Bjork

Bjork Gudmundsdottir was born November 21, 1965, in Reykjavik, Iceland. The road to becoming Iceland's most well-known musician does not come without hard work. Young Bjork started her musical training by studying the flute, piano and voice. She was no stranger to rock music; her stepfather was also a member of a rock band in Iceland.

bjork forms kukl, Before becoming a solo act -- a phenomenally successful solo act, one might add -- Bjork was the vocalist for several bands throughout her career. In 1977, Bjork recorded her first album. Her self-titled debut included a tribute to Iceland's greatest landscape artist, Johannes S. Kjarval. Two years later, the eccentric 13 year old became a member of two other bands: an all-girl punk rock band called Spit and Snot, and Exodus. Exodus actually made an appearance on Icelandic television. Bitio fast I vitio, Exodus's first album, was released in 1981.

Bjork next formed a new group called Kukl (Icelandic for "witch"). She put all her creative energy in the new band, and together they released two albums. Kukl went on a European tour before calling it quits in 1986.

bjork forms the sugarcubes, While 1986 marked the end for Kukl, it marked a new beginning for Bjork and her husband, guitarist Thor Eldon, who saw the birth of their son Sindri that same year. 1986 also saw the birth of The Sugarcubes, a new band formed by Bjork, her husband and several Kukl members.

In 1987, the success of the band's first single, "Birthday," took effect and The Sugarcubes landed a record deal with Elektra. While their debut album, Life's Too Good (1988), was a huge critical success in both Europe and the U.S., Here Today Tomorrow Next Week (1989) did not do as well. Between the band's second album and Stick Around For Joy (1992), Bjork recorded Gling Glo, a collection of popular jazz tunes.

In 1992, the single "Hit," off the album Stick Around For Joy was a huge success, but unfortunately, The Sugarcubes did not stick around for more joy and broke up that year.

bjork becomes a solo artist, It wasn't difficult for Bjork to pursue a successful solo career, since she was undeniably the star of The Sugarcubes. On her own, after breaking up with her husband, Bjork moved to London with her son in 1993 and was ready to begin her solo career.

Bjork's appropriately titled solo album, Debut, was a huge commercial hit, and also marked a departure from her post-punk rock scene, as Bjork opted to delve into a style that was influenced by the British dance scene. With the success of the album and the single "Human Behaviour," Bjork's success had crossed the Atlantic to the United States.

Two years later, Bjork's sophomore solo album, Post was released, but did not see the same success as Debut. Telegram, which featured remixed or rerecorded versions of Post's tracks, was released in 1997.

bjork tries her hand at acting, Bjork took home the Best Actress award at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival for her role in the musical Dancer in the Dark (2000). Playing a factory worker in the film, she also wrote and performed the film's score. She decided that acting wasn't her thing and went on to record the album Vespertine (2001). It was Bjork's fastest-selling album yet, as it sold more than two million copies in its first year.

After giving birth to her second child in 2002, Bjork took some time off. She began working on Medulla (2004) a year later, and this marked one of her most innovative works, as it is completely voice-based. That's right: No instruments were used for this record. Any drum-like noises were made by beatboxers or Bjork's voice.

After releasing coffee table books, CD box sets and a number of remixes, Bjork completed her next full-length album, Volta, in 2007. It was written and produced entirely by Bjork herself, although she did call up Timbaland to ask for his advice on certain tracks. One thing is for sure: We haven't seen the last of this eccentric singer.

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