Björk Gives First TV Performance In Eight Years

After an eight year long TV hiatus, Icelandic musician Björk gave a memorable appearance on the BBC last night, during the latest episode of ‘Later…With Jools Holland.’

Against the dreamy backdrop of a heavenly garden, Björk performed in a pink, bodycon, embellished dress and matching mask, choosing a wonderful revisitation of “The Anchor Song” from her 1993 album ‘Debut,’ as well as “Courtship,” from her latest album ‘Utopia.’

Björk’s latest album is far from the avant-pop music of her early career, and while electronic beats form a large part of its core, it also exists on an orchestral scale. In particular, flutes dominate the album, giving an airy sound as she sang accompanied by Vibra, her specially assembled flute ensemble.

“On ‘Utopia’ I kind of gravitated towards everything that was light and happy, because I had overdosed on seriousness,” Björk told The Grapevine. “Flutes are probably the lightest musical instruments. They are fluffy—they’re wind, and flow.”

This wasn’t Björk’s first live performance since the release of ‘Utopia.’ In April, she held two concerts billed as “dress rehearsals” in Iceland in preparation for her upcoming ‘Utopia’ tour. In addition, she also took part in a project helmed by WeTransfer, appearing in the first instalment of a new documentary series called ‘Work In progress,’ where Björk and her video collaborator Jesse Kanda went back to their roots and sources of inspiration.

Her latest release is a new three-track remix EP which will be available on “Slug Genitalia coloured” vinyl according to Pitchfork, and can now be listened to on iTunes and Spotify.

Read our Utopian interview with Björk here.