Björk condemns cancel culture: “Younger males have to have an opportunity to evolve”
Icelandic musician Björk has never been afraid to tackle controversy. Ahead of the release of her new album, she has spoken out about cancel culture and her recent ties to the subject, in an open decree for a need to allow for a “grey area”.
Speaking to Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic, she spoke at length about the ardent socio-political climate currently prevalent in America and the west. “I think it’s more about the future and where we’re going,” she said. “Take the heat off the moment, because it’s unsolvable.”
The musician opined that cancel culture appears rather merciless and that we need to be more forgiving in order to allow change to take hold. “If you cancel everyone, that’s not a solution,” she noted. “Especially with younger males, they have to have an opportunity to evolve and grow and learn.”
She was drawn to comment on the subject because of the connections her latest album, Fossora, has to it. The record features contributions from Ican Harem from the Indonesian band Gabber Modus Operand. Harem was accused of sexual assault back in August.
This led Björk to remove his voice from the title track and edit his presence out of the video for the lead single ‘Atopos’. However, the content of the single itself seems to touch upon the matter as Björk sings: “To insist on absolute justice at all time / It blocks connection.”
With this in mind, the musician commented: “I want to have courage to be in the grey area.” This notion also comes from a place of direct involvement as Björk recently accused an anonymous Danish director of subjecting her to sexual harassment.
Much of the rest of Fossora seemingly has abstract ties to elements of current cultural hot topics and Björk’s nuanced views on them. The album is set for release on September 30th.
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