About

Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer and producer known for her eclectic musical style and eccentric public persona. She is often considered a pioneer one of the most influential pioneers in electronic and experimental music, noted for her unique voice and complex arrangements.^[1] Though considered to be a creative genius by many, unconventional sound, distinctive fashion and surreal visual aesthetic have often led mainstream audiences to regard her as unconventional, if not outright weird.^[2] This perceived strangeness has led to Björk's music, visuals and Björk herself to become the subject of various memes.

Online History

In the 1990s, Björk was well known for her digital aesthetic and exploration of themes concerning the intersections of technology, nature, and human connection. An early adopter of the internet, she launched her website bjork.com in 1994, among the first artists to do so.^[3] For her 2001 album Vespertine, Björk used high-frequency sounds meant to survive digital compression on platforms like Napster.^[4] Throughout her career, Björk would continue to integrate digital technology in her work, releasing the Biophilia app for iOS in conjunction with the album of the same name in 2011,^[5] a fully immersive virtual reality album, Vulnicura VR, in 2019^[6] and allowing fans to purchase albums with cryptocurrency.^[7]

Reputation

Due to her status as an avant-garde artist, Björk has been characterized by the internet as a strange and whimsical figure. Satire websites like ClickHole and The Onion depict her as an otherworldly being.^[8]

This sentiment is echoed in various memes related to Björk, such as Björk's Riddle.

Early Internet

Björk has been the origin or subject of various memes on the early internet, including being referenced in the first recorded instance of the Musically Oblivious 8th Grader meme, and the source material of the I Should Buy a Boat Cat meme.

External References