Author: Zoe Anderson
Björk in Bordeaux, 5th of December 2023 for her Cornucopia tour.
Photo Creds: Santiago Felipe
Friday the 21st of November is fast approaching. While this day might not seem very significant, it is actually the famous Icelandic singer Björk’s 60th birthday. Björk, born in 1965, initially started making music when she was 11 and produced an album called Björk in 1977. Eventually, she formed a band called The Sugarcubes in 1986. The Sugarcubes were an alternative rock band that formed in Reykjavík and were together for 6 years. In 1992 The Sugarcubes disbanded, and Björk began focusing more on her solo career.
Despite her debut album, Debut, being released in July 1993, her newest album, Fossora, was released in September 2022 and features songs like Atopos and Ovule. Björk describes this album as more of a grounding-like feel. In her words, “…the feeling was landing on the earth and digging my feet into the ground.” For context, her last album, Utopia (released in November 2017) was based on the feeling of being on an island in the clouds, so Fossora was meant to be a “return from the clouds.”
The word Fossora is actually a made-up word by Björk. Supposedly, it’s the feminine word for Fossore, which means a digger/delver/ditcher. Björk also calls this album her “mushroom album”, and if you listen to it, it definitely gives a fungal vibe in the best way. When you listen to Fossora, you almost enter a trance-like state. This album is definitely a perfect embodiment of experimental, yet grounding music.
Björk is my all-time favorite musician, and I’m looking forward to going to some dj set covers of her songs in honor of her birthday next week. Some of my favorite songs of hers are Hidden place from her album Vespertine, Hyperballad from her album Post, and Triumph of a Heart from her album Medulla. I first discovered her music when I was 16 and driving to Seattle for the first time. I remember the Seattle skyline getting closer and closer into view as I was blasting her song, All Is Full of Love. It was definitely a magical moment, and All Is Full of Love was the perfect song to listen to while glimpsing the Space Needle for the first time.
I hope she comes out with a new album soon! And I’m curious to see what her theme will be this time. Happy birthday Björk!
Zoe Anderson | Music Reporter