Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Bjork

November 21, 2012

On this date in 1965, recording artist Bjork (nee Bjork Gudmundsdottir) was born in Iceland. She studied classical piano as an elementary student in Reykjavik. When her teachers submitted a tape of her singing "I Love to Love" to Iceland's Radio One, it became a hit. Her first album was released when she was 11. She had formed two bands by age 14. She sang with an avante-garde pop band, The Sugarcubes, in 1986, which became successful internationally. Bjork ventured on a solo career in 1992, which has encompassed the dance and club culture, punk, jazz standards and ballads. She won a Best Actress award at Cannes for playing the protagonist in "Dancer in the Dark" (released in the United States in 2000), for which she also composed the score. "Dancer" also won Best Picture at Cannes. When asked if she believes in God, Bjork replied: "I do not believe in religion, but if I had to choose one, it would be Buddhism." (Les Inrockuptibles No. 14, June 16, 1995).
“I've got my own religion. Iceland sets a world-record. The United Nations asked people from all over the world a series of questions. Iceland stuck out on one thing. When we were asked what do we believe, 90% said, 'ourselves.' I think I'm in that group. If I get into trouble, there's no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself.”

— Bjork, HotPress, "Bjork on the Wild Side," 1994. Found at http://ebweb.tuwien.ac.at/ortner/tia/94/hotpress940810/hotpress940810.html or http://www.abc.se/~m8996/bjork/interviw/hotpress.html. (Source: Celebrity Atheist List.)

Compiled by Annie Laurie Gaylor -  ww.ffrf.org


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