Björk's blog
Björk
After The Sugarcubes dissolved in 1992, Björk moved to London, where she began her vaunted solo career by collaborating with producer Nellee Hooper, known for his revolutionary work with Massive Attack. Debut, released by One Little Indian/Elektra in 1993, saw the singer exploring a far different sound than that of her former band’s eccentric alterna-pop.
Songs like “Big Time Sensuality,” “Venus as a Boy,” and “Human Behavior” melded the sounds of electronica, trip-hop, and house with Björk’s inimitable voice at the core of the production. Rightfully acclaimed as a creative milestone, Debut crossed over and became a mainstream smash, reaching both the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and RIAA platinum certification.
1995’s platinum-certified Post built upon the innovative musical ideas of its forerunner, memorably adding big band jazz to the mix on the worldwide smash hit single – and Spike Jonze-directed video – “It’s Oh So Quiet.” Homogenic, released in 1997, saw Björk demonstrating her fearlessness in combining genres and adept use of the latest technologies. The album was a conceptual work focused on her native Iceland, a theme represented by its chilly tones and abstract beats, and despite sounding far from anything approaching mainstream pop, Homogenic still enticed enough brave fans to earn RIAA gold certification.
In 2000, Selmasongs: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack Dancer in the Dark presented Björk in the role of Selma, her character from Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark – a Czech factory worker who despite losing her sight finds hope and refuge in the MGM musicals she “sees” at the cinema. Vespertine, released the following year, was Björk’s final Elektra release. A warmer, though still remarkably complex work, the album is centered on Björk’s continuing explorations into the many possibilities of her one-of-its-kind voice.
Unquestionably one of modern music’s most thoroughly unique and captivating artists, Björk continued to forged her own innovative, compelling body of work though a new relationship with Atlantic Records and most recently (and appropriately) with Nonesuch, which was started by Jac Holzman in the early days of Elektra.
