Björk In Profile

Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer and songwriter of starling range, talent and flare. She originally broke into the international mainstream with her band The Sugarcubes but soon gained prominence on the charts with her solo work. Her voice -- as unique as it is powerful -- and her impressive songwriting talent are not her only assets; she's also become known for her eccentric personality, experimental artistic bravado and startling, albeit attractive, quirkiness.

Björk was introduced to music at age 11 and to punk rock as a young teenager. She played in a number punk and jazz fusion bands after graduating music school at age 15 and in 1986 helped form The Sugarcubes, whose single "Ammæli" ("Birthday") became a hit in the UK. The band signed almost immediately to Elektra Records in the US and soon after released the album Life's Too Good which became an international hit -- the first for a band of Icelandic origin.

Because of inter-group tension, however, The Sugarcubes broke up in 1992. Relocated to London, Björk began to record solo work -- releasing her debut album, Debut, in 1993. The album's single "Human Behavior" was a massive success and Björk went on to record Post in 1995 and Homogenic in 1997. Where Post was a chart success (#2 in the UK, platinum in the US), Homogenic was an experimental tour de force and served to redefine Björk's poppy sound.

In 1999, Björk collaborated on the film Dancer in the Dark with Director Lars von Trier. Björk wrote and produced the music for the film in addition to acting in the leading role. The soundtrack was released in 2000 as Selmasongs. In 2001, she released the stunning, electronically-infused album Verspertine; in 2004 she released a uniquely original vocals-only album Medúlla. Since then, she has released a number of remixes and remasterings of her earlier work, but no new full-length albums.

• Björk is married to media artist Matthew Barney. They have one daughter together.
• Björk turned many heads when she wore a Marjan Pejoski designed swan dress to the 2001 Academy Award ceremony. The dress was not made with real swan.
• Björk's use of only her first name is a usual Icelander naming convention; Guðmundsdóttir, her "last name," merely indicates her relationship to her father (Guðmundur Gunnarsson).

Solo Albums:

1993: Debut
1995: Post
1997: Homogenic
2001: Vespertine
2004: Medúlla

Soundtracks:

2000: Selmasongs: Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack Dancer in the Dark
2005: Drawing Restraint 9

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