Björk

5.1. Debut (1993)

After the dissolution of The Sugarcubes, Björk moved to London to launch her solo career. She began collaborating with producer Nellee Hooper, known for his work with Massive Attack. This partnership led to her first international solo hit, "Human Behaviour", a dance track built around a sampled guitar rhythm from Antônio Carlos Jobim. While the song did not receive extensive radio play in many countries, its innovative music video, directed by Michel Gondry (who would become a frequent collaborator), garnered significant airtime on MTV.

Her debut solo album, Debut, was released in June 1993 to widespread critical acclaim. NME named it Album of the Year, and it eventually achieved platinum status in the United States and double platinum in the United Kingdom. Björk chose the title Debut to signify a fresh start, distinct from her previous band work. The album featured a mix of songs she had been writing since her teenage years and more recent lyrical collaborations with Hooper. This dance-oriented album showcased varied instrumentation; for example, the single "Venus as a Boy" incorporated a Bollywood-influenced string arrangement, while her cover of the jazz standard "Like Someone in Love" was accompanied solely by a harp. The album's final track, "The Anchor Song", featured only a saxophone ensemble, highlighting her diverse musical interests.

At the 1994 Brit Awards, Björk won both the Best International Female and Best International Newcomer awards. The success of Debut also opened doors for collaborations with other artists. She worked with David Arnold on "Play Dead", the theme for the 1993 film The Young Americans (which appeared as a bonus track on a re-release of Debut). She also contributed to two songs for Tricky's Nearly God project, appeared on "Lilith" for Plaid's album Not for Threes, and co-wrote "Bedtime Story" for Madonna's 1994 album Bedtime Stories. Additionally, Björk had an uncredited role as a runway model in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter.

5.2. Post (1995)

Post, Björk's second solo studio album, was released in June 1995. Produced in collaboration with Nellee Hooper, Tricky, Graham Massey of 808 State, and electronica producer Howie B, the album built on the success of Debut by further exploring diverse sounds, with a particular emphasis on dance and techno. The contributions from Tricky and Howie B introduced trip hop and electronica-like textures on tracks such as "Possibly Maybe" and "Enjoy". These producers, along with her long-time friend Graham Massey, inspired Björk to create material like the intense industrial beats of "Army of Me".

The album received significant critical acclaim, ranking number 7 in Spins "Top 90 Albums of the '90s" and number 75 in its "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005" list. Both Post and Homogenic were placed consecutively at numbers 21 and 20, respectively, on Pitchfork Media's "Top Albums of the '90s" list. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine included Post at number 373 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. During this period, the media often emphasized Björk's eccentricities by portraying her with a "pixie" persona, a characterization she would challenge with her subsequent albums.

While Björk's music videos continued to garner more mainstream attention than her singles, Post produced several UK pop hits and was eventually certified platinum in the US and Canada. In 1995, Björk also contributed to Hector Zazou's collaborative album Chansons des mers froides, singing the traditional Icelandic song "Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu".

5.3. Homogenic (1997)

After the commercial and critical success of Post, Björk moved from London to Spain, where she recorded her third solo album, Homogenic, released in 1997. In contrast to the eclectic nature of her previous works, Björk aimed for a simpler, more unified sound with this album. She collaborated with producers Mark Bell of LFO and Howie B, as well as Eumir Deodato. The album is widely considered one of Björk's most experimental and extroverted works, featuring colossal beats that reflect the dramatic landscapes of Iceland, particularly evident in the song "Jóga", which skillfully fuses lush strings with raw, electronic textures. The album also incorporated a traditional singing method used by Icelandic choir men, a combination of speaking and singing, exemplified in "Unravel".

While Homogenic maintained Björk's inclination towards electronic dance music and techno-futurism, it marked a distinct departure from the "sweet melodies and peppy dance collages" of her earlier releases. The album earned gold status in the US in 2001 and platinum in 2006. Its release was supported by a series of critically acclaimed music videos, many of which received airplay on MTV. The video for "Bachelorette" was directed by her frequent collaborator Michel Gondry, while "All Is Full of Love" was directed by Chris Cunningham. "All is Full of Love" was also notable as the first DVD single released in the US, setting a precedent for other artists to include video and multimedia features with their singles. Björk began to write more personally, expressing that she had "come to the end of the extrovert thing" and needed to "go home and search for myself again." Radiohead's Thom Yorke publicly declared "Unravel" as his favorite song, and Radiohead later performed a cover of it in 2007.

5.4. Vespertine (2001)

In 2001, Björk released Vespertine, an album characterized by its intimate and personal nature, largely inspired by her new relationship with artist Matthew Barney. The album's soundscape featured chamber orchestras, choirs, hushed vocals, and intricate microbeats derived from household sounds. She collaborated with experimental musicians like Matmos, Danish DJ Thomas Knak, and harpist Zeena Parkins. Lyrical inspirations included the works of American poet E. E. Cummings, independent filmmaker Harmony Korine, and English playwright Sarah Kane's play Crave. To accompany the album, an eponymous coffee table book of prose and photographs, Björk, was published.

Björk embarked on the Vespertine world tour, performing in theaters and opera houses to ensure optimal acoustics. She was joined by Matmos, Parkins, and an Inuit choir, which she had auditioned in Greenland prior to the tour. Vespertine became Björk's fastest-selling album to date, reaching two million copies sold by the end of 2001.

Vespertine spawned three singles: "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry", and "Cocoon". The music video for "Hidden Place" premiered on MTV2 and was released as a DVD single. However, the video for "Pagan Poetry" drew controversy for its graphic portrayal of piercings, exposed nipples, and simulated fellatio, leading to its ban from MTV. It was later aired unedited during a special "Most Controversial Music Videos" segment on MTV2 in 2002. The video for "Cocoon", directed by Japanese artist Eiko Ishioka, featured a seemingly naked Björk (actually wearing a close-fitting bodysuit) with red threads secreting from her nipples to envelop her in a cocoon; this video was also not aired by MTV. Björk was invited to record "Gollum's Song" for the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers but declined due to her pregnancy, with the song eventually recorded by fellow Icelander Emilíana Torrini.

In 2002, the CD box set Family Tree was released, comprising selected rarities and unreleased versions of her compositions, including collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet. Concurrently, Greatest Hits, a retrospective album based on a fan poll from her website, was issued, alongside a DVD edition containing all her solo music videos up to that point. The new single from the set, "It's in Our Hands," reached number 37 in the UK. Its video, directed by Spike Jonze, notably featured a heavily pregnant Björk. She gave birth to her daughter, Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, on October 3, 2002. In 2003, Björk released Live Box, a box set of four CDs featuring live recordings of her previous albums, each accompanied by a DVD with a video of one track. These four CDs were later released individually.

5.5. Medúlla (2004)

In August 2004, Björk released Medúlla. During its production, Björk initially conceived the album as an entirely vocal-based work. While this plan was somewhat modified, the majority of the sounds on the album are indeed created by vocalists, supplemented by some basic electronic programming and occasional musical instruments. Björk harnessed the vocal talents of throat singer Tanya Tagaq, hip hop beatboxer Rahzel, Japanese beatboxer Dokaka, avant-rocker Mike Patton, Soft Machine drummer/singer Robert Wyatt, and various choirs. She once again incorporated text from E. E. Cummings for the song "Sonnets/Unrealities XI". Medúlla became her highest-charting album in the US at the time, debuting at number 14 on the Billboard charts.



In August 2004, Björk performed the song "Oceania" at the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. As she sang, her dress slowly unfurled to reveal a 9688 ft^{2 (900 m2)} map of the world, which cascaded over the Olympic athletes. "Oceania" was specifically written for the occasion, featuring Leeds-based beatboxer Shlomo and a London choir. An alternative version of the song, with additional vocals by Kelis, circulated online and was later released as a B-side on 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 the Line", was filmed in late 2004 in collaboration with Icelandic artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir. This footage, originally part of an art installation film, was exclusively released on Medúlla Videos DVD as an official promotion for the track.

Despite the album's strong reception, no extensive world tour for Medúlla was organized, with Björk citing the challenging nature of performing the vocal-heavy songs live and her desire to move directly to her next album project.

In 2005, Björk collaborated with then-partner Matthew Barney on the experimental art film Drawing Restraint 9, a dialogueless exploration of Japanese culture. Both Björk and Barney appeared in the film, portraying two occidental guests on a Japanese factory whaling vessel who undergo a transformation into whales. Björk was also responsible for the film's soundtrack, her second after Selmasongs. She also appeared in the 2005 documentary Screaming Masterpiece, which explored the Icelandic music scene, featuring archive footage of The Sugarcubes and Tappi Tíkarrass, alongside an ongoing conversation with Björk. During this period, Björk received another BRIT Awards nomination for Best International Female Solo Artist and was awarded the Inspiration Award at the annual Q Magazine Awards in October 2005, accepting the prize from Robert Wyatt, with whom she had 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 June 27. Vespertine and Medúlla, already available in 5.1, were also included in 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 November 17, 2006. Profits from the concert were donated to Smekkleysa, the Sugarcubes' former label, which, according to Björk, "continue to work on a non-profit basis for the future betterment of Icelandic music."

5.6. Volta (2007)

Björk contributed a cover of Joni Mitchell's song "The Boho Dance" to the album A Tribute to Joni Mitchell (2007). Director and frequent collaborator Michel Gondry had asked Björk to star in his film The Science of Sleep, but she declined, with the role ultimately going to Charlotte Gainsbourg. Björk did, however, star in Gunar Karlsson's 2007 animated film Anna and the Moods, alongside Terry Jones and Damon Albarn.

Björk's sixth full-length studio album, Volta, was released on May 1, 2007. The album, which features 10 tracks, saw Björk working with 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 Icelandic ensemble performing brass compositions. It also incorporated the Reactable, a novel "tangible-interface" synthesizer from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, played by Damian Taylor on Volta.

The album's first single, "Earth Intruders", was released digitally on April 9, 2007, becoming her second-ever Billboard Hot 100 entry in the United States. Volta debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking her first top 10 album in the US with first-week sales of 43.00 K USD. The album also reached number three on the French albums chart, selling 20.60 K USD in its first week, and number seven in the UK Albums Chart with 20,456 units sold. The second single, "Innocence", was digitally released on July 23, 2007, with its accompanying music video chosen from a contest held on her official website. "Declare Independence" was released on January 1, 2008, in a super deluxe package that included two 12-inch vinyls, a CD, and a DVD featuring Gondry's video. "Wanderlust" followed in a similar format, accompanied by Encyclopedia Pictura's short film, shot in stereoscopic 3D. The fifth single from the album was "The Dull Flame of Desire", featuring vocals by Anohni.

Björk then embarked on the 18-month The Volta tour, performing at numerous festivals and returning to Latin America after nine years, with shows in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Curitiba, Guadalajara, Bogotá, Lima, Santiago de Chile, and Buenos Aires. She also returned to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in 12 years in January 2008, touring with the Big Day Out Festival and playing a one-off show at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Sydney Festival. Her music was also featured in the 2008 documentary Horizons: The Art of Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir.

A new Björk track, "Náttúra", was announced via an eBay auction, with Björk stating its purpose was "to encourage active support for a more environmental approach to Iceland's natural resources." The song, featuring backing vocals from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, was initially planned for an iTunes release on October 27, 2008, but was eventually made available exclusively on nattura.grapewire.net. A limited edition box set titled Voltaïc was released in North America on April 20, 2009 (later delayed to mid-June) by One Little Indian Records. This release compiled various live recordings from performances in Paris and Reykjavík, as well as a live studio session at Olympic Studio in London, "The Volta Videos", and "The Volta Mixes" CD.

In May 2010, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music announced that Björk would receive the Polar Music Prize alongside Ennio Morricone. A month later, Björk and Dirty Projectors announced a collaborative EP, Mount Wittenberg Orca, released on June 30 to raise money for marine conservation. In September 2010, Björk released "The Comet Song" as part of the soundtrack for the film Moomins and the Comet Chase. She also dueted with fellow Icelander Ólöf Arnalds on "Surrender" from Arnalds' album Innundir skinni, and with Anohni on "Flétta" from the Antony and the Johnsons album Swanlights. On September 20, 2010, Björk performed her version of "Gloomy Sunday" at designer Alexander McQueen's memorial in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. On December 7, 2010, the previously unreleased song "Trance" was released as the backing track for Nick Knight's short film "To Lee, with Love," a tribute to McQueen.

5.7. Biophilia (2011)

Björk appeared on Átta Raddir, one of Jónas Sen's TV shows, which aired on February 27, 2011. Produced by the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, the show featured Björk performing eight songs, including "Sun in My Mouth", which had not been performed live before.

Biophilia, released in 2011, was an innovative multimedia project that integrated music with technological innovation and themes of science and nature. The project included an app album format, educational collaborations with children, and specialized live performances that debuted at the Manchester International Festival in the United Kingdom on June 30. This marked the beginning of the Biophilia tour, which toured globally 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 component of Biophilia was a series of interactive iPad apps, one for each of the 10 songs on the album, created by programmers and designers. The second single, "Cosmogony", served as the "mother app" for the others and was released on July 19, 2011, followed by "Virus" and "Moon". Biophilia made history in October 2011 as the first album to be released as a series of interactive apps. The project also included Björk's Biophilia education program, which involved workshops for schoolchildren aged 10-12, exploring the intersection of music and science. The Reykjavík City Board of Education subsequently adopted the program for all schools in the city for the next three years.

Björk released the 2012 remix album Bastards, which featured remixes by Death Grips and Syrian musician Omar Souleyman. In 2013, she appeared in a Channel 4 documentary with Sir David Attenborough called When Björk Met Attenborough, as part of their Mad4Music season. In the program, Björk and Attenborough discussed the human relationship with music, with a focus on Biophilia, and also featured scientist Oliver Sacks. In 2014, the Biophilia apps became the first ever to be inducted into the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection in New York. In June of that year, Björk recorded original vocal samples for Death Grips, which they used on all eight songs of Niggas on 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 over 400 cinemas.

5.8. Vulnicura (2015)

Björk collaborated with producers Arca and The Haxan Cloak on her eighth studio album, Vulnicura. On January 18, 2015, just days after its public announcement and two months ahead of its scheduled release, a supposed full version of the album leaked online. To mitigate potential sales losses and allow fans to hear the album in superior quality, it was made available worldwide on iTunes on January 20, 2015.

Vulnicura is a deeply personal portrayal of her breakup with former partner Matthew Barney, featuring emotionally raw lyrics in contrast to the more abstract themes of her previous album. Its surprise release was favorably compared to recent album releases by Madonna and Beyoncé. Björk began her world tour in March 2015 at Carnegie Hall, performing "Black Lake" and other tracks from Vulnicura, along with selections from her back catalog, accompanied by the ensemble Alarm Will Sound, Arca (or The Haxan Cloak on festival dates) on electronics, and percussionist Manu Delago. After a New York residency, the tour traveled to Europe before concluding in August 2015.

New York's MoMA hosted a retrospective exhibition from March 8 to June 7, 2015, chronicling Björk's career from Debut to Biophilia, with elements of Vulnicura also included. The retrospective comprised four parts: the Biophilia instruments (Tesla coil, MIDI-controlled organ, the newly created Gameleste, and gravity harp) displayed in the lobby and played automatically; the MoMA-commissioned video installation "Black Lake", directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, featuring two complementary edits screened in a small room with 49 hidden speakers; a Cinema room showcasing most of Björk's high-definition music videos; and the "Songlines" walking exhibit, displaying Björk's notebooks, costumes, and props from her career. A book titled Björk: Archives, documenting the exhibition's content, was published in March. In addition to "Black Lake", videos for "Lionsong" (shown in the Cinema room), "Stonemilker" (a 360-degree VR video), "Family", and "Mouth Mantra" were produced for the album. Three remix EPs were also released digitally and on limited edition vinyls. No traditional singles were issued for Vulnicura. In December, the "Stonemilker VR App" was released for iOS devices, featuring an exclusive strings mix of the song, replicating the MoMA experience.

On October 2, 2015, Vulnicura Strings was announced, serving as a purely acoustic companion to Vulnicura. It featured additional string arrangements and the viola organista, a unique string instrument designed by Leonardo da Vinci played on a keyboard. It was released on November 6, 2015, on CD and digital formats, and on vinyl on December 4, 2015. A week later, Vulnicura Live was announced on double CD/double LP sets sold exclusively through Rough Trade record shops. This limited edition set quickly sold out online. The CD was released on November 13, 2015, with the picture disc vinyls following a week later. On December 7, 2015, Vulnicura was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. On July 15, 2016, a standard "commercial" edition of Vulnicura Live was released, featuring the same performances but newly mixed and with different artwork. A luxury version was released on September 23. A performance of "Come to Me" from the album was included in 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, 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 the opening night party and did the same when the show traveled to Tokyo, Japan, on June 29, 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, performing Vulnicura's final song "Quicksand", with the footage incorporated into the "Quicksand" VR experience. Björk Digital has since toured globally, with stops in London, Montreal, Houston, Los Angeles, and Barcelona.

5.9. Utopia (2017)

On August 2, 2017, Björk announced the imminent release of a new album with a handwritten note on her social media, coinciding with an interview for Dazed magazine's autumn 2017 cover issue. The lead single, "The Gate", was released on September 15, 2017, with its video directed by Andrew Thomas Huang. On the same day, Björk revealed the album title, Utopia, during an interview with Nowness.

Utopia was released on November 24, 2017. Björk described it as her "Tinder album," stating it was "about that search (for utopia) - and about being in love. Spending time with a person you enjoy is when the dream becomes real." She contrasted it with her previous album, Vulnicura, which she called "hell" due to its themes of divorce, asserting that with Utopia, "So we [were] doing paradise [...] We have done hell, we have earned some points." Björk co-produced the album with Arca, marking their continued and deepened musical collaboration, which Björk described as "the strongest musical relationship [she's] had," likening it to that of Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius during albums like Hejira. Three additional music videos were released in 2017: "Blissing Me", "Utopia", and "Arisen My Senses", with the former two also receiving limited edition remix EPs. Utopia was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, bringing Björk's total Grammy nominations to fifteen.

On May 22, 2018, Björk made a rare television appearance as the headlining musical guest on Later... with Jools Holland, her first since 2011. She performed a four-song set, including a flute rendition of "The Anchor Song" from Debut. This appearance preceded her brief Utopia tour, where she played at several European music festivals during the summer. On November 12, 2018, Björk announced a new concert production centered around her Utopia album, titled Cornucopia. Opening in May 2019 at the newly built The Shed in New York, Cornucopia was described as Björk's "most elaborate staged concert to date," a "spectacular vision of Utopia." The residency show then toured Mexico and Europe for additional dates in 2019. Following these performances, Björk released music videos for "Tabula Rasa" and "Losss", both directed by Tobias Gremmler and used as backdrops during the shows. On August 16, 2019, Björk announced the Utopia Bird Call Boxset, a limited edition release featuring 14 wooden flutes imitating bird calls and a USB stick with digital albums, music videos, remixes, and an unreleased instrumental track, "Arpegggio". On September 6, 2019, two remixes of "Features Creatures" were released digitally, one by Fever Ray and another by The Knife. Both remixes, along with Björk's remix of Fever Ray's 2017 song "This Country", were collected on Country Creatures.

On September 27, 2019, Björk made a surprise appearance during Mutant;Faith, Arca's performance-art piece at The Shed, to debut "Afterwards," a new collaboration performed in a combination of Spanish and gibberish. This song was included on Arca's fourth studio album, KiCk i, released on June 26, 2020. Björk then embarked on her eleventh concert tour, Björk Orkestral, performing orchestral arrangements of songs from her career. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was postponed multiple times before taking place from 2021 to 2023.

5.10. Fossora (2022)

In August 2020, Björk joined the cast of The Northman, the third feature film by Robert Eggers, co-written with Sjón, appearing alongside her daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney in her debut film role. The film was released on April 22, 2022, in the United States.

In an interview with The Mercury News published on January 19, 2022, Björk mentioned she was finalizing her upcoming tenth studio album. She revealed the album title, Fossora, a Latin word for "digging," in an interview with The Guardian published on August 19, 2022. Fossora, centered on themes of grief, grounding, and sonic exploration, was released on September 30, 2022. It was supported by four singles: "Atopos" (September 6, 2022), "Ovule" (September 14), "Ancestress" (September 22), and the album's title track (September 27). In September 2022, Björk also ventured into podcasting, hosting Björk: Sonic Symbolism, where she discussed the textures, timbres, and emotional landscapes of each of her albums with friends, writer Oddný Eir and musicologist Ásmundur Jónsson.

Björk released the single "Oral", featuring Rosalía with production from Sega Bodega, on November 21, 2023. This reworked demo, written between Homogenic and Vespertine, was intended to support the inhabitants of Seyðisfjörður in their campaign against Norwegian-owned fish farming operations that threaten local ecosystems. Proceeds from the song were donated to Aegis, an environmental organization co-founded by Björk and other Icelandic activists to combat intensive fish farming.

In 2024, Björk appeared on 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 her honor. In 2025, Cornucopia, a concert film chronicling a performance in Lisbon during the last leg of the Cornucopia tour, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir, premiered on Apple TV+ as part of the Apple Music Live series, with a full-length version receiving a theatrical release.

6.1. Live Albums

Björk has released several albums featuring live recordings of her performances, capturing the energy and evolution of her music in concert settings. These include:

• Debut Live (2004)
• Post Live (2004)
• Homogenic Live (2004)
• Vespertine Live (2004)
• Live Box (2003) - a box set compiling the first four live albums.
• Surrounded (2006) - a box set featuring remastered albums in 5.1 surround sound, including live material.
• Voltaïc (2009) - a box set including live recordings from The Volta tour.
• Björk: Biophilia Live (2014)
• Vulnicura Live (2015) - released in both limited and commercial editions.

6.2. Compilation Albums

• Greatest Hits (2002) - a retrospective selected by fan poll.
• Family Tree (2002) - a CD box set comprising selected rarities and previously unreleased versions of her compositions.

6.3. Soundtrack Contributions

Björk has contributed original compositions and performed songs specifically for film soundtracks:

• "Play Dead" (1993) for the film The Young Americans.
• Selmasongs (2000) - the soundtrack for the film Dancer in the Dark, featuring her original compositions and a duet with Thom Yorke titled "I've Seen It All".
• Drawing Restraint 9 (2005) - the soundtrack for the experimental art film created in collaboration with Matthew Barney, which she also starred in.
• "The Comet Song" as part of the soundtrack for the 2010 movie Moomins and the Comet Chase.
• "Army of Me (Sucker Punch Remix)" for the 2011 film Sucker Punch.

6.4. Remix Albums

Björk has released several remix albums, showcasing various artists' interpretations of her music:

• The Best Mixes from the Album Debut for All the People Who Don't Buy White Labels (1994)
• Telegram (1996)
• Army of Me: Remixes and Covers (2005) - a charity project featuring remixes and covers of "Army of Me" by various artists.
• The Volta Mixes (2009)
• Bastards (2012) - featuring remixes from Biophilia.

6.5. Collaborations

Beyond her main album projects, Björk has engaged in significant musical collaborations:

• Gling-Gló (1991) - a jazz album with Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar.
• Contributed vocals to 808 State's album ex:el (1991), on "Qmart" and "Ooops."
• Co-wrote "Bedtime Story" for Madonna's 1994 album Bedtime Stories.
• Performed "Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu" on Hector Zazou's 1995 collaborative album Chansons des mers froides.
• Mount Wittenberg Orca (2010) - a joint EP with Dirty Projectors.
• "Surrender" (2010) - a duet with Ólöf Arnalds on her album Innundir skinni.
• "Flétta" (2010) - a duet with Anohni on the Antony and the Johnsons album Swanlights.
• "Trance" (2010) - released as the backing track for Nick Knight's short film "To Lee, with Love."
• Recorded original vocal samples for Death Grips' Niggas on the Moon (2014).
• "Afterwards" (2019) - a new collaboration with Arca, featured on his album KiCk i.
• "Oral" (2023) - a single featuring Rosalía with production from Sega Bodega.

7.1. Musical Style and Influences

Over her three-decade solo career, Björk has cultivated an eclectic and avant-garde musical style that defies easy categorization. Her work incorporates elements of electronic, dance, alternative dance, trip hop, experimental, glitch, jazz, alternative rock, instrumental, and contemporary classical music. Despite often referring to herself as a pop artist, critics consistently describe her as a "restlessly experimental creative force" who "gracefully bridges the divide [between music experimentalist and pop celebrity]." Her album Debut (1993), which infused electronic, house, jazz, and trip hop, is credited as one of the first albums to introduce electronic music into mainstream pop, shaping the sound of the early 1990s. Her work frequently explores the relationship between nature and technology, and her output is often called "artpop" due to her wide-ranging integration of art and popular music, and a "consistently progressive pop agenda."

Björk's music is deeply collaborative, and she has worked with a diverse array of producers, photographers, fashion designers, and music video directors. She has expressed that her male collaborators have sometimes received more credit than her, which she attributes to her being a female artist.

Her musical evolution reflects her varied influences. In her early career, her bands explored punk rock (Spit and Snot), jazz fusion (Exodus), post-punk (Tappi Tíkarrass), and gothic rock (KUKL). During her time with Tappi Tíkarrass, she was influenced by British new wave bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Wire, the Passions, The Slits, Joy Division, and Killing Joke. Her 1990 jazz album Gling-Gló with Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar showcased her ability to sing "very much in the classic Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan mould."

Her contact with London's underground club culture in the early 1990s was instrumental in finding her solo musical identity. Debut integrated elements of the burgeoning trip-hop scene, described as an "indefinable conflation of electronic pop, trip-hop, world music and otherworldly lyrics," and even a "delightful fusion of thrash metal, jazz, funk and opera, with the odd dash of exotica."

The 1995 album Post is known for its eclecticism, considered the "quintessential Björk" due to its "protean form" and "wide emotional palette." Written after her move to England, it reflected the faster pace of her new urban life, tapping into the "vortex of multicultural energy that was mid-90s London, where strange hybrids such as jungle and trip-hop were bubbling." Post built on the dance-pop foundation of Debut, pushing production and beats to the forefront, incorporating IDM, industrial music, big-band jazz, and chillout. The album's recurring characteristic is its balance between synthetic and organic elements.

With Homogenic (1997), Björk aimed for a simpler, "one-flavoured" record, conceptually focused on her native Iceland. It fused chilly strings, stuttering abstract beats, and unique touches like accordion and glass harmonica. Vespertine (2001) continued her meshing of organic and synthetic textures, but focused on intimacy and sexuality with sharper melodies, minimalistic production, and explicit lyrics inspired by poetry. It also explored the auditory aspects of analog technology, with prevalent use of loops, static, and white noise, leading to identification of glitch elements. In contrast to her earlier shrieking style, her vocals on Vespertine were often recorded close to the microphone, conveying intimacy.

Medúlla (2004) was almost entirely constructed from human vocals, drawing influences from folk to medieval music, featuring elements of Bulgarian women's choirs, central African pygmies' polyphony, and "primal vocalisms" of Meredith Monk. Volta (2007) balanced her vibrant pop works with experiments, combining a large brass ensemble with live and programmed drums and "ethnic instruments" like likembé, pipa, and kora.

Biophilia (2011) showcased Björk's avant-garde tendencies, drawing comparisons to Stockhausen and Nico's album The Marble Index. Vulnicura (2015) centered on Björk's voice, orchestral strings, and electronic beats, mirroring the themes of heartbreak and perseverance also found in Homogenic. Utopia (2017) returned to combining organic and electronic elements, heavily featuring flute arrangements, earning it the moniker "Björk's flute album." This album saw a deep collaborative effort with Arca, who took a lead production role.

Björk's podcast Björk: Sonic Symbolism (2022) further explored her sound experiences and the textures, timbers, and emotional landscapes of her albums.

Björk states she is influenced by "everything," but specifically names Stockhausen, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and Mark Bell as major influences. She also commends "confessional singer-songwriters" like Abida Parveen, Chaka Khan, Joni Mitchell, and Kate Bush, with Mitchell being a definitive inspiration for her songwriting. Other influences include literary works like Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye and Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, and films such as Tampopo, Star Wars, and The Tin Drum. She developed an interest in avant-garde, classical, and minimalistic music during music school, also becoming a "jazz freak." She is considered indebted to avant-garde composers like Stockhausen, Meredith Monk, Sun Ra, and Philip Glass. In 2008, Björk wrote about Stockhausen, calling him the "root of electronic music." In 1996, she covered Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, showcasing her appreciation for expressionist composers. Early in her career, she cited Sir David Attenborough as her biggest musical influence, identifying with his "thirst for exploring new and wild territories." She also seeks to "discover sounds [she] had never heard before."

7.2. Vocal Style

Björk is a soprano, possessing a range spanning from E₃ to D₆. Her singing voice has been described as "elastic" and "somersaulting," praised for her scatting ability, unique vocal stylings, and delivery. Live performances have been noted for the elemental timbre of her voice, which has grown more powerful with age, even after she underwent surgery for a polyp on her vocal cords in late 2012. After the successful procedure, she felt her cords were "as good as pre-nodule," despite earlier concerns about hoarseness in her most dramatic vocal pyrotechnics.

National Public Radio included Björk on its list of "50 Great Voices," and MTV ranked her at number 8 on its "22 Greatest Voices in Music" countdown. Rolling Stone placed her 60th among the "100 greatest singers ever" and 81st among the "100 greatest songwriters ever," commending her voice as unique, fresh, and exceptionally versatile, fitting and influenced by a wide array of genres.

8.1. Major Film Roles

Björk's acting career began with The Juniper Tree (filmed in 1986, released in 1990), a tale of witchcraft based on a Brothers Grimm story, directed by Nietzchka Keene. Björk played Margit, a girl whose mother was executed for practicing witchcraft. She also had an uncredited role as a runway model in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter.

Her most prominent acting role came in 2000, when she starred in Lars von Trier's musical drama Dancer in the Dark. Initially, Björk was approached to write and produce the musical score for the film, which tells the story of Selma, an immigrant struggling to afford an operation to prevent her son's blindness. Von Trier eventually convinced her to play Selma, arguing that only the composer could truly embody the character. Despite her initial reluctance, she accepted, though the filming process was reportedly so physically and emotionally exhausting that she vowed never to act again. Björk later stated that she had always wanted to do one musical in her life, and Dancer in the Dark fulfilled that desire. The film debuted at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Palme d'Or, and Björk was awarded the Best Actress Award for her performance. At the 2001 Oscars, she wore her celebrated swan dress while performing "I've Seen It All", the song from the film that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In 2005, Björk collaborated with then-partner Matthew Barney on his experimental art film Drawing Restraint 9, a dialogueless exploration of Japanese culture. Both Björk and Barney appeared in the film, portraying two occidental guests on a Japanese factory whaling vessel who transform into whales. She also contributed to the 2005 documentary Screaming Masterpiece, which explored the Icelandic music scene, featuring archive footage of her early bands and an ongoing conversation with her. Björk also provided a voice role in Gunar Karlsson's 2007 animated film Anna and the Moods, alongside Terry Jones and Damon Albarn.

In August 2020, Björk joined the cast of The Northman, the third feature film by Robert Eggers, co-written with Sjón. She appeared alongside her daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, who made her film debut. The film was released on April 22, 2022.

8.2. Soundtrack Contributions to Film

Beyond her acting roles, Björk has significantly contributed to film soundtracks:

• "Play Dead" (1993) for the film The Young Americans.
• Selmasongs (2000), the soundtrack for Dancer in the Dark, which she composed and performed.
• Drawing Restraint 9 (2005), the soundtrack for the film of the same name.
• "The Comet Song" (2010) for the film Moomins and the Comet Chase.
• "Army of Me (Sucker Punch Remix)" (2011) for the film Sucker Punch.

9.1. Major Concert Tours

Björk has undertaken numerous extensive concert tours throughout her career:

• Debut tour (1993-1994)
• Post tour (1995-1997)
• Homogenic tour (1997-1999)
• Vespertine world tour (2001) - performed in theatres and opera houses for optimal acoustics, accompanied by Matmos, Zeena Parkins, and an Inuit choir.
• Greatest Hits tour (2003)
• The Volta tour (2007-2008) - featured innovative technology like the Reactable and included extensive dates across Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand after long absences.
• Biophilia tour (2011-2013) - part of a larger multimedia project, featuring custom-built instruments and educational workshops.
• Vulnicura tour (2015-2017) - often accompanied by the Alarm Will Sound ensemble, Arca, and Manu Delago.
• Utopia tour (2018) - a brief series of performances at European music festivals.
• Cornucopia (2019-2023) - described as her "most elaborate staged concert to date," featuring immersive visuals and unique stage design.
• Björk Orkestral (2021-2023) - focused on orchestral arrangements of her songs.

9.2. Notable Live Performances

In addition to her major tours, Björk has delivered several landmark performances:

• Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens - she performed "Oceania" while her dress unfurled into a 9688 ft^{2 (900 m2)} map of the world, flowing over the Olympic athletes.
• Live 8 series of concerts (2005) - she headlined the Japan show with Do As Infinity, Good Charlotte, and McFly, performing eight songs with Matmos, a Japanese string octet, and Zeena Parkins.
• One-off reunion concert with The Sugarcubes in Reykjavík on November 17, 2006, with profits donated to Smekkleysa, their former non-profit label.
• Appearance on Later... with Jools Holland on May 22, 2018, her first on the BBC series since 2011.
• Participation in "Stopp, Let's Protect the Park" (2014), an event in Reykjavík to raise money and awareness for the preservation of Icelandic nature, where she performed three songs at Harpa Concert Hall.
• Surprise appearance during Arca's "Mutant;Faith" performance-art piece at The Shed on September 27, 2019, to debut their new collaboration "Afterwards".

10.1. Family and Relationships

Björk was briefly married to guitarist Þór Eldon during the formation of The Sugarcubes. Their son, Sindri Eldon Þórsson, was born on June 8, 1986, the same day the band was formed. They divorced shortly after, by the end of 1986, but continued to collaborate within the band. Sindri is now a journalist and musician.

Following the breakup of The Sugarcubes, Björk moved to London to pursue her solo career. She became engaged to London-based DJ Goldie but broke up with him in 1996. She also had a brief relationship with musician Tricky in the 1990s. During her time in London, she developed a cockney accent, noticeable in interviews.

In the late 1990s, Björk moved to New York, where she met artist Matthew Barney in the art scene. They began a relationship and started living together, moving to Brooklyn Heights in 2000. Their daughter, Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, was born on October 3, 2002. While they initially kept their work separate, they later collaborated on Barney's experimental art film Drawing Restraint 9, released in 2005, with Björk acting and contributing musically. The couple separated in 2013, a breakup Björk described as "the most painful thing" she had ever experienced. Her album Vulnicura, particularly the track "Black Lake", was written about this period of her life. After their separation, Björk began residing half of each year in the US and the other half in two residences in Iceland with her daughter.

10.2. Notable Incidents

Björk has had several public confrontations with paparazzi and endured a well-documented stalking incident.

In February 1996, upon arriving at Bangkok International Airport with her nine-year-old son, Sindri, after a long-haul flight, Björk was met by a group of reporters despite her earlier request for privacy. As she tried to leave, television reporter Julie Kaufman approached Sindri and said, "Welcome to Bangkok!" In response, Björk lunged at Kaufman, knocking her to the ground and physically assaulting her until security intervened. Björk later apologized to Kaufman, who chose not to press charges. Her record company stated that Kaufman had been harassing Björk for four days prior to the incident.

On January 13, 2008, Björk was involved in another incident at Auckland International Airport in New Zealand, where she attacked a photographer who had taken her picture upon her arrival for the Big Day Out festival. She allegedly tore the photographer's shirt, falling to the ground in the process. Neither the photographer nor his employer, The New Zealand Herald, filed a formal complaint, and Auckland police did not pursue an investigation.

On September 12, 1996, Ricardo López, an American fan with mental illness and an obsession with Björk, mailed a letter bomb containing sulfuric acid to her London home. López intended to "punish" Björk for her relationship with Goldie. After sending the package, he filmed his suicide, which was documented in the final part of his 22-hour video diary. The package was intercepted by the London Metropolitan Police before it reached Björk's residence. López's video diary, which detailed his obsession, the bomb's construction, and his racist comments about Goldie, later became public and caused a media sensation that temporarily halted the recording sessions for Homogenic. Björk was reportedly "very distressed" by the incident and stated, "I make music, but in other terms, you know, people shouldn't take me too literally and get involved in my personal life." She sent a card and flowers to López's family and hired security for her son, Sindri. She subsequently moved to Spain to record the remainder of Homogenic away from media attention. A year after López's death, Björk reflected on the incident, stating, "I was very upset that somebody had died. I couldn't sleep for a week. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare the fuck out of me that I could get hurt and, most of all, that my son could get hurt." López became widely known in the press as "Björk's stalker."

11.1. Charitable and Environmental Work

Following the devastating tsunami in late 2004, Björk initiated Army of Me: Remixes and Covers, a project aimed at raising funds for tsunami relief. She invited fans and musicians globally to cover or remix her 1995 track "Army of Me." From over 600 submissions, Björk and her co-writer Graham Massey selected the best 20 versions for the album. Released in April (UK) and late May (US) 2005, the album had raised approximately 250.00 K GBP for UNICEF's work in Southeast Asia by January 2006. In February 2006, Björk visited Banda Aceh to witness UNICEF's efforts to assist children affected by the tsunami.

On July 2, 2005, Björk participated in the Live 8 series of concerts, headlining the Japan show alongside Do As Infinity, Good Charlotte, and McFly. She performed eight songs with Matmos, a Japanese string octet, and Zeena Parkins.

Björk has also shown a strong interest in environmental issues in Iceland. In 2004, she participated in the Hætta concert in Reykjavík, organized to protest the construction of Alcoa aluminium smelters, which would have significantly increased Iceland's smelting capacity. She founded the organization Náttúra, which promotes Icelandic nature and grassroots industries. In October 2008, Björk penned an article for The Times discussing the Icelandic economy and her views on utilizing natural resources to address the country's debt. In collaboration with Audur Capital, she established a venture capital fund named "BJÖRK" to support the development of sustainable industries in Iceland.

In 2008, Björk wrote the foreword to the English translation of Andri Snær Magnason's best-selling book Dreamland - A Self Help Manual For A Frightened Nation. On May 21, 2010, she published an open letter in The Reykjavík Grapevine, urging the Icelandic government to "do everything in its power to revoke the contracts with Magma Energy" (now HS Orka), a Canadian company that owned an Icelandic geothermal company.

In 2014, Björk helped organize "Stopp, Let's Protect the Park," an event designed to raise funds and awareness for the preservation of Icelandic nature. This included a concert at Harpa Concert Hall, where she performed three songs. The event initially raised 310.00 K USD and ultimately generated over 3.00 M GBP, with plans to establish a national park. In 2022, Björk stated that one of her reasons for returning to Iceland was due to concerns about gun violence in the United States.

11.2. Political Stances

While Björk generally expresses a reluctance to be perceived as an overtly political figure, she has consistently supported numerous liberation movements. She has voiced support for independence for Kosovo, dedicating her song "Declare Independence" to its people during a concert in Japan, which led to the cancellation of her performance at Serbia's Exit Festival due to safety concerns. In 2008, she caused international controversy during a Shanghai concert by dedicating "Declare Independence" to the International Tibet Independence Movement, chanting "Tibet! Tibet!" during the song. China's Ministry of Culture issued a strong denunciation, accusing Björk of "breaking Chinese law" and "hurting Chinese people's feelings," and pledged to tighten control over foreign artists performing in China, with a later statement accusing her of "whipping up ethnic hatred."

In 2014, Björk posted on Facebook dedicating "Declare Independence" to the people of Scotland as they approached their independence referendum. In October 2017, she tweeted a dedication of the song to Catalonia during the Catalan independence referendum. In November 2023, amidst the Israel-Hamas war, she publicly criticized the Israeli occupation of Palestine on her social media accounts.

11.3. Mentorship and Collaborations

Throughout her career, Björk has actively used her platform to mentor and promote emerging artists across various musical genres.

One of the first such instances involved Iranian-born electronica producer Leila Arab. Initially a keyboardist and backing vocalist for Björk's 1993 Debut tour, Arab was later given the opportunity to experiment with live output mixing during the 1995 Post tour. This experience laid the groundwork for Arab's solo career, where she integrated live mixing into her own compositions and performances, releasing three international solo albums on influential labels like Rephlex Records, XL Recordings, and Warp Records.

In 1998, Björk established her own short-lived record label, Ear Records, under the One Little Indian Records umbrella. Its sole signee, her long-time friend Magga Stína, released her debut solo album, An Album, produced by Björk's frequent collaborator Graham Massey (of 808 State). Magga Stína also supported Björk on the Homogenic tour in 1998 and contributed to Medúlla in 2004.

In 2001, Björk discovered Canadian Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq and invited her to perform as a special guest on several dates of the Vespertine world tour. Tagaq later collaborated on the a cappella album Medúlla in 2004, where they recorded the duet "Ancestors." This track was subsequently featured on Tagaq's debut solo album, Sinaa, in 2005.

In 2004, Leila Arab introduced Björk to the work of Finnish multimedia artist Heidi Kilpeläinen, who performed under the alter ego character HK119. Björk began mentioning HK119 in various press interviews, and Arab named HK119 her favorite act of 2004. HK119 was eventually signed to One Little Indian Records, releasing her debut album in 2006. In a 2006 Dazed & Confused interview, Björk praised HK119's work for its uniqueness and strength in simplicity. HK119 went on to release Fast, Cheap and Out of Control (2008) and Imaginature (2013) on the same label.

In 2009, Björk used her website and radio interviews to promote two more new artists: fellow Icelandic musician Ólöf Arnalds, also a member of the folktronica band múm, whose debut solo album Við Og Við (2006) was reissued by One Little Indian Records at Björk's encouragement; and English artist Micachu and Syrian vocalist Omar Souleyman. Björk's website also hosted the premiere of Micachu's debut video for Rough Trade Records, "Turn Me Well."

12.1. Critical Reception and Influence

Björk is consistently celebrated for her unique contributions and pervasive influence across the music industry and popular culture. Critics commend her "restlessly experimental" and "avant-garde" approach, often noting her ability to bridge the gap between experimental music and pop stardom. Her work is frequently described as "artpop" and embodying a "consistently progressive pop agenda." She is widely recognized as one of the most influential pioneers in electronic and experimental music.

Musicians from a broad spectrum of genres have expressed admiration for Björk or cited her as a significant inspiration. These artists include:

• Solange Knowles
• Danny Brown
• Beyoncé
• Perfume Genius
• Travis Scott
• SZA
• Ellie Goulding
• Missy Elliott
• Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
• Mitski
• Christine and the Queens
• AURORA
• Kali Uchis
• Kelela
• Prince
• Maggie Rogers
• Amy Lee
• Poppy
• Corinne Bailey Rae
• Jeff Buckley
• Hayley Williams of Paramore
• Geddy Lee of Rush
• Willow Smith
• Caroline Polachek

Her influence extends beyond music into other artistic disciplines, with her music being used in performances by synchronized swimmer Virginie Dedieu and figure skaters Michelle Kwan and Daisuke Takahashi. In a unique honor reflecting her connection to nature and science themes, a newly discovered large butterfly species, Pterourus bjorkae, was named in her honor in October 2024.

12.2. Awards and Honors

Björk has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, recognizing her widespread artistic achievements:

• Order of the Falcon: She was awarded the Order of the Falcon, one of Iceland's highest honors, on April 26, 1997.
• Brit Awards: Winner of five Brit Awards, including Best International Female Solo Artist multiple times.
• Grammy Awards: Received 16 Grammy nominations, including for Best Alternative Music Album.
• Cannes Film Festival: Won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress in 2000 for her role in Dancer in the Dark.
• Academy Awards: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I've Seen It All" from Dancer in the Dark.
• Golden Globe Awards: Nominated for Best Actress and Best Original Song for Dancer in the Dark.
• Q Magazine Awards: Honored with the Inspiration Award in October 2005.
• Polar Music Prize: Received the prestigious Polar Music Prize in 2010.
• Time Magazine: Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.
• Rolling Stone Magazine: Ranked as the 64th-greatest singer and the 81st-greatest songwriter of all time in 2023.
• MTV Awards: Received multiple MTV Video Music Awards for her groundbreaking music videos, including Best Choreography for "It's Oh So Quiet" and Best Art Direction for "Bachelorette".
• UK Music Video Awards: Received Best Art Direction, Best Alternative Video, and Video of the Year for "Wanderlust" in 2008.
• Icelandic Music Awards: Awarded 21 Icelandic Music Awards.
• Royal Swedish Academy of Music: A foreign member of the academy.