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Björk Guðmundsdóttir , (born November 21 , 1965 in Reykjavík , Iceland ) is an Iceland ic Singer/songwriter and Composer (formerly the lead singer of post-punk band The Sugarcubes ), with a great expressive range and an interest in many kinds of music including Pop , Trip Hop , Alternative Rock , Jazz , Ambient Music , Electronica , Folk , and Classical Music . EARLY CAREER Björk's musical career began at the age of eleven, when she began studying classical Piano in elementary school. One of her instructors submitted a recording of Björk singing Tina Charles ' song "I Love to Love" to RÚV, then the only radio station in Iceland. The recording was aired nationally; upon hearing it, a representative of the record label Fálkinn contacted Björk with a record contract offer. With the help of her stepfather, who played guitar, she recorded her eponymous debut in 1977 . This album featured several Icelandic children's songs, and covers of popular songs such as The Beatles ' '' The Fool On The Hill '', sung in Icelandic . Later it was said to have been a smash hit in Iceland; While this is an exaggeration, the album was still a modest success. Punk music began to have an influence on Björk; at the age of fourteen, she formed the all-girl punk band Spit and Snot, shortly followed by a Jazz Fusion group called Exodus in 1979 . In 1980, she graduated from music school at the age of fifteen, and in 1981, she and Exodus bassist Jakob Magnússon formed another band, Tappi Tíkarrass (which means "Cork the Bitch's Ass" in Icelandic), and released an extended single, Bítið Fast í Vítið in the same year. Their album Miranda was released in 1983. Björk next collaborated with Einar Örn Benediktsson and Einar Melax from Purrkur Pillnikk , and Guðlaugur Óttarsson , Sigtryggur Baldursson and Birgir Mogensen from Þeyr. After writing songs and rehearsing for two weeks, they (under the name KUKL which means "sorcery" in Icelandic) found they worked well together, and decided to continue, developing a sound that some have described as resembling Goth Music . Björk began to show indications of what would become her trademark singing style, punctuated with howls and shrieks. KUKL toured Iceland with . In the summer of 1986, several members of KUKL went on to form a band called Pukl but soon changed the name to The Sugarcubes. POPULARITY The Sugarcubes The . Solo career / Debut Tensions steadily mounted between Björk and Einar Örn , however, and by 1992 the Sugarcubes dissolved. Björk moved to London and began thinking about a solo career; to this end, she began working with producer Nellee Hooper , who had produced for Massive Attack , among others. Their partnership produced Björk's first international solo hit, "Human Behaviour". Her solo debut album, simply entitled '' Debut '', was released in June of 1993 to positive reviews; it was named album of the year by NME , and eventually went Platinum in the United States. ''Debut'' was a mix of songs Björk had written since she was a teenager as well as newer lyrical collaborations with Hooper. The success of ''Debut'' enabled her to collaborate with 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 a re-release of ''Debut''), two songs on Tricky 's ''Nearly God'' project, also appeared on a track on the 1997 album ''Not For Threes'' by Plaid , which was released on the cult Warp Records label, and even wrote the song, " Bedtime Story ", for Madonna . Post Björk returned to the studio during 1994 to work on her next solo album with Nellee Hooper, Tricky , Graham Massey of 808 State , and electronic music producer Howie B . The album, ''Post'', contained songs based on Björk's relationships and songs about love (one of her favorite subjects), as well as some angry and confrontational material. Like "Debut," it was a collection partly made up of songs she had written in past years. Homogenic Later that year, the chaotic, electronic album '' Homogenic '' was released and marked a dramatic shift from her earlier "pixie" image cultivated on the ''Debut'' and ''Post'' albums. Björk worked with producers Mark Bell of LFO and Howie B on the album, as well as Eumir Deodato ; numerous remixes followed. ''Homogenic'' was her first conceptually self-contained album and is regarded as one of Björk's most experimental and extroverted works to date, with enormous beats that reflect the landscape of Iceland , most notably in the song " Jóga ", which fuses lush strings with rocky electronic crunches. The emotionally-charged album contains a string of memorable music videos, several of which received airplay on American MTV , especially the epic " Bachelorette " and " All Is Full Of Love ", which became an alt-rock hit in 1999 . The album eventually reached gold status in the States in 2001 . Vespertine In 2001 the album '' Vespertine '' was released. This album saw Björk creating an introverted, internal, personal world of microbeats and tiny rhythms. The album featured chamber orchestras, choirs, very hushed vocals and personal, vulnerable themes. She collaborated with experimental sound manipulators Matmos , a DJ from Denmark Thomas Knak , and the experimental harpist Zeena Parkins for the album. Lyrical sources included the American poet E. E. Cummings and the American independent filmmaker Harmony Korine . ''Vespertine'' spawned three singles: "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry", and "Cocoon". America's then-more independent and artistic music video channel, MTV2 , played the album's first video, "Hidden Place", pretty heavily, despite its somewhat controversial lyrics and imagery. However, the next video, for "Pagan Poetry", brought Björk to an even higher level of controversy with the channel. The song's video features graphic piercings, blurred sex scenes, and Björk's exposed nipples. As a result, the clip was initially rarely shown by MTV, and certain parts (for example, Björk's breasts) were censored out during the rare occasions when it was played. In 2002 , the clip finally enjoyed unedited American airing as part of a late night special on MTV2 entitled '' Most Controversial Music Videos ''. Previously banned or censored videos were shown in their entirety during the TV-MA -rated special which aired on MTV2 regularly on weekends between 1 and 5 AM, until the infamous Janet Jackson Incident at the 2004 Super Bowl . The video for "Cocoon" also featured a naked Björk, this time with her nipples secreting a red thread that eventually enveloped the singer herself in a cocoon. The video was also not aired by MTV. Family Tree / Greatest Hits 2002 saw the appearance of the CD box set '' Family Tree '' containing a "these-are-my-roots" retrospective of Björk's career, comprising many previously unreleased versions of her compositions, including some very quiet work with a String Quartet , the Brodsky Quartet . Also released that year was the album '' Greatest Hits '', a retrospective of the previous 10 years of her solo career as deemed by the public: The songs on the album were chosen by Björk's fans through a poll on Björk's 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 No. 37. In 2003 Björk released a series of low-priced DVDs and CD box set called '' Live Box '' containing Live Recordings of her previous albums. Medúlla 2004 saw the release of Björk's '' Medúlla '', in late August. ''Medúlla'' had been more of an impromptu piece of work after the two concept albums, but in the midst of production Björk decided the album would work best as an entirely vocal-based album. The majority of the sounds on the album are created by vocalists (although these sounds are often electronically distorted). Björk used the vocal skills of Hip Hop Beatboxer Rahzel , Japanese beatboxer Dokaka , avant-rocker Mike Patton , Soft Machine drummer/singer Robert Wyatt , and several Choir s; she again appropriated text from poet E. E. Cummings for the song "Sonnets/Unrealities XI." ''Medúlla'' has a raw, guttural, and ancestral feel. In August 2004 Björk performed the song "Oceania" (from her ''Medúlla'' album) at the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens , Greece . In typical Björk style, her performance was one of the more unusual ones of the event. As she sang, her dress slowly unravelled to reveal a 10,000 square foot (900 m&2) 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 vocals of Shlomo, a Leeds based beatboxer, and a London choir. An alternate version of the song began circulating on the internet with additional vocals by Kelis . Though some were confused as to the authenticity of this collaboration, Björk's camp confirmed its legitimacy. The follow-up of "Oceania" was "Who is it" which charted at No. 26 in the UK followed by "Triumph of a Heart" in 2005 charting at No. 31. A video for the potential next single, "Where is the Line?", was filmed in collaboration with the Iceland ic artist Gabríela Fridriksdóttir in late 2004. Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote ''Medúlla''. Björk said in numerous interviews that this was because she wished to immediately continue writing and recording yet another new album. She spoke to Rolling Stone in June 2004 : "Every album I've done, the minute that it's done, I feel really lubricated and, like, 'Wow, now I can write an album in five minutes'... And I just want to find out if that's just a fantasy or if it's true." {Link without Title} Army of Mixes After the disastrous Tsunami which struck Southeast Asia in late 2004, Björk began working on a new project, ''Army of Mixes''. This new project recruited fans and musicians from around the world as Björk posted on her website the need for the covering and remixing of the 1995 hit, "Army of Me". Björk was overwhelmed with the 600 responses which came flooding in. Out of these Björk as well as co-writer Graham Massey, picked the best 20 to appear on the album. The album was released in April in the UK and in late May 2005 the US. It peaked at No.14 on the dance albums chart in the UK. As of January 2006, the album had raised around £250,000 to help UNICEF's work in the south east Asian region. Drawing Restraint 9 On July 25 2005 in the UK and on August 23 in the US, Björk released the album '' Drawing Restraint 9 ''. It is a soundtrack to her boyfriend Matthew Barney 's movie of the Same Title ; Björk explores traditional Japanese Music styles to complement the experimental film, where two lovers find themselves on a whaling ship and cut off each other's feet. Currently On January 10 , 2006 , Björk earned another BRIT Awards nomination for Best International Female Solo Artist. {Link without Title} Björk performed with Zeena Parkins on the 7th November 2005 at the Zenkel Hall in Carnegie Hall for Meredith Monk 's "Making Music" concert. They performed Meredith's "Gotham Lullaby", a song Björk had also performed during her Vespertine and Greatest Hits tours. Björk and Meredith Monk have been working together on a collaborative piece, which they will perform together in 2006. [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v4/sub/MarketingPage?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2FArticleNews%2FTPStory%2FLAC%2F20051111%2FMONK11%2FTPEntertainment%2FMusic&ord=1146502734741&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true It is unknown whether this collaboration will appear on Björk's next album. Signifying her status as one of pop music's true originals and one of the most daring, innovative, and idiosyncratic artists of the last two decades, Björk was awarded the prestigious Inspiration Award at the Annual again and is starting work on a new album. Nothing has been said of the content or theme of the album, although Björk has said that she plans to record some of it using the latest computer technology on a round-the-world boat trip with boyfriend Matthew Barney and their daughter Isadora in 2006 . She is currently training for the trip. Björk has also remastered and remixed her five solo studio albums (Debut, Post, Homogenic, Vespertine & Medúlla) in 5.1 surround sound for a re-issue in 2006. 's new film. BJöRK IN FILM and Lars Von Trier at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2000.]] Björk's intermittent acting career began in 1990, when she appeared in '' The Juniper Tree '', a tale of witchcraft based on the Brothers Grimm story of the same name. Björk played the role of Margit, a girl whose mother has been killed for practising witchcraft. Björk also had an uncredited role in 1994's ''Prêt-à-Porter''. In 1999, Björk was asked to write and produce the musical score for the film '''', but declined the invitation, as she was then pregnant; the track was instead recorded by her fellow Icelander Emilíana Torrini . In 2005, Björk collaborated with her New York-based long-time boyfriend Matthew Barney on the experimental art film Drawing Restraint 9 , a no-dialogue exploration of Japanese Culture . Björk and Matthew both appear in the film, even though Björk commented that she wouldn't act again. She says that what she does in the film isn't acting; it's being a human sculpture. She is also responsible for the film's soundtrack, her second after 2000's '' Selmasongs ''. HER NAME Björk usually goes by her first name only. This is not a stage name or affectation; it is normal for an Icelander to be referred to by his or her first name, as the last name simply indicates the name of the father. See Icelandic Naming Conventions . ''Björk'' means "a Birch tree" in Icelandic (the meaning of Icelandic names is often transparent), cognate with Old English ''beorc'' and the modern English word. Though many English-speakers pronounce her name "Byork", a more accurate approximation would be "Byerk", which she has pointed out rhymes with "jerk". {Link without Title} ''Guðmundsdóttir'' is pronounced roughly "GWUTH-muns-doe-tir", and means "Guðmundur's daughter". Björk's father, Guðmundur Gunnarsson , is a well known labour leader in Iceland and was nationally recognized before his daughter became famous. THE SWAN DRESS At the shot her." PERSONAL LIFE Björk and her partner, contemporary media artist Matthew Barney , have a daughter, Isadora, born October 3, 2002. Björk also has a son, Sindri Þórsson, born June 8, 1986, with Þór Eldon, who was her bandmate in the the Sugarcubes. Sindri plays bass for his own band, "Desida". Björk has complained of being hounded by paparazzi and in 1996 two separate incidents gave the media much to chew on. First, after a long flight to Thailand an obviously exhausted Björk emerged from her aircraft at Don Muang Airport with her then ten-year-old son to find a horde of journalists and cameramen waiting to greet her. When one reporter greeted Bjork by saying "Welcome to Bangkok," Bjork attacked her and landed several blows before the mêlée was broken up. Bjork later called the reporter and apologized, and the reporter declined to press charges against her. Later that year a deranged fan from Florida named Ricardo Lopez filmed himself in the process of making a bomb intended to kill Björk. The nearly 20 hours of videotape describe Lopez's obsession with Björk, the construction of the device, his thoughts on love, and general rantings. The video footage continues after his mailing the bomb and ends dramatically as Lopez, believing that his device would soon kill Björk, shoots himself on camera. He was successful in taking his own life, but the tape was seen by police and the package was intercepted in time to save Björk. {Link without Title} Already a private person, Björk was loath to comment on either of these incidents and later told the Guardian: "It just got a bit much." In a poll published by BBC Homes and Antiques magazine in January 2006, Björk was voted the most eccentric star, beating Chris Eubank , David Icke , and Doctor Who actor Tom Baker . SINGLES The Sugarcubes singles Björk's solo singles Björk has had three Top 10 singles and seven Top 20 singles in the UK. All of her chart-eligible singles have charted within the Top 40, aside from " Hunter ", which is on '' Homogenic ''. The first single from ''Homogenic'', " Jóga ", had a limited release of 3000 copies, meaning that it did not chart. " Play Dead " was not included on the initial release of ''Debut''. After the release of the single, '' Debut '' was re-issued with the song as a bonus 12th track in the UK and Europe. " Oceania ", from '' Medúlla '', was released only as a radio-single and did not have a full commercial single release. A fourth single from '''' album it did not make sense to market all these projects together. It was decided to give the ''DR9'' soundtrack maximum exposure. {Link without Title} PARTIAL DISCOGRAPHY See Björk Discography or Official Website for an extensive listing of Albums and Singles . With The Sugarcubes
Solo studio albums
Soundtrack albums
Other releases
TELEVISION
FILMS INCLUDING CAMEOS
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RELATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
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