The artist who gives the feeling of Deja Vu to music lovers today with her futuristic songs and stunning music videos Björk is a most celebrated Icelandic singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career spans almost four decades and she created history in the pop music industry with her identity, versatility, voice, and techno-musical creations. Nevertheless, the Icelandic music sensation made her presence in pop-jazz and classical music through her 3-octave voice and videos which were way ahead of her time. Her solo work is a collection of a wide variety of music styles which include electronic and organic sounds. Moreover, her music frequently inspected the relationship between nature and technology.
BIOGRAPHY
The Icelandic singer and songwriter Björk Guðmundsdóttir was born on 21 November 1965, to Icelandic parents and was raised in Reykjavík, Iceland. Her father was an electrician and her stepfather was a former guitarist. Her mother was an activist and anti-patriarchy who divorced her father when she was 3 years old and went on to live a hippie-styled life with her stepfather. Björk’s parents encouraged her to sing at a young age and supported her throughout. Guðmundsdóttir moved to London after disbanding Sugarcubes to pursue her music career there.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Björk is popular across social media platforms, especially YouTube and Instagram, and has a huge followership just like Kim Petras, Dua Lipa, and Sam Smith. She shares updates about her albums, and magazine cover shoots, as well as interacts with her fans. Her songs revolve around complex themes related to a wide range of human emotions. Although the Icelandic singer produced songs before social media, she still managed to make waves with her peculiar musical sense.
| 2M Followers | |
| 869.6k Followers | |
| YouTube | 815k Subscribers |
| 3.3M Followers | |
| Website | bjork.com |
WIKI
Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic woman with natural black hair, thick eyebrows, almond eyes, and fair skin. Her explicit and uncensored appearance is a prominent feature of her personality. She wears attention-grabbing clothes with insane hairstyles and has a quirky and bizarre fashion sense. Björk loves loud, strange, and bold fashion which represents the story and has symbolism in it. Additionally, she has multiple tattoos and piercings on her body.
| Real Name | Björk Guðmundsdóttir |
| Stage Name | Björk |
| Nickname | The China Girl (Bi-Ya-Ke) |
| Birthday | November 21, 1965 |
| Age | 58 years old |
| Birthplace | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Present Residence | Iceland |
| Gender | Female |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Icelandic |
| Mother Tongue | Icelandic |
| Ethnicity | Icelandic |
| Religion | Non-Religious |
| Education | Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð |
| Occupation | Singer Songwriter Composer Record Producer Actress Activist |
| Net Worth | USD 45 million approximately |
| Relationship Status | Divorced |
| Children | 2 |
| Height | 5′ 4” |
| Weight | 70kg |
| Eye Color | Brown Hazel |
| Hair Color | Natural Black |
| Pets | None |
| Hobbies | Cooking Songwriting Hiking |
ZODIAC SIGN
Her sun and moon sign is Scorpio which makes her a double Scorpio. The Icelandic beauty has an eccentric and mysterious personality. Scorpios are known for their unrestrictedly creative and unapologetically independent nature. Scorpios prefer quality in every aspect of their lives and are highly observant. Influential figures like Matt Smith, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga are also Scorpio.
PARENTS AND SIBLINGS
The Icelandic princess of pop has two siblings, Her father Lutz was an electrician and leader of the union in Iceland whilst her mother was an activist Hildur Rúna Hauksdótti. The Icelandic couple divorced each other when Björk was three years old. However, her mother married her stepfather shortly after divorce who was a guitarist. The singer has two more siblings. She was supported by her family to pursue a music career. Björk’s mother started a campaign against the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant in Iceland. Moreover, her mother left her father because she wanted to raise her children away from patriarchy. On one occasion she said about her mother:
“She broke out of a traditional Sixties marriage, where she was supposed to be a proper housewife, and then she married a guitarist with very long hair. So she has two marriage photos, three years between them, and they are the opposite in fashion. I understood what she was doing. She was getting us out of the patriarchy. I didn’t have a bossy father figure. There were downsides to it, of course. I was a grown-up way before my time. But I’m anti-authority, so if I’d had a lot of discipline at home and lived inside the patriarchy, I would have been in trouble.”
| Father Name | Guðmundur Gunnarsson |
| Step Father | Sævar Árnason |
| Mother Name | Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir |
| Sister Name | Inga Hrönn Guðmundsdóttir |
| Brother Name | Arnar Sævarsson |
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
The Icelandic music sensation completed her education at Reykjavík school Barnamúsíkskóli in Iceland where she studied classical music and learned to play the flute and classical piano. She is fluent in both English and Icelandic language. During her school days, her teacher sent her singing record to the national radio in Iceland where they signed her for a recording contract. Consequently, she released her first album at the age of 11 which was a compilation of Icelandic folk songs. Björk also worked with several Icelandic pop bands during her teenage years.
RELATIONSHIPS AND MARRIAGE
Although her music is greatly inspired by the phases of relationships, the eccentric singer’s marriage life wasn’t successful. When she formed the music band Sugarcubes, Björk was briefly married to the guitarist Þór Eldon and together the couple had a son who was born on 8 June 1986 when she was just 20 years old. However, they divorced before the end of 1986 but continued to work together in the band. The time she moved to London, she remained in a relationship with London-based DJ Goldie and a musician Tricky in the 90s. Sadly, both relationships didn’t work out well.
In the late 1990’s she met the American contemporary artist Mathew Barney and both formed a relationship. The couple started to live in Brooklyn and her daughter was born in 2002. Björk also worked on an art film Drawing Restraint 9 by Mathew and gave musical elements to it. Unfortunately, the couple broke up in 2013 and she described it as the “most painful experience”. The album Vulnicura was particularly based on the breakup.
| Partners | Þór Eldon (1986-1987) Mathew Barney (2002-2013) |
| Son | Sindri Eldon Þórsson |
| Daughter | Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney |
STALKER RICARDO LOPEZ
On 12 September 1996, a controversy was created when Ricardo López who was an obsessed fan of the Icelandic singer sent her a letter bomb at her house in London. He was mentally ill and said that he wanted to take revenge for her being in a relationship with Goldie at the time. Ricardo committed suicide and filmed it in a disturbing video diary. The video gets leaked and makes a sensation in the media for a longer period. As a result, López known in the press as “Björk’s stalker“. In her public comments, Björk said:
“I was very stressed. I make music, but in other terms, you know, people shouldn’t take me too literally and get involved in my personal life. I was very upset that somebody had died. I couldn’t sleep for a week. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare the fuck out of me. That I could get hurt and, most of all, that my son could get hurt.”
CAREER
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is not only the most successful Icelandic musician but also the most successful musician in the world whose path was well carved and full of achievements. Her international success started at the age of 21 when she formed Sugarcubes. Several of her albums topped the charts in the US and UK for which she also won nomination for Brit Awards and 16 Grammy nominations. The American magazine Rolling Stone labeled her as the 64th greatest singer (2023) in the world and The Times included her in the list of 100 most influential people in the world. Additionally, she has a Soprano vocal range and can sing at 3.0 octaves.
Moreover, the Icelandic beauty also won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. Björk also wrote the song “Bedtime Story” for Madonna and collaborated with hitmakers like Rosalia, Nellee Hooper, Sjón, Mark Bell, Anohni, and Arca. Her music is based on symbolism and as she said:
“Looking back at my album covers I can say, Oh, that was a period of peach and mint, and the air element and no bass. And this new album, Fossora, is dark, dark, dark green and dark, dark, dark red. It’s not gold it’s silver. I make music and then look at it as a third person. And that’s when I start getting information about this sonic symbolism. Like when I made Vulnicura (2015) I was like, What? I have a Greek tragedy. I had no idea. And that’s when the colours come. Vulnicura was neon yellow because of a sense of emergency. There’s trauma, a sort of sainthood of the victim, so there’s this idea of a halo.”
DISCOGRAPHY
Studio Albums
The Icelandic Queen has the hypnotic voice of a saint which spans her career from the early 70s till today. Her internationally acclaimed studio albums are as follows:
| Björk | 1977 |
| Debut | 1993 |
| Post | 1995 |
| Homogenic | 1997 |
| Vespertine | 2001 |
| Medúlla | 2004 |
| Volta | 2007 |
| Biophilia | 2011 |
| Vulnicura | 2015 |
| Utopia | 2017 |
| Fossora | 2022 |
Filmography
The list of the films she worked in is as follows:
| The Juniper Tree | 1990 |
| Dancer in the Dark | 2000 |
| Drawing Restraint 9 | 2005 |
| The Northman | 2022 |
Bibliography
Björk is a multi-talented artist who also writes books on music and her journey. The most famous was her first book in which she wrote about Icelandic fairytales and folktales. A list of her bibliography is as follows:
| Um Úrnat frá Björk | 1994 |
| Post | 1995 |
| Björk/Björk as a book | 2001 |
| Live Book | 2003 |
| Biophilia – Manual Edition | 2011 |
| Biophilia Live | 2012 |
| Björk: Archives | 2015 |
| 34 Scores for Piano, Organ, Harpsichord and Celeste | 2017 |
NET WORTH
The famed singer-songwriter and successful Icelandic woman solo artist has a net worth of USD 45 million approximately. Right now, Björk is one of the richest and most successful artists not only in Iceland but in the whole world with worldwide recognition and a dedicated fanbase. She has fans from all ages and from all over the world.
SOURCE OF INCOME
The icy queen’s stardom began with her debut album and ever since has been making records in the music industry. Her main income includes album sales, touring, collaborations with other hitmakers, record production, acting, and songwriting royalties.
FAVORITES
The world’s top music star has a various aspect of her personality being an introvert and creative woman, she takes inspiration from various events that happen in her life which are reflected in her songs as well. Surprisingly, her songs depict complex human emotions which are otherwise hard to explain in simple words. Let’s see what are her favorite things:
| Favorite Color | Pink Yellow White |
| Favorite Musicians | Kate Bush Abida Parveen James Blake Aphex Twin Tori Amos |
| Favorite Painter | Gerhard Richter |
| Favorite Albums | Thai Pop – Siamese Soul, Volume 2 Alim Qasimov – Azerbaijan: The Art of the Mugham Joni Mitchell – Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter Kate Bush – The Dreaming Nico – Desertshore Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back |
| Favorite Rapper | Titica Rye Rye Clipse |
| Favorite Writer | Georges Bataille |
| Favorite Book | Histoire de l’œil The Hearing Trumpet |
| Favorite Movie | Tampopo (1985) An Angel at My Table (1990) Sweetie (1989) The Tin Drum (1979) |
| Favorite Destination | Iceland Yakushima Japan Spain Thailand Costa Rica |
| Favorite Food | Meat Hung Smoked Sheep Head Pickled Ram’s Testicles Meat Balls |
| Favorite Chocolate | Toblerone |
| Favorite Drink | Coconut Water Macchiato |
| Favorite Fruit | Berries |
| Favorite Song | Lansob Sherek [I Will Make a Trap] – Omar Souleyman Shift al Mani [I Saw Her] – Omar Souleyman Throw A Shadow – Eyeless in Gaza Skjaldborg – Ólöf Arnalds Birch Tree – Pokrovsky Ensemble Golden Phone – Micachu and the Shapes |
| Favorite Sports | Football |
| Favorite Instrument | Piano Flute Guitar |
AWARDS
The versatile and classical cum contemporary singer has been nominated 16 times for the Grammy Awards, and Brit Awards, and has been nominated for other distinct titles. She won 143 awards and got nominations for over 324 different awards for her outstanding devotion to art and music. The popular award list won by Björk is as follows:
| Academy Awards/ Nominated | 2001 |
| Brit Awards/ Won | 1994-1998 |
| Cannes Film Festival/ Won Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity/ Won | 20002017 |
| D&AD Awards/ Won | 1996-2017 |
| Danish Music Awards/ Won | 1994-1998 |
| European Film Awards/ Won | 2000 |
| GAFFA Awards (Denmark)/ Won | 1993-2005 |
| Golden Globe Awards/ Nominated | 2001 |
| Grammy Awards/ Nominated | 1994-2023 |
| Icelandic Music Awards/ Won | 1994-2024 |
| UK Music Video Awards/ Nominated | 2008-2018 |
INTERESTING FACTS
- She was awarded the Polar Music Prize for a lifetime by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2010.
- Her music video Pagan Poetry (2001) is one of the 20 Most Controversial Videos as it illustrates several shots of Björk’s breasts and multiple body piercings on her body.
- The Icelandic singer announced not work in another movie, due to the difficulties she faced during Dancer in the Dark (2000).
- Björk ranked 36th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll.
- Known for her childlike, elastic, fresh, unique, and flexible voice.
- During her time in London, Björk developed a cockney accent.
- The singer produced her album Homogenic in Andalusia, Spain.
- Björk is also known for her political views and charitable events.
- She is a feminist, environmentalist, and anti-anarchist.
- Believe in fairytales, myths, tarot cards, and legends.
QUOTES
What probably confuses people is they know a lot about me, but it quite pleases me that there’s more they don’t know.
I find it very difficult to draw a line between what’s sex and what isn’t. It can be very, very sexy to drive a car, and completely unsexy to flirt with someone at a bar.
“The album’s very much about being alone in your house, in a very quiet sort of introverted mood and you whisper, you sort of improvise. Which is between me and myself.” (about her album ‘Vespertine’)
Sometimes doing the same thing for a long time freaks me out, routine freaks me out. But then again, always doing new things can be lazy…it’s tricky. I can be very sneaky with myself.
Why is Björk so famous?
She has been known for her peculiar style in music with 3-octave voice and music videos right from the beginning.
What does Björk mean?
Björk is a Swedish surname meaning birch. It is also an Icelandic name given to the girls.
What is Björk doing now?
She continues making songs and touring.
How old was Björk when she gave birth?
She was 20 years old when her son was born.
What music genre is Björk?
Her musical genre is Alternative/Indie.
