Björk Speaks Out About Politics In Iceland

In an interview with Grapevine, the artist talks about her new album, corruption in Icelandic politics, misogyny, and more.

Björk spoke very candidly about a variety of subjects apart from her new album, ‘Utopia’, some of which went beyond the songwriting process. Björk believes that the left wing in Iceland is in dire need of reflection and new ideas, and that corruption has mired both sides of the aisle.

“I think change is possible,” said Björk. “But I think it’s become obvious that the governments are not going to save us and change our cities. We‘re going to have to do it from the ground up, and the sooner the better. It might seem utopian now, but we can totally do it. We’ve got to go green, and we’ve got to be intentional about it. It’s so far out that it’s even hard to even imagine right now. Imagining Iceland with no oil—it’s like a sci-fi novel. But we have to do it. We don’t have a choice.”

“We’ve been pointing our fingers at the right, saying that all the misogyny and corruption was there,” she continued. “And that‘s true—but it‘s also in the left, and that needs to be addressed and revolutionised, not just going by something that worked in the 1960s. The reason why we haven’t been able to form a left-wing government in last two elections isn’t just a problem of the right. It’s apparent that the left have just as much of an infrastructural problem as the right. I think they need to renew the idea of what it is to be a socialist.”

The full interview hits the streets December 8th, and will likely go online before then. Stay tuned!