Belcher 1
Alicia Belcher
Professor De LaFlor
English 210
22 April 2015
Björk
The music of Icelandic artist Björk has influenced the way music in the world is
influenced and the way music can still be influenced today. Her music is also influenced by
where she comes from.
Björk was born in November of 1965, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Bjork played multiple
instruments as a child and went on to join an all girl band in her teenage years. Being thruster
into music at a young age she was not a fan of the Bach and Beethoven music. Her dislike for
such music got her in a lot of trouble at school. Starting at a young age Björk must have been
destined to be different and not so “boring.” Icelandic culture is what seems to have influenced
the way Björk in many ways of her doings. In many of her interviews Björk would provide them
with many short answers on how she sees things in the world. In an interview with the
“Guardian” she was asked when she is the happiest and she said that is when she is merging
with nature, or when she is merging with people. It is clear that nature and people make her
really happy.
Björk was a very closed child. Her mother was an activist leader to a Hydro Plant and
her father was a union leader. After her parents split at the age of six she than moved with her
mother. Within the same year her mother remarried Sæevar Árnason, whom is a former guitarist
Belcher 2
in a band called “Pops”. Bjork was enrolled in a new school on were she studied piano and flute.
Bjork was first discovered in her school after doing a song called “I Love To Love” by Tina
Charles. Her teacher was the one to record her and sent it off to their only radio station in
Iceland. It became the talk of the town. Everyone loved it! After being out, she was offered a
recording deal and she took it. Her first album was called “Bjork” which was released in
December 1977. She was a very active girl. Just around the time of punk rock, Bjork created an
all girls punk band group called “Spit and Snot”. No one could ever possibly grip of the odd
name but yet they stuck with it. In 1980 she graduated from music school but before she even
left she formed another musical group. She was so involved into school and making other heard.
Over her years she crated more then 10 musical groups. In Iceland it was much more common to
do so. Her last and final group before knowing that she was pregnant while on tour was named
KUKL, Sorcery in Icelandic.
When they first performed, it was like a gothic rock sound and they stuck with it. As it
was discovered she began to find her vocalisation punctuated by howls and shrieks. After being
in the studio, for a while they released there first single. So that it was so successful they were
offered a record deal. The single was named “The Eye” which was released in 1984 and two
months in they were on tour to Europe and also at a festival Denmark. They were the first
Icelandic band to perform at the festival.
During the time of being on tour Bjork had some free time. She made a book of poems, which
was released in 1984. A year later, Bjork found out that she was going to become a mother. Oh,
how excited she was! Eldon was also excited; a few months later on June 8, 1986 she gave birth
to a wonderful baby boy named Sindri Eldon Thórsson. A little after she married Eldon, whom
Belcher 3
was the father of her child and also upcoming new born as well. When she realized that she was
a mother of two, she began to slow down on her career. It was until she picked up a role in a
movie called “The Juniper Tree”. As her and Eldon began a divorce, it overwhelmed her. Not
even the age of 21, and she was already on her second child and was getting a divorce. At that
moment she decided she wanted to became a solo artist, but do to the contract she had with her
band, it required one more year that she had left. After there last year, they split right after
Christmas, but they are known in Icelandic as the “Biggest Rock Band.”
When it comes to the style of Bjork’s music, it certainly has a way on people. Many say
that she is the gateway toward opening up some of the different people in the world today. The
different types of music we listen to or even the way it is created. Her since of way goes above
and beyond what many artist do today. She states in an interview with music and culture blog
spot that “I didn’t start off with a musical rule,” she said. “It was more emotion.” She said she
asked herself: “Are you playing it safe here? Are you actually being impulsive or are you totally
subconsciously planning every moment? Are you really allowing enough space for accidents to
happen?” As she mentally prepared herself for the worst, it all fell in place. Back in Iceland,
Bjork also stated that she had sang songs everything from children’s song to punk, before she
was every to get in front of an international audience. She chose the route to show off her voice
and, to let herself be known. She states, “I was quite conscious that I wanted permission to be
able to be sad and funny, and human and crazy and silly, and childish and wise,” she said,
“because I think everybody is like that”. With that mindset, it set her off to become one of the
most amazing and admirable artists.
Belcher 4
For those her try to ignore her can never let it be. With her since of fashion she will
always be one reason for sure. She dresses in a since to show emotion of how’s she feeling. To
show the passion she has and the way that she is feeling. She has cloths such as the swan-shaped
white dress, which she wore in 2001 to the Academy Awards, and also her Alexander McQueen,
notorious designer and fetishist of all things totally fucked up, while having a bedazzled
facemask back in 2003. But of course, she stand out and makes the show look different. She isn’t
