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Björk

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Björk Guðmundsdóttir was born in 1965 in Reykjavík and grew up with her mother in a communal household. At six she went to music school, where she learned classical piano and flute. When her teachers sent a recording of her singing to the radio, she was offered a record contract. Her first album, Björk (1977), appeared when she was eleven. As a teenager she played in punk bands, jazz-rock groups and the gothic band Kukl. From 1986 she became internationally known as the singer of The Sugarcubes.

Music and breakthrough

After the end of that band in 1992 she began a solo career. On Debut (1993), Post (1995) and Homogenic (1997) she mixed electronic dance music, pop and avant-garde, with hits such as Big Time Sensuality, Army of Me, Hyperballad and It's Oh So Quiet. She went on searching: Vespertine (2001) sounded intimate and crackling, Medúlla (2004) consisted almost entirely of voices, and Biophilia (2011) came with an app. Later she worked with the Venezuelan producer Arca, and Fossora (2022) she produced entirely on her own. As an actress she won a prize at Cannes for the film Dancer in the Dark.

Influence

Björk has a striking voice with a range of three octaves, which can whisper, scream and soar. She sets the course of her music herself and makes many of the beats and arrangements herself. In this way she became a model for women who not only sing but also take charge of the sound of their records as producers.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Army of Me. Notice the heavy, growling synthesizer bass and the hard beat, and how Björk sings against them with her powerful, almost menacing voice.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists