The Life and Career of Bjork
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Björk Guðmundsdóttir was born on November 21st, 1965 in Reykjavik, Iceland. While studying classical piano in elementary school, Bjork was contacted by a label representative who heard one of her recordings on the radio. She released her first self-titled album in 1977 when she was only twelve years old.
Joining Numerous Bands
Bjork pursued her interest in music during her teens and early twenties by taking part in a number of bands. The influences of these groups varied from post-punk to jazz fusion and gothic rock. One of these was an anarcho-punk group that became the foundation of the band The Sugarcubes in 1986.
The Sugarcubes
With Bjork on vocals, the alternative rock group signed with independent label One Little Indian and quickly gained a cult following in the UK and the U.S. They released several critically acclaimed albums, and became stars in their home country. However, tensions arose and the band broke up in 1992. During her time with The Sugarcubes, Bjork was also involved in other projects, and most notably released the vocal jazz effort Gling-Glo.
Solo Career Debut
She then moved to London, England to pursue a solo career. Bjork teamed up with producer Nellee Hooper and released her first solo single in 1993. This international hit was accompanied by an influential music video directed by Michel Gondry. The well-received dance-influenced effort Debut followed that same year and featured several tracks that charted in both the UK and the U.S.
Second Album
Debut’s success paved the way for Bjork to collaborate with other artists. She then released her sophomore disc Post in 1995. The critically and commercially successful record once again featured dance and techno sounds, but also played with other genres such as trip hop and pop.
Following a world tour and the remix compilation Telegram, Bjork came out with 1997’s Homogenic. This experimental album focused conceptually on Iceland and contained huge electronic beats.
"Dancer in the Dark"
Outside of her music career, Bjork did some acting. Her role as Selma in the 2000 musical drama “Dancer in the Dark” won her the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival. She also wrote and produced the majority of the accompanying musical score Selmasongs. The soundtrack contained the Oscar-nominated track “I’ve Seen It All,” and Bjork performed this song at the 2001 awards ceremony.
Controversial Music Videos
The album Vespertine was released later that year. This ambient record was more quiet and intimate than her previous efforts. It also sampled and experimented with different sounds. However, a few of the music videos that accompanied the disc’s singles featured sexually suggestive imagery, so they received little-to-no airplay on MTV.
Compilations and "Medulla"
2002 saw the release of the boxed set Family Tree and the compilation Greatest Hits. Following the 2003 collection Live Box, Bjork came out with the album Medulla in 2004. The album did include some electronic programming and the use of a few musical instruments; however, the majority of the record was done a capella with human vocals creating the sounds. The Grammy-nominated effort was also Bjork’s most political to that point. That same year, she performed at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
First U.S. Top Ten
In 2005 came the soundtrack to the art film “Drawing Restraint 9.” Two years later Bjork dropped Volta, and this African music-inspired album was her first to reach the top ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It was supported by an extravagant tour.
World's First "App Album"
After several collaborations and other projects with numerous artists, Bjork came out with Biophilia in 2011. Though it was released as a regular CD, the musical project also encompassed specifically created iPad apps for each song on the record. These applications combined the lyrical themes of science and nature with today’s technology, and allowed fans to interact with the music in a new way. This project was unique as it was the world’s first app album.
One of a Kind
Whether it is her singing style, her avant-garde musical ideas, or her fashion sense, Bjork has always been one of a kind.
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