"Born stubborn, me, will always be," she sings. Bjork Gudmundsd—ttir was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1965, where she grew up in a communal household (though not a hippie commune, she's keen to point out). Music was played 24 hours a day. "I remember a queue by the record player," she says. "The record would finish and you'd be ready to put another one on." At the age of five she was enrolled in music school where she studied flute and piano for ten years. Then at the age of eleven she made an album with the help of her mother and friends. A big hit in Iceland, the eponymously titled Bjork featured only one song written by Bjork herself, though she became an Icelandic celebrity on the strength of its success. "I felt a lot of guilt," she admits. "I promised myself that I would never front anything unless I was the one who did it."

So at the age of 13 she started forming punk bands. First came Exodus, then Tippi Tikarrass, then K.U.K.L., a band that recorded two albums for the label run by the legendary UK anarchist band, Crass. "When I was a punk there was no such thing as Icelandic music," she says. "We had to invent it. Nobody even sung in Icelandic. Maybe now, the genius bands like Mœm and Sigur Ros come up. I think it's a second generation thing. It's not such a big deal." That first period of invention included many influences from her peers, ranging from the compendious musical knowledge of Asmunder J—nsson, a radio DJ and musicologist who now runs the Bad Taste organisation in Iceland, and Sj—n, poet, wit, dandy and experimentalist, whose discussions of surrealism with Einer …rn and Bjork led to many antagonistic, drunken and inspiring arguments on the nature of art. "Being the only girl," says Bjork, "it was my role to be a little punk. I was in a punk band with this long orange hair and no eyebrows. I'd confront the intellectuals, which is pretty brave because I didn't even have the vocabulary. It wasn't like we were fighting but it was basically instinct versus logic."

In 1987, Einerorn, Siggi Baldurson and Bjork formed a new band, called The Sugarcubes, with Thor Eldon, Magga ornolfsdottir and Bragi Olafsson. From their first single, "Birthday", they were a band with unique qualities, combining a raw post-punk feel with touches of experimental sonority, affecting melodies and Bjork's extraordinary, exultant singing. The Sugarcubes put Icelandic music on the world map, with Bjork's personality, dress sense and vocal style tailor made for an increasingly faceless music scene in desperate need of strong, innovative and self-determined individuals.

By 1992, after 4 albums, The Sugarcubes were ready to split. Their last release - a remix project - reflected Bjork's growing involvement in the UK dance scene. Beginning a lengthy professional relationship with Graham Massey, she had recorded with 808 State, singing on two tracks on EX:EL, but also pursued her love of jazz by recording the Gling-Gl— album with pianist Gudmundar Ing—lfsson's trio. Then Debut, released in July 1993, changed everything. Produced by Nellee Hooper, emerging as a leading producer after an apprenticeship in Bristol's vibrantly eclectic hip-hop scene and massive success with Soul II Soul, and featuring the string arranging and tablas of Talvin Singh and brass arrangements by Bjork and Oliver Lake, the album introduced Bjork as one of the most unusual solo artists and distinctive vocalists to appear in years.


Since Debut, her work has always followed her heart. Early days in Reykjavik listening to her grandparents' jazz collection, her mother's rock records, her classical music education, the songs, sagas and poetry of Iceland, anarchist punk bands and the arguments about surrealism were all carried with her into the musical vibrancy of London's stylistic, ethnic and artistic mix. Debut sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and was followed in 1993 by Post, an even bigger success that added Graham Massey, Howie B and Tricky to Nellee Hooper's production skills. After Post's bigger beats, deeper sub-bass and the cartoonish big band outburst of "It's Oh So Quiet", Homogenic, released in 1997, was more experimental in its contrasting textures, more bold in its intensity and structure.

In conversation, Bjork speaks often about courage and cowardice, both of which figure large in the moral framework of her creative decisions. Characteristically, she has always pulled back from situations where celebrity or habit threatened to reduce her freedom, or she has expanded into areas of high risk where the potential for learning outweighed the possibility of losing credibility or commercial leverage. Her decision to act in Dancer In The Dark, for example, exposed her to vitriolic criticism from some film critics yet earned respect among those who recognised her need to move forward and take on new challenges. Her choice of collaborators over the years - fashion designers Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan, photographers Nick Knight, Stephane Sednaoui and Nobuyoshi Araki, video director Chris Cunningham, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, remixers Dillinja, Funkstsorung and Mika Vainio - is a reflection of this desire to work with artists at the cutting edge.