hides in the hair

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hides in the hair

Björk Gudmundsdottir began her professional musical career at the age of 11, when she released her self-titled debut album. The album was mostly covers of Iceland folk songs with one Björk original, an instrumental number "Johannes Kjaval" a tribute to the well respected Icelandic painter. From the age of six until she was 14, Björk attended a local music school, where she studied music and trained on the piano and flute. Björk was born in Reykjavik on 21 November 1965 and brought up in a Bohemian, musical household. Her stepfather was a guitarist in a band called Pops who played mainly Hendrix and Clapton influenced music. Influenced by the late arrival of punk and new wave in the late '70s and early '80s, Björk rebelled against her parents' hippy inspired lifestyle and formed a number of short-lived punk bands: Exodus at age 13, Tappi Tikarrass at 14, and Kukl at 18, which lasted from 1984 until 1986 recording two albums for British anarchist label Crass. After three years of politically motivated, punk sincerity, Björk, Einer Örn and Siggi Baldurson split the band to form The Sugarcubes and have some fun.

In 1987 The Sugarcubes, with three new members, Thor Eldon (Björk's ex-husband and the father of their child Sindri), Magg Örnotfsdottir and Bragi Olafsson released their dazzling debut single "Birthday." It brought Björk's voice to the attention of the British music press and secured the band a solid fanbase. They formed their own collective in Iceland called The Bad Taste Family, through which they ran an independent label and produced art events. In 1988 they released their debut album of surreal pop, Life's Too Good, to widespread critical acclaim. Over the next four years they released three more albums. Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, which was not as well received as their debut and sold less. Their third album Stick Around For Joy, released in 1991 was, however, considered a return to form. It was also around this time the Björk began to get seriously involved in dance music, with her first vocal excursions on a dance record appearing courtesy of Graham Masseys' 808 State. Two songs that feature Björk "Ooops" and "Qmart" appear on EX:EL.

The final Sugarcubes album It's It, was released in 1992, at a point when the band knew they were going to split. It was a remix album of their previously recorded material, mainly curated by Björk's growing interest in the British dance scene. Despite the Sugarcubes' success, Björk felt the need to express herself in her own songs, so she finally left the band she had helped form, to pursue a solo career. In the interim period before the release of Debut, while working in various jobs in Reykjavik, Björk began to consolidate her relationship with the Trio Gudmundar Ingolfssonar recording Gling-Glo a one-off album of jazz and popular standards.

Björk's first international solo album, Debut, released in 1993, saw her rocket into mainstream public consciousness. This was her breakthrough album, selling over two and a half million copies worldwide. Björk had come from left-of-center, with an album that mixed introspective and emotionally liberating songs with the club savvy, polished production of Nellee Hooper. The singles "Human Behaviour," "Venus As A Boy," "Big Time Sensuality" and "Violently Happy" from Debut, all went on to be Top 20 hits. Björk now moved to London, getting closer to the musicians and artists she admired, exploring the evolving dance music scene and working on a series of collaborations for a follow-up album.

After the vulnerability inherent in Debut, Post was a more playful album. A dislocated communique of contrasting styles; techno doodles, relaxed eccentric beats, big band sounds and exotic, ethnic instrumentation. Through a series of production duets, Björk collaborated with Nellee Hooper, Graham Massey, Tricky and Howie B and also self-produced two of the songs. Since its release in June 1995, Post has sold over three million copies worldwide.

Telegram, an album of tracks from Post, remixed by a cross section of Björk's favorite contemporary artists was released in November 1996. The album confirmed Björk's status as a leading exponent of underground dance. Since Dom T and Underworld's mixes of "Human Behaviour" in 1992, Björk has brought new talented artists to wider attention through multi-format remixes of her singles. Telegram intuitively matches the character of the song to the personalities of the remix artists. It incorporates not only the futuristic dance rhythms of LFO, Dillinja, Outcast and Graham Massey, the hip hop flavor of Dobie and the ambient soundscapes of Mika Vainio, but also the non technologically driven, experimental percussion arrangements of Evelyn Glennie and the sweeping string arrangements of jazz impresario Eumir Deodato.

The "kooky chick" from "somewhere no one can pronounce properly," the "elfin, pixie-like chanteuse," who "screeches along to fax machines" has outlasted these lazy metaphors and rent-a-line clichés to create an identity and musical status that is unequivocal. Björk may seem unusual, but that is only to be expected in an artist whose output is so consistently inventive. Björk is a consummate professional who sees her musical career as still in its developing stages. She is a magical performer who recently enchanted 16,000 people at The Tibetan Freedom concert, in Randall's Island, New York on June 6th, in a sneak preview of four new songs from Homogenic. With Mark Bell, raised at the rear of the stage surrounded by banks of keyboards and sequencers, the String Octet in a semicircle to one side of the stage, conducted by Eumir Deodato, and Björk out in front, the festival goers were given a taste of four new songs from Homogenic. "All Neon Like," the love song of the album, opened the set, and Björk reached out to her audience, empathizing and singing, "Don't get angry with yourself - I'll heal you..." "Joga" followed, with its cinematic, dramatic feel. Submerged, distorted beats underpinned the resounding line, "State of emergency, it's where I want to be." "Hunter" began with a soft military beat, and built with an enthralling string serenade to Björk's confessional line, "I thought I could organize freedom, how Scandinavian of me." "Isobel" and "Hyperballad" both from Post slipped neatly in between these new songs. "Pluto" from Homogenic began with a dreamy vocal, which flew into a wild orbit, over alien sci-fi synth sounds and a dirty techno beat. It's a song about the liberation of hedonism, about life and death and starting over again. A perfect way to consummate this short and powerful live set.

This biography is from Elektra Entertainment at Bjorkweb.com