Synopsis
Icelandic pop star Bjork Gudmundsdottir has a career stretching back for over 25 years. She released her first album at the tender age of 11, and since her band the Sugarcubes imploded in the early 1990s, has blossomed into a unique artist, a devotee of the avant-garde who nevertheless enjoys an enormous popular following. Born in Reykjavik in 1965, Bjork spent her childhood shuttling between the homes of her electrician father and hippie mother. She displayed a gift for music at a very early age and developed highly eclectic tastes, showing equal enthusiasm for Stockhausen and ABBA. Her rendition of the Tina Charles hit "I Love to Love" at a school function was so impressive that it received airplay on Iceland's national radio station, and she was subsequently signed up to record an Icelandic-language album of cover versions and traditional songs. During her teens, Bjork became immersed in the battleground of Reykjavik's notoriously seditious punk scene, playing for bands such as Spit and Snot and Tappi Tikarrass, among others. At 19, Bjork became pregnant by Kukl bandmate Por Eldon; the birth of their son, Sindri, did nothing to divert her from her quest to make music. In 1986, Kukl mutated into the Sugarcubes, whose pop offerings soon found favour in the UK, Europe and the US. After supporting U2 on their Zoo TV tour in 1992, the Sugarcubes drifted apart. The success of Bjork's solo album Debut, released in 1993, took everyone by surprise; the record company budgeted to sell a total of 40,000 copies, but by the end of the year it had notched up sales of over a million worldwide. Follow-ups Post and Vespertine have firmly established Bjork's reputation as a pop pioneer. Meanwhile, her starring role in Lars Von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" showcased her acting talents - and her refusal to dance to the director's tune led to a famous clash in which the artist is said to have tried to eat her own costume. Drawing on exclusive interviews with numerous close family members, past bandmates and collaborators, music journalist Mark Pytlik has constructed a vivid portrait of one of the most intriguing characters in modern pop music.
About the Author
Mark Pytlik is a music journalist who has written about music for a wide variety of publications, including The National Post, NME.com, HMV.com, Canoe.ca and Allmusic. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.
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