Björk is sharing behind-the-scenes stories of her biggest songs

Björk is staging a series of orchestral concert live streams later this month in support of a women’s shelter in Reykjavik. Ahead of the shows, she has taken to Instagram to share some “memories of the arrangements of the songs I will perform”.

Among the songs is her 2015 track “Stonemilker”, which was written on the beach next to Icelandic nature reserve Grótta in 2012.

“The song for me is cyclical, a bit of a mini-fugue, therefore I asked Andy Huang who did the video with me if I could walk around the camera in circles and include the panorama surrounding it,” she said. “There is an emotional attempt in it to be inclusive and with the circular movement unite all, everything, between two people.”

The musician also shared the story behind her 1995 hit “Hyperballad”, stating: “‘Hyperballad’ was a lyric idea that I had in my diary for a while and I remember standing in Nellee’s studio and it fitting like a glove to this new melody.”

She added: “I recently read Jungian books about the shadow and it seems to fit this idea pretty well. I definitely was not aware of these theories when I wrote it. I guess it is about how in a relationship you isolate the shadow and deal with it on your own, without your partner... I guess it is an attempt to create a boundary and therefore you can truly come back and be generous.”

The four performances will take place in the coming weeks and will be broadcast from the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik. Björk will play alongside a different ensemble each night, including the Hamrahlíð Choir, Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and Viibra flute septet.

In a message to fans ahead of the series, Björk said: “Dear friends, I would like to invite you to some concerts to honour folks who got hit hardest in the coronavirus, and the Black Lives Matter movement, and to honour how many Icelandic musicians I have worked with through the years.”

"My input into the feminist fight is to brag about that almost all of those arrangements are by me. Unfortunately, this is something that is almost always ignored when women are arrangers," she added. 

Proceeds from the show will go to Kvennaathvarf Women's Shelter, with both in-person and online tickets available now. 

Read the behind-the-scenes stories in full below.