Björk, Polar Music Prize Laureate 2010
The Icelandic singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist started her career in Reykjavik in 1977 at the age of 11, by recording an eponymous album of children’s songs and covers of popular songs that went platinum in Iceland.
At 14 she played drums in the all-girl punk band, Spit and Snot, and later tried her hand at jazz-fusion in Exodus. The early punk influence was apparent in Jam-80, eventually renamed Tappi Tikarrass, translated from the Icelandic as “Cork the Bitch’s Ass.”
Her next group, KUKL toured and collaborated with UK anarcho-punks Crass. After shifts & restructurings, KUKL morphed into the Sugarcubes (starting officially on the birth date of her son in 1986). Björk achieved international success as the lead vocalist for the group, which lasted until 1992, and was perhaps best known for the 1988 single,Birthday. (In 2006 the Sugarcubes reformed for a one-night benefit show in Reykjavik.)
After the Sugarcubes disbanded, Björk established herself as a solo artist with Debut (1993). She has since recorded five solo albums: Post (1995), Homogenic (1997), Vespertine (2001), Medulla (2004), and Volta (2007), as well as releasing compilations and soundtracks.
In addition to her musical career, Björk won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for her lead role in Dancer in the Dark. She was also nominated for an Oscar for her song I’ve Seen It All composed alongside the soundtrack for the film. Most recently, she co-starred with her partner, the visual artist Matthew Barney, in his film Drawing Restraint 9, for which she also composed the soundtrack (brass sections from the film are sampled on Volta’s Declare Independence and Vertebrae By Vertebrae). The couple has a daughter together.
For more information about Björk, go to: bjork.com
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