Björk studied classical music (including the flute and piano) and learned to sing at the children's music conservatory in Reykjavik. Björk's first recording was at the age of 11; the self-titled album Björk consists of Icelandic children’s songs and some translated Beatles and [Stevie Wonder]? songs.
At 14 she formed an all-girl punk band in the spirit of the Sex Pistols, under the title "Spit and Snot" and dedicated to rebelling against cute, sissy, feminine girls who don't have the guts to do things. Björk -- with orange hair and shaved eyebrows -- took the position as drummer.
Björk has said that after a while, the limited range punk offered bored her, and she moved on to join the the Bad Taste group in producing art, poems, performances, and music. Several members of this group went on to form [The Sugarcubes]?, often namechecked as being one of the best of Euro pop groups. At 19, while with The Sugarcubes, Björk gave birth to her son Sindri.
The Sugarcubes did many collaborations with DJs and other musicians who would remix their work, something that has been seen to great effect in Björk's later work. After The Sugarcubes split in the early 1990s, Björk released a small album of jazz musings entitled Gling Gló, recorded mostly in Icelandic with the Guðmundur Ingólfssonar trio.
But the album that launched her new solo career was Debut, an unpredictable album grooving with beats that reflected her collaborations with notables in the London dance scene of the time. Debut marked the path for her career.
Her second album, Post samples a wide variety of sounds, from the industrial techno of "Army of Me" to the big band cover "It's Oh So Quiet" to the quivering crash of "Hyper-ballad" to the lush strings of "Isobel". She later released the remix album "Telegram", changing the moods of many of her songs from Post.
Her third album she titled with a word she made up to convey the sense of the songs on the album. Homogenic symbolizes the unity and thread of minimalism in the songs, which consist of beats, strings and Björk's voice. While Debut was songs she gathered upon herself though her life and Post, she stated, was about breaking free and taking a step towards the present.
In 1999, Björk offered her musical skills to Danish director Lars von Trier -- the Dogme 95 stalwart noted for movies such as Breaking The Waves and The Idiots. His next movie was to be a musical, and Björk agreed to write all the songs for it; eventually von Trier convinced Björk into taking the star role in the movie as well. The resulting film Dancer in the Dark won critical acclaim for her portrayal of a Czech immigrant going blind, and for her soundtrack album, Selmasongs.
Björk then set herself to creating her next album, “Vespertine”, released in 2001.
With The Sugarcubes: “Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week” “Lifes Too Good” “It’s It” “Stick Around For Joy”
Solo: “Debut” “Gling-Glo” “Post” “Telegram” “Homogenic” “Selmasongs” “Vespertine”
Björk's homepage: http://www.bjork.com/unity/
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