The most important and future-oriented musician of his generation is Björk. The music star who is often seen as an experimentally restless creative force is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She is best known for her works that cross a wide variety of musical styles.
Musically, she explores the relationship between nature and technology and integrates electronic and biography sounds. She is widely acclaimed for songs like Ive Seen It All, Human Behavior and Big Time Sensuality. Here you will find everything you need to know about her.
Biography of Björk, Wiki
The Human Behavior singer was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, on November 21, 1965, and given the birth name, Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Her first name is a common name for women in Iceland and means birch while her other name is patronymic. She has a mix of Irish and Norse ancestry.
She was born to a mother, Hildur Runa Hauksdottir, who was an activist and her father, Guomundur Gunnarsson was a trade union leader and electrician. His mother protested against a hydroelectric development in Iceland. She didn’t want to be a housewife and left marriage with her daughter to join a hippie group.
Hilduh remarried a guitarist, Sævar Árnason, in a band called Pops who were considered the Jimi Hendrix of Iceland at the time. This second union provided a musical platform for the potential singer.
Carrier start
Björk studied classical piano music in primary school from the age of 11. Afterwards, she started recording and released some of her songs on the radio. Soon after, she compiled traditional Icelandic folk songs, which would become her debut album, Björk. The album was released in 1997 and she got a contract with the Franklin label.
She was a member of various music groups throughout her teenage years. Some of these bands include Spit and Snot (an all-female band), Jam-80 later replaced by Tappi Tikarrass (formed in 1981), Exodus (a jazz fusion band formed in 1979) and KUKL (a gothic rock band) which she joined at the age of 18.
Björk would form the pop group Sugarcubes in 1986 with fellow KUKL members including Einar Örn, Siggi Baldursson and Einar Melax. The band was joined by Magga Örnólfsdóttir, Bragi Ólafsson and guitarist Thór Eldon (who later became her first husband).
The group came out with their first hit single Anniversary. They got a deal with One Little Indian record label as a result of this song. Their second song, Life’s Too Good (1988) earned them a cult following in both the US and UK. The band released their album, It’s It in 1992 before they broke up.
Solo career, acting career
After being in a band for many years, Björka moved to London where she began her solo career after Sugarcubes split in 1993. She collaborated with producer, Nellee Hooper to produce her hit single, Human Behavior . The clip was directed by Michel Gondry and broadcast on MTV.
She released Debut, her second album since Bjorken 1993, which met with enormous success with nearly 3 million copies. The next album, Post, came in 1997 with more success considering the number of sales.
She really had a successful solo career and released 8 studio albums including Homogenic (1997), Vespertine (2001), Medúlla (2004), Volta (2007) and Biophilia (2011), Vulnicura (2015), Utopia (2017). Biophilia was released as a series of apps following a collaboration with Apple ad, making it the world’s first app album.
Björk played a significant role when she appeared in the critically acclaimed film Dancer in the Dark (2000), which she also scored. The film directed by Danish director, Lars von Trier earned her the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
collaborations
She has collaborated with a wide range of artists and explored a variety of multimedia projects. Each of his albums has featured established artists who are all innovative in their own right. Some of them include techno gurus Graham Massey, Howie B, Tricky, Madonna, Plaid, Matmos, DJ Thomas Knak, Zeena Parkins, Timbaland, Antony Hegarty, Sjon, Mark Bell, Min Xiaofen among others.
Björk collaborated with David Attenborough in 2013 for his documentary titled “When Björk Met Attenborough”. The documentary featured musicians from around the world, showcasing their take on music.
Awards and honors
The pop star has received 14 Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe Award and two Academy Awards. She received a handful of them, including:
- An Oscar in the Best Song category for the title track of the Selmasongs film, Ive Seen It All.
- A Grammy Award in 2013 for Best Recording Package.
- Five Brit Awards, including the 1994 award for the International Breakthrough Act, the 2016 award for the International Female Solo Artist.
- Four MTV Video Music Awards
- One Mojo Award
- 21 Icelandic Music Awards
- Three UK Music Awards
- The 2010 Polar Music Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in recognition of his deeply personal music and lyrics, precise arrangements and unique voice.
Björk was included in Time Magazine’s 2015 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. A large-scale retrospective exhibition dedicated to him was held the same year at the Museum of Modern Art.
Björk husband, son, daughter
While at Sugarcubes, she married fellow band member Thor Eldon on June 8, 1986. They had a son Síndri Eldon Thórsson but divorced shortly thereafter in 1987. Sindri is a journalist by profession and has a solo project called ‘Sindri Eldon’.
Björk was romantically involved with several other members of the music industry, including British artists Goldie and Tricky (of Massive Attack). In 2000, she met Matthew Barney, an American artist in New York while promoting Dancer in the Dark. They were successful after that and got married soon after.
The couple had their daughter, Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney, on October 3, 2002. The marriage, however, hit the rocks in September 2013.
Net value
She currently has an estimated net worth of $45 million.
Fast facts
First name: Björk Guðmundsdóttir (Björk).
Birthday: November 21, 1965
Place of birth: Reykjavik, Iceland
Parents: Hildur Runa Hauksdottir (mother), Guomundur Gunnarsson (father).
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, music producer and occasional actress.
Husband: Thor Eldon (1986-1987). Matthew Barney (2000-2013)
Children: Síndri Eldon Thórsson (son), Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney (daughter)
Nationality: Iceland
Ethnicity: Mix of Irish and Norse.
Albums: Nine studio albums
Height: 5 ft 4 in (163 cm).
Weight: 122 lbs (55 kg)
Net worth: $45 million