Björk
Born: 1965
Location: Reykjavík, Iceland
Genre: Art Pop
Years Active: 1977 -
Real Name: Björk Guðmundsdóttir
Meaning of the Name: Her real first name
Way of Working: Collaborates with producers
Associated: The Sugarcubes
Essential Releases
Debut (1993)
Debut album from the ingenue of pop.
Post (1995)
Genre-defying album from a traveler of the world.
Homogenic (1997)
A unified sound.
Vespertine (2001)
The volcanic sound of Iceland.
Björk's weird. After surviving an assassination attempt, most people would've taken some time off. However, the singer moved to Spain where she compartmentalised the trauma by imagining herself as an actress from a soap opera. For a person with an active imagination, it was cheaper than hiring a therapist.
In other words, Björk's music's unconventional because she's unconventional. Most people don't release an album when they're 11 and become child stars in Iceland, just as most musicians don't make indie rock, punk, trip hop, dance, glitch, and pop music over the course of one career.
The personal traits of impulsivity and imagination were with her from the beginning. When studying classical music in her native Iceland, she suddenly dropped out and became a punk because her teachers focused on Bach and Mozart instead of Icelandic composers.
When Björk moved to London to pursue a solo career after the break-up of her band The Sugarcubes she found great success, which resulted in her traveling the world and appearing in films such as Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. This spirit of wanderlust is present in the genre-hopping nature of her earlier albums, such as Post, which combines influences as broad as her travels. It was the work of someone going out into the world.
Björk's 2001 album Vespertine is the sound of her enjoying the comforts of her native Iceland. It's the sound of her coming home. It's this ability to channel her inner life into her work which makes Björk a true artist. As such, the Museum of Modern Art in New York featured an exhibition about her fashion, as well as her music. In the same vein, she has won a Best Actress Award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, as well as prizes for her records.
Her most important contribution to art, however, was in revolutionising the perception of electronic music. In the '90s, people would often criticise electronica using words such as "lifeless", "souless" and "emotionless". They focused on what the music lacked instead of what it had.
Björk took chagrin with these comments telling the BBC's Southbank Show in 1998 "they've got their finger and they point at the computer, 'there's no soul here'. It's like you can't blame the computer. If there's not soul in the music it's because nobody put it there and it's not the tools fault."
She had strong feelings on the subject and when the machines came to life in the music video for 'All is Full of Love' it represented Björk putting the soul into electronic music, as if she finally gave the tin man a heart.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
90
Mental Impact
75
Originality
100
Artistry
100
Authenticity
45
Live
90
Production
95
Musicianship
75
Singing
85
Songwriting
70
Danceability
75
Fun
70
Consistency
70
Range
90
Cool
40
Charisma
85
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards >>>
- Brit Award WINNER!: Best Newcomer 1994
- Brit Award WINNER!: Best International Female 1994, 1996, 1998, 2016
- Grammy Award Nominee: x16 nominations
Certifications >>>
- Debut: Platinum in USA, UK & Australia; Gold in Canada
- Post: Platinum in USA, UK, Canada & Australia
- Homogenic: Gold in USA, UK & Canada
- Vespertine: Gold in UK, France & Canada
- Medulla: Gold in France; Silver in UK
- Volta: Silver in UK
Charts >>>
- Debut: #2 in Sweden; #3 in UK
- Post: #2 in UK, Australia & Sweden
- Homogenic: #2 in France
- Vespertine: #1 in France; #2 in Canada
- Medulla: #1 in France
Critics >>>
- ABC News - Vulnicura - Best Albums of 2015: #1
- Guardian - Vespertine - Best Albums of the 21st Century: #27
- Los Angeles Times - Vespertine - Best Albums of 2001: #2
- NME - Debut - Best Albums of 1993: #1
- Rough Trade - Vulnicura - Best Albums of 2015: #1
- Slant Magazine - Homhegenic - Best Albums of the 90s: #1
- Slant Magazine - Homogenic - Best Albums of the 20th Century: #10
- Pitchfork - Homogenic - Best Albums of the 90s: #21
- The Face - Debut - Best Albums of 1993: #1
- The Wire - Debut - Best Albums of 1993: #1
- The Wire - Vespertine - Best Albums of 2001: #1
CRITICISM
- Has twice physically attacked members of the paparazzi.
- Many fans found her albums after 'Vespertine' to be too inaccessible.
