428: The album, she collaborated with experimental musicians such as Matmos , Denmark-based DJ Thomas Knak , and harpist Zeena Parkins . Lyrical sources included the works of American poet E. E. Cummings , the American independent filmmaker Harmony Korine , and English playwright Sarah Kane 's penultimate play, Crave . To coincide with the album's release, an eponymous coffee table book of loose prose and photographs
12540-470: The back-and-forth wordfire of Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, etc. confirms the Clan's singular zing at the mic, and their ghetto-wise might as storytellers." Cheo Hodari Coker from the Los Angeles Times commented, "The Clan's beats push the limit between cutting-edge hip-hop and industrial feedback, with jugular-clutching rhymes following their own melodic dictates and insular messages running
12705-506: The beats to propel the lyrics, and keeps the music free of clichéd R&B loops." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a two-star honorable mention rating and called the Wu-Tang Clan "the five per cent nation of Oscar aspirations". In 2018, the BBC included it in their list of "the acclaimed albums that nobody listens to any more." Wu-Tang Forever was ranked as one of
12870-452: The best albums of the year by several notable publications, such as Spin , The Village Voice , NME and Melody Maker . Popular Belgium magazine HUMO , and popular German magazine Spex both ranked it number six on their albums of the year lists. In 1999, Ego Trip ranked Wu-Tang Forever number three on their Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98 list. In their March 2005 issue, Hip Hop Connection ranked
13035-467: The boldest – and most exciting – albums of the year", while Los Angeles Times critic Richard Cromelin wrote that it "affirms [Björk's] stature as one of pop music's most uncompromising adventurers". NME ' s Ted Kessler praised Homogenic as Björk's best album and "her most emotional, highly charged and groovy record, as well as a stinging triumph for the spirit of adventure," while The Philadelphia Inquirer remarked that it "boldly ventures into
13200-497: The box set 7-inches for Planned Parenthood in support of the women's health organization. Björk launched Björk Digital in June 2016, a virtual reality exhibit showcasing all the VR videos completed for Vulnicura thus far, including the world premiere of "Notget", directed by Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones, at Carriageworks for Vivid Sydney 2016 in Sydney, Australia. She DJ'd
13365-477: The box set in repackaged format. The DualDiscs were also released separately. 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". Björk contributed
13530-475: The cast of The Northman , the third feature film by Robert Eggers , co-written with Sjón , alongside her daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, in her debut film role. It was released on April 22, 2022, in the United States. In an interview with The Mercury News published on 19 January 2022, Björk mentioned that she was wrapping up work on her upcoming tenth studio album. She revealed in an interview with The Guardian , published on 19 August 2022, that
13695-480: The chart. The album debuted at number eight on the New Zealand Albums Chart on 12 October 1997, and peaked at number six the following week, but descended after six weeks on the chart. In the United States, Homogenic debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200 , spending a total of nine weeks inside the chart, where its final position was at number 164. The album was certified gold on 1 August 2001 by
13860-468: The concert. The group developed a gothic rock sound. During this experience, Björk began to develop her vocalisation – punctuated by howls and shrieks. The project performed as Gott kvöld during the concert. When they later decided to keep playing together as a group, they used the name Kukl (" Sorcery " in Icelandic). Björk's acquaintance gave the group their studio to record in and released their first single in 1983. Their first big performance at
14025-425: The cover artwork for Homogenic , and features Björk floating on a raft on a river in the jungle and her scenes are intercut with footage of snakes, crocodiles, and other animals, with Björk playing with them. " All Is Full of Love " was released as the fifth and final single on 7 June 1999. DVD single was simultaneously released; some publications regard it as the first DVD single release ever. Critically acclaimed,
14190-465: The documentary Rokk í Reykjavík , with Björk being featured on the cover of the VHS release. Around this time, Björk met guitarist Þór Eldon and surrealist group Medusa, which also included poet Sjón , with whom she started a lifelong collaboration and formed a group, Rokka Rokka Drum. She described her time as part of Medusa as "a gorgeous D.I.Y. organic university: extreme fertility!" Björk appeared as
14355-502: The ensemble Alarm Will Sound , Arca on electronics (on festival dates the Haxan Cloak took over) and percussionist Manu Delago . After completing its New York residency, the tour travelled to Europe before ending in August 2015. New York's MoMA hosted a retrospective exhibition from 8 March – 7 June 2015 that chronicled Björk's career from Debut to Biophilia ; however, aspects of Vulnicura were included as well but not previously announced. The retrospective consisted of 4 parts:
14520-434: The film Dancer in the Dark , 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 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
14685-455: The film debuted in 2000 at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival . The film received the Palme d'Or , and Björk received the Best Actress Award for her role. It was reported that the shoot was so physically and emotionally tiring that she vowed never to act again. Björk later stated that she always wanted to do one musical in her life, and Dancer in the Dark was the one. The soundtrack Björk created for
14850-497: The film was released with the title Selmasongs . The album features a duet with Thom Yorke of Radiohead titled " I've Seen It All ", which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and was performed at the 2001 Oscars (without Yorke), while Björk was wearing her celebrated swan dress . In 2001, Björk released the album Vespertine . It featured chamber orchestras, choirs, hushed vocals, microbeats made from household sounds, and personal, vulnerable themes. For
15015-550: The film, playing two occidental guests on a Japanese factory whaling vessel who ultimately transform into two whales. She is also responsible for the film's soundtrack, her second after Selmasongs . Björk also appeared in the 2005 documentary Screaming Masterpiece , which delves into the Icelandic music scene. The movie features archive footage of the Sugarcubes and Tappi Tíkarrass and an ongoing conversation with Björk herself. During this era, Björk earned another BRIT Awards nomination for Best International Female Solo Artist. She
15180-441: The first albums to introduce electronic music into mainstream pop. Her work has been described as "frequently explor[ing] the relationship between nature and technology". Broadly summarising her wide-ranging integration of art and popular music, Joshua Ostroff suggested that "there is no better descriptor for what Björk does than artpop ". The NME also called her output a "consistently progressive pop agenda." Björk's work
15345-452: The former and latter also receiving limited edition remix EPs. Utopia was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards , making Björk's fifteenth nomination at the Grammys. On 22 May 2018, Björk appeared as the headlining musical guest on Later... with Jools Holland , her first time on the BBC series since 2011. She sang a set of four songs, including
15510-425: The four CDs was later released separately at a reduced price. In August 2004, Björk released Medúlla . During production, Björk decided the album would work best as an entirely vocal-based album. This initial plan was modified, as the majority of the sounds on the album are indeed created by vocalists but several feature prominent basic electronic programming, as well as the occasional musical instrument. Björk used
15675-811: The fourth single " Alarm Call " on CD:UK on 5 December. When the release of Homogenic was delayed by a month, its tour began with the audience not being familiar with the album's songs since it had not been released yet. The tour started at the beginning of September with a backing band that consisted only of Mark Bell and made stops in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Spain, and England. These shows were brief live shows lasting about half an hour consisting of only new material. Another tour took place in late October and lasted less than four weeks. Stops on this tour included Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, and Denmark. In late November, Björk
15840-640: The full album on the CD side and the DVD side included the album with superior sound quality and the music videos for the singles. Promotion of Homogenic started on 8 June 1997, when Björk performed several songs from the album at the Tibetan Freedom Concert held at Downing Stadium in New York City. The album was launched on 15 July at the Old Truman Brewery in London. In the United Kingdom, Björk performed
16005-480: The gamut from ancient maxims of the art of war to spiritual knowledge, wisdom and understanding from the Islamic Five Percent Nation." Steve Jones from USA Today wrote, "Hip-hop's most anticipated album crackles with the nine-member clan's unique hard-core rhymes and beats. On this two-disc, 112-minute set, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. The RZA avoids overproduction, using
16170-455: The greatest of its decade". The same year, Spin writer Phoebe Reilly called it Björk's "most sublime and vulnerable album" in a career retrospective. In 2011, Slant Magazine placed the album at number one on their list of best albums of the 1990s. In 2017, Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork observed that it "showcased a newly focused side of the musician while embracing all of her most provocative contradictions." In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked
16335-426: The group and a band coalesced in the collective solely to make money. They were initially called Þukl, but they were advertised as Kukl (the name of the previous band). At a later concert supporting Icelandic band Stuðmenn, they referred to themselves as Sykurmolarnir ("Sugarcubes" in Icelandic). Their first double A-side single, "Einn mol'á mann", which contained the songs " Ammæli " ("Birthday") and "Köttur" ("Cat"),
16500-628: The kung-fu samples of old. The production of the record also pioneered RZA's technique of chopping up and speeding up soul samples so that it becomes unusually high-pitched; this style of production would later become influential on producers such as Just Blaze and Kanye West . Wu-Tang Forever marked the first group album in which RZA assigned some of the album's production to his protégés True Master and 4th Disciple , as well as Clan member Inspectah Deck . The lyrics differed in many ways from those of 36 Chambers , with more verses written in stream-of-consciousness style, while being influenced by
16665-430: The landscape of Iceland, most notably in the song " Jóga ", which fuses lush strings with rocky electronic crunches. The album was certified gold in the US in 2001. The album was backed by string of music videos , several of which received airplay on MTV . The video for " Bachelorette " was directed by frequent collaborator Michel Gondry , while " All Is Full of Love " was directed by Chris Cunningham . The single "All
16830-600: The last quarter of 1988, the Sugarcubes toured North America to positive reception. On 15 October, the band appeared on Saturday Night Live . Björk alone contributed a rendition of the Christmas song "Jólakötturinn" ("The Christmas Cat") on the compilation Hvít Er Borg Og Bær . The band went on hiatus following the lack of reception of Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! (1989) and a lengthy international tour. During this time, Björk started working on her solo projects. In 1990 she provided background vocals on Gums by Bless. In
16995-639: The lead single " Jóga " on TFI Friday on 19 September, and Top of the Pops on 3 October. She performed the second single " Bachelorette " on the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live on 18 October, at the 1997 MTV Europe Music Awards on 6 November, on Later... with Jools Holland with "Jóga" and " Hunter " on 29 November, and again in the United States on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 22 May 1998. In France, Björk performed "Bachelorette" with "Jóga" on Nulle Part Ailleurs on 11 February, and with "Hunter" on Hit Machine on 20 June. She performed
17160-488: The making of one last album, Stick Around for Joy (1992), with a subsequent promotional tour, which she agreed to do. Björk was featured on two tracks of the soundtrack for the 1992 film Remote Control (known as Sódóma Reykjavík in Iceland). The Sugarcubes split up after they played one last show in Reykjavík. Rolling Stone called them "the biggest rock band to emerge from Iceland". Björk moved to London to pursue
17325-481: The new album is called Fossora , a Latin word for "digging". Fossora was released on 30 September 2022. It was supported by four singles: " Atopos " on 6 September 2022, " Ovule " on 14 September, " Ancestress " on 22 September and the album's title track on 27 September. Also in September 2022 Björk ventured into podcasting, hosting Björk: Sonic Symbolism which, according to a press release, features her "discussing
17490-538: The newly built The Shed in New York and was described as Björk's "most elaborate staged concert to date." The residency show then traveled to Mexico and Europe for further dates in 2019. Following the performances, Björk released music videos for "Tabula Rasa" and "Losss", both directed by Tobias Gremmler and used as backdrop during the shows. On 16 August 2019, Björk announced the Utopia Bird Call Boxset ,
17655-472: The opening night party and did the same when the show traveled to Tokyo, Japan on 29 June, showing at Miraikan. During the Miraikan residency, Björk made history by featuring in the world's first ever virtual reality live stream broadcast on YouTube. She gave a live performance of Vulnicura's final song "Quicksand", and the footage was incorporated into the "Quicksand" VR experience. Björk Digital has travelled
17820-476: The past ten years." Upon its release, Wu-Tang Forever received acclaim from music critics, who praised RZA's production work and the group members' lyricism. Matt Diehl from Entertainment Weekly commented, " Forever continues the group's artistic grand slam. Like their forebears in Public Enemy , Wu-Tang are musical revolutionaries, unafraid to bring the noise along with their trunk of funk. The RZA allows
17985-409: The porch and using non-professionals to help with production, such as Rebecca Storey, who was hired as a babysitter but added to the production staff after showing interest in the equipment. String arrangements were added late in the recording process. Björk had friend Eumir Deodato conduct, transcribe and compose original pieces for the few songs that Björk did not arrange for herself. To keep with
18150-404: The production of Homogenic , but were unable due to their production on the album Wu-Tang Forever , which had taken longer than planned. Most of the melodies on the album were created by Björk, who then composed string sections on a Casio keyboard and brought them to programmers who would add rhythmic patterns. Björk had wanted to have Mark Bell contribute to her albums Debut and Post ; Bell
18315-538: 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 number 37. The video, directed by Spike Jonze , features a heavily pregnant Björk. She gave birth to daughter Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney on 3 October 2002. Björk and
18480-403: The same year, she recorded Gling-Gló , a collection of popular jazz and original work, with the jazz group Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar , which as of 2011 was still her best-selling album in her home country. Björk also contributed vocals to 808 State 's album ex:el , with whom she cultivated her interest in house music . She contributed vocals on the songs "Qmart" and on "Ooops", which
18645-572: The song " Oceania " at the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens . As she sang, her dress slowly unfurled to reveal a 10,000 square foot (900 m ) 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 , a Leeds -based beatboxer , and a London choir. An alternative version of
18810-494: The song "Unravel" "one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard." The band would cover the song as part of a 2007 live webcast. Their guitarist Ed O'Brien claimed Björk inspired them to change their musical style for their fourth studio album Kid A (2000), stating: "I think we've all been a bit envious about the way Björk has been able to reinvent music." Homogenic has also been noted to have had influence on Kanye West by various sources, as he departed hip hop in favor of
18975-470: The song began circulating on the Internet with additional vocals by Kelis . 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 ", charting at number 31. A video for the potential next single, " Where Is
19140-401: The song is intended to support the inhabitants of Seyðisfjörður in the campaign against Norwegian-owned fish farming operations that threaten to degrade local ecosystems. The proceeds from this song will be donated to Aegis, an environmental organization Björk founded with other Icelandic activists to stop the intensive fish farming that is destroying the fjords. In 2024, Björk appeared on
19305-481: The song peaked at numbers 24 and three on the UK Singles Chart and UK Indie Chart, respectively. It became the only single from Homogenic to enter a chart in the United States, peaking at number eight on the Dance/Electronic Singles Sales chart. Directed by Chris Cunningham , the song's music video depicts Björk as a robot being assembled in a factory, who passionately kisses another robot. The video
19470-466: The song was instead recorded by another Icelander, Emilíana Torrini . In 2002 the CD box set Family Tree was issued. It comprised selected rarities as well as previously unreleased versions of her compositions, including her work with the Brodsky Quartet . Also released alongside Family Tree was the album Greatest Hits , a retrospective of the previous 10 years of her solo career as deemed by
19635-585: The sound of Homogenic as a "fusion of chilly strings (courtesy of the Icelandic String Octet), stuttering, abstract beats, and unique touches like accordion and glass harmonica ". The album differs from her previous two releases stylistically, and Neva Chonin of Rolling Stone stated the album was "certain to be rough going for fans looking for the sweet melodies and peppy dance collages of her earlier releases". As with other Björk releases, it has been difficult for critics to classify Homogenic within
19800-460: The storming industrial beats of " Army of Me ". The album was ranked number 7 in Spin 's "Top 90 Albums of the '90s" list and number 75 in its "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005" list. Post and Homogenic were placed back to back on Pitchfork Media 's "Top Albums of the '90s" list at numbers 21 and 20, respectively. In 2003, the album was ranked number 373 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of
19965-679: The sudden unwanted media interest, Björk's tour drummer Trevor Morais offered his studio in Spain. Björk went to Málaga and arranged to meet with flamenco guitarist Raimundo Amador . Björk had originally intended to stay in Málaga only briefly, but later decided to record the entirety of Homogenic there. Björk made a final trip out of the country before staying in Spain. As she had done since moving to London, Björk returned to Iceland for Christmas. While there, she wrote more new songs for Homogenic , including " Jóga ". Before returning to Spain to record, Björk
20130-531: The teachings of the Five-Percent Nation . The Clan also took full advantage of the double-disc format, allowing each of the nine members a significant number of appearances, including four solo tracks: "The City" for Inspectah Deck, "Dog Shit" for Ol' Dirty Bastard , "Black Shampoo" for U-God and "Sunshower" for RZA. Inspectah Deck raised his stock in the public eye with The Source ' s Hip-Hop Quotable for his performance on "Triumph". This verse
20295-421: The techno future while never losing its intensely personal vision and human heart". In another positive review, Spin opined that with the album, Björk didn't "demonize the artificial and assign innocence to the natural." The Chicago Tribune stated that her voice on Homogenic was "like a beacon guiding the listener through a strange, wonderful forest of sound." Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian praised
20460-423: The textures, timbres and emotional landscapes of each of her albums" with friends writer Oddný Eir and musicologist Ásmundur Jónsson; the first three episodes of the podcast, covering Debut , Post and Homogenic , premiered on 1 September. Björk released the single " Oral ", featuring Rosalía with production from Sega Bodega , on 21 November 2023. A reworked demo written between Homogenic and Vespertine ,
20625-527: The third disc contains "The Volta Videos" and the video competition, while the fourth is The Volta Mixes CD. In May 2010, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music announced that Björk was to receive the Polar Music Prize alongside Ennio Morricone . A month later, Björk, along with Dirty Projectors , announced that they would be collaborating on a joint EP, titled Mount Wittenberg Orca , which
20790-407: The third single, but switched places with "Hunter". It was released as the fourth single on 30 November 1998 and returned Björk to the top ten of Íslenski Listinn Topp 40, as its French mix peaked at number ten. In the UK, the song peaked at numbers 33 and three on the UK Singles Chart and UK Indie Chart, respectively. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Alexander McQueen , who designed
20955-571: The title. The title has also been speculated to be suggesting the concept of home, which Björk had said to be incorporating into Homogenic in an interview with Jam! : "I'm really seeking after something that's Icelandic. And I want it to be more me, this album. Debut and Post are a bit like the Tin Tin books. Sort of Tin Tin goes to Congo . Tin Tin goes to Tibet . So it's all these different flavors, me sort of trying all these different things on, which
21120-579: The top 20 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Thirty-one of her singles have reached the top 40 on pop charts around the world, with 22 top 40 hits in the UK, including the top-10 singles " It's Oh So Quiet ", " Army of Me ", and " Hyperballad " and the top-20 singles " Play Dead ", " Big Time Sensuality ", and " Violently Happy ". Her accolades and awards include the Order of the Falcon , five BRIT Awards , and 16 Grammy nominations. In 2015, Time named her one of
21285-533: The tour included electronic musician μ-Ziq . " Jóga " was released as the lead single from Homogenic on 15 September 1997 to widespread critical acclaim. It peaked atop the Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 in Iceland, while reaching the top 20 in Finland. Due to its formats, it was initially ineligible to enter the UK Singles Chart , but later peaked at number 191. Its mostly computer-animated accompanying music video
21450-581: The tour, Björk was scheduled to perform at the Bluedot Festival in July 2020; however, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she is now scheduled to headline in 2022. Following the rescheduling, Björk announced a series of concerts to be live streamed online for charity, with each concert featuring a different set of musicians and instruments and a unique set list. In August 2020, Björk joined
21615-420: The vocal skills of throat singer Tanya Tagaq , hip hop beatboxer Rahzel , Japanese beatboxer Dokaka , avant-rocker Mike Patton , Soft Machine drummer/singer Robert Wyatt , and several choirs . 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 US, debuting at number 14. In August 2004, Björk performed
21780-514: The walls and ceiling, a Cinema room showcasing most of Björk's music videos, newly transferred in high definition, and the Songlines walking exhibit which showcased Björk's notebooks, costumes and props from throughout her career. A book entitled Björk: Archives , documenting the content of the exhibition, was published in March. In addition to the "Black Lake" video, videos for "Lionsong" (which played in
21945-406: The world with stops in London, Montreal, Houston, Los Angeles and Barcelona. On 2 August 2017, Björk announced with a handwritten note on her social media the imminent release of a new album. The announcement coincided with an interview for Dazed ' s autumn 2017 cover issue in which Björk talked about the new album. The lead single, " The Gate " was released on 15 September 2017. Its video
22110-646: Was "hell" – it was like divorce!", stating, "So we [were] doing paradise [...] We have done hell, we have earned some points." She produced the album with Arca , whom she collaborated with on Vulnicura . Björk has described her collaborative journey with Arca as "the strongest musical relationship [she's] had", likening it to that of Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius during the albums Hejira and Don Juan's Reckless Daughter ("It's that synergy when two people lose their ego"), which have both been praised by Björk. Three additional music videos were released in 2017: " Blissing Me ", "Utopia" and " Arisen My Senses " with
22275-426: Was Björk's Biophilia education programme, which consisted of workshops for school-children aged 10–12, that explore the intersection of music and science. The Reykjavík City Board of Education brought the programme to all schools in the city over the next three years. She released the 2012 remix album Bastards . It featured remixes by Death Grips and Syrian musician Omar Souleyman . In 2013, Björk featured in
22440-481: Was Iceland's only radio station. The recording was broadcast nationally and, after hearing it, a representative of the Fálkinn record label offered Björk a recording contract. Her debut, Björk , was recorded when she was 11 years old and was released in Iceland in December 1977. During her teens, after the diffusion of punk rock music in Iceland, Björk formed the all-girl punk band Spit and Snot. In 1980, she formed
22605-455: Was a series of interactive iPad apps made by programmers and designers, one app for each of the 10 songs on the new album. The second single, " Cosmogony ", which served as the "mother app" for all the others, was released on 19 July 2011, followed by " Virus " and " Moon ". Biophilia was the first album to be released, in October 2011, as a series of interactive apps. Also in part of the project
22770-648: Was also awarded the Inspiration Award at the Annual Q Magazine Awards in October 2005, accepting the prize from Robert Wyatt, with whom she collaborated on Medúlla . 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 , released on 27 June. Vespertine and Medúlla were already available in 5.1 as either DVD-A or SACD but are also included in
22935-606: Was also featured in The Source' s Hip-Hop Quotable, and was later hailed by RZA in the Wu-Tang Manual as "the greatest Wu-Tang verse ever written". "The sum of our parts is worth all the organizing," said Method Man . "It's like the Power Rangers where they come together to form that Megazord shit. Them guys are lethal but, when they come together, it's even more incredible. This album will destroy every hip-hop record made in
23100-422: Was announced on double CD / double LP sets sold exclusively through Rough Trade record shops. The set sold out online five days after being announced but limited quantities were made available in store in London and Brooklyn. Each format is limited to 1000 copies each, making it one of the rarest physical releases of Björk's recent career. The CD was released on 13 November 2015 with the picture disc vinyls released
23265-576: Was announced, with a release date in North America of 20 April 2009 (later delayed to mid-June). The release consists of various live recordings of performances in Paris and Reykjavík. The live set was also recorded at the Olympic Studio in London. The first disc is audio of songs from the Volta tour performed live at Olympic Studios; the second disc contains video of the Volta tour live in Paris and live in Reykjavík;
23430-473: Was born. She and her mother moved into a commune . Her stepfather is Sævar Árnason, a former guitarist in the band Pops. At six, Björk enrolled at Reykjavík school Barnamúsíkskóli, where she studied classical piano and flute . After a school recital in which Björk sang Tina Charles 's 1976 hit " I Love to Love ", her teachers sent a recording of her singing the song to the RÚV radio station , which at that time
23595-429: Was credited for the majority of the album's production, including the songs " Pluto ", " Alarm Call ", and the bassline in " Jóga ". Björk stated that she "trusts and respects what [Bell] does for me. If I were to say who has influenced me most it would be Stockhausen , Kraftwerk , Brian Eno and Mark Bell". Other unorthodox methods of recording were used during the production, including Björk wanting to record outside on
23760-495: Was diagnosed with a kidney infection and while she was still healthy she was advised to take a three-week rest and was forced to cancel her American tour. In 1998, a North American tour with Radiohead was announced but canceled later due to difficulty of changing the stage between performances of the acts. Björk had another tour in the middle of 1998 through Europe, and outside of the continent through other countries, including Chile, Brazil and Argentina. Opening acts for portions of
23925-463: Was directed by Michel Gondry and focuses primarily on different Icelandic terrains and landscapes with Björk's presence only in the beginning and towards the end. " Bachelorette " was released as the second single on 8 December. While less successful than "Jóga" in Björk's native Iceland, peaking at number six, it was an improvement from "Jóga" in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at numbers 21 and two on
24090-453: Was directed by the visual artist Andrew Thomas Huang . The same day of the single's release, Björk announced the album title, Utopia , during an interview with Nowness . Utopia was released on 24 November 2017. She described it as her " Tinder album" and stated that "it's about that search (for utopia) – and about being in love. Spending time with a person you enjoy is when the dream becomes real." Björk added that her previous album
24255-470: Was distributed in 1984. Kukl's second album, Holidays in Europe (The Naughty Nought) , came out in 1986. The band split up due to personal conflict, with Björk keeping a collaboration with Guðlaugur, which was named the Elgar Sisters . Some of the songs they recorded ended up as B-sides to Björk solo singles. Björk had her first acting role on The Juniper Tree (filmed in 1986, released in 1990),
24420-473: Was halted due to a media sensation caused by the suicide of Björk's stalker Ricardo López . To deal with the stress of being at home during this incident, Björk imagined herself as the protagonist in a Spanish soap opera . The character's image inspired a song titled "So Broken" which she sang to herself in her kitchen. The song was later included on the Japanese import of the album. To record in privacy away from
24585-435: Was held at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 2015. Björk Guðmundsdóttir was born on 21 November 1965 in Reykjavík . She was raised by her mother, Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir (7 October 1946 – 25 October 2018 ), an activist who protested against the development of Iceland's Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant , having divorced from Björk's father, Guðmundur Gunnarsson , an electrician and union leader, after Björk
24750-414: Was initially labelled as a new single by Björk, with backing vocals from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke . Björk's official website later stated that the single would be released on 27 October 2008 through iTunes , but the track was eventually made available at nattura.grapewire.net, exclusively. In a statement released by bjork.com, a limited edition box set titled Voltaïc from One Little Indian Records
24915-469: Was originally to be produced in her home in London , but was halted due to media attention from Björk surviving a murder attempt by a stalker . She later relocated to Spain to record the album. It marked the first of several production collaborations between Björk and Bell, whom she would cite as a major influence on her musical career. Upon its release, Homogenic received widespread critical acclaim. It topped
25080-436: Was placed at number 21 on the music webzine Pitchfork ' s list of the top one hundred albums of the 1990s, in which it was praised as "one of the most perfectly formed records of any era, and it is entirely possible that Björk will never approach this level of consistently enrapturing beauty again". In 2007, Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani wrote that "if not the greatest electronic album of all time, it's certainly
25245-423: Was positively compared to recent album releases from Madonna and Beyoncé , the former of whom also released her album to iTunes after being leaked, and the latter of whom wanted to revolutionize how albums were released and consumed. Björk began her world tour in March 2015 at Carnegie Hall performing " Black Lake " and other tracks from Vulnicura as well as several from her back catalog with accompaniment from
25410-572: Was published. Björk embarked on the Vespertine world tour . The shows were held in theatres and opera houses in order to have "the best acoustics possible." She was accompanied by Matmos, Parkins and an Inuit choir, whom she had held auditions for on a trip to Greenland prior to the tour. At the time, Vespertine was Björk's fastest selling album to date, having sold two million copies by the end of 2001. Vespertine spawned three singles: " Hidden Place ", " Pagan Poetry ", and " Cocoon ". MTV2 played
25575-530: Was ranked at number 45 on Apple Music's 100 Best albums of All Time . Homogenic was nominated in the Best Alternative Music Performance category at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards (1998), losing to Radiohead 's OK Computer . Michel Gondry 's music video for " Bachelorette " was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards (1999), but lost to Jonas Åkerlund 's video for Madonna 's " Ray of Light ". At
25740-417: Was released as a single in the UK in 1991. She also contributed vocals to the song "Falling", on the album Island by Current 93 and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson . In the same year she met harpist Corky Hale , with whom she had a recording session that ended up as a track on her future album Debut . At this point, Björk had decided to leave the band to pursue her solo career, but their contract included
25905-412: Was released as the third single on 5 October 1998. Despite being critically acclaimed, it was a commercial failure, as it peaked only at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. Its accompanying music video, directed by Paul White, features a close-up of a bald Björk singing into the camera as she morphs into a polar bear and then back to her original state. " Alarm Call " was originally scheduled for release as
26070-459: Was released in 1988. After the release of the album, Eldon and Björk divorced soon after the birth of their child despite being in the same group. The album went on to sell more than one million copies worldwide. Björk contributed as a background vocalist on 1987 album Loftmynd by Megas , for whom she provided background vocals also on his subsequent album Höfuðlausnir (1988) and Hættuleg hljómsveit & glæpakvendið Stella (1990). In
26235-435: Was released on 1 January 2008 in a super deluxe package including two 12" vinyls, a CD, and a DVD featuring Gondry's "Declare Independence" video. " Wanderlust " was subsequently released in a similar format, featuring Encyclopedia Pictura's short film directed for the track, shot in stereoscopic 3D . The fifth single released from the album was " The Dull Flame of Desire ", featuring vocals by Anohni . Björk then completed
26400-507: Was released on 1 May 2007. It features 10 tracks. The album features input from hip hop producer Timbaland , singer Anohni , poet Sjón , electronic beat programmer Mark Bell , kora master Toumani Diabaté , Congolese thumb piano band Konono No 1 , pipa player Min Xiaofen , and, on several songs, an all-female ensemble from Iceland performing brass compositions. It also uses the Reactable ,
26565-448: Was released on 21 November 1986, Björk's 21st birthday. At the end of that year, the Sugarcubes signed with One Little Indian . Their first English single, "Birthday", was released in the United Kingdom on 17 August 1987; a week later, it was declared single of the week by Melody Maker . The Sugarcubes also signed a distribution deal with Elektra Records in the United States and recorded their first album, Life's Too Good , which
26730-459: Was released on 30 June, to raise money for marine conservation. In September 2010, Björk released " The Comet Song " as part of the soundtrack for the movie Moomins and the Comet Chase . Also in 2010, she dueted with fellow Icelander (and One Little Indian labelmate) Ólöf Arnalds on a track called "Surrender" from Arnalds's new album, Innundir skinni , and performed a duet with Anohni on
26895-657: Was sidetracked by a two-week worldwide press tour for the promotion of her remix album Telegram , which had just been released. After returning to the studio in Spain in late January, Björk decided to end work with producer Nellee Hooper , who had produced both Debut and Post , as she felt they had "stopped surprising each other". Björk had intended to produce the album alone, but sought collaborators including Dravs, Howie B , Guy Sigsworth and LFO 's Mark Bell . Howie B had worked with Björk on Debut and Post and Sigsworth had played harpsichord on Post . The American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan almost contributed to
27060-412: Was sung with only a saxophone ensemble for accompaniment. At the 1994 Brit Awards , Björk won the awards for Best International Female and Best International Newcomer . The success of Debut enabled her to collaborate with British and other artists on one-off tracks. She worked with David Arnold on " Play Dead ", the theme to the 1993 film The Young Americans (which appeared as a bonus track on
27225-480: Was written about mistakes in past relationships, shortly after the breakup with Goldie . Björk described "Pluto" as about "being plastered, that need to destroy everything so you can start again". "Unravel" is a song about lamenting love, with brief flashes of hope. The album's production began with the working title of Homogeneous , but Björk changed it to Homogenic shortly afterwards. Björk wanted to create an album with "a simple sound" and "only one flavour", hence
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