Björk picks her favourite Kate Bush album
Björk, the Icelandic pop icon with a career spanning more than four decades marked by unparalleled originality, stands as an ardent enthusiast and diligent scholar of the enchanting realm of music. Throughout her illustrious journey, she has crossed paths with some of the most revered artists in history.
While deciphering Björk’s influences amid her unique vocals and ever-experimental electronic sound can be challenging, she has openly acknowledged some unexpected sources of inspiration. The avant-garde offerings of the Icelandic composer may appear galaxies apart from the gentle folk stylings of Joni Mitchell, yet Björk has consistently defied predictability in her musical journey.
Although Mitchell’s unconventional nature resonated with a young Björk, her infatuation with the enchanting Kate Bush is also well-documented. For Björk, Bush’s impact permeates every aspect of her musical approach, encompassing specific arrangements and an overarching conviction that a woman’s distinctiveness in the music industry is a wellspring of strength rather than a vulnerability.
In a considerable portion of Björk’s body of work, the influence of Bush is distinctly felt—an unsurprising fact given that Björk has openly referred to Bush as one of her heroes. In her own words: “[Bush is] one of the biggest pioneering producers. Everybody just says, ‘Oh, she’s just a singer. She’s just a chick’. But they forget all the other work she’s done, that woman. She’s very, very, very gorgeous.”
Björk also discussed how Bush was treated by the media during her rise to prominence, stating that the scrutiny she suffered “was kind of sexist,” adding: “People thought that Kate Bush was insane. People were embarrassed about admitting that they actually liked her and I think that is something, actually, one good thing about feminism nowadays is that she is not a threat at all.”
When asked by The Rest Is Noise to reveal her favourite albums, it is not surprising that Björk included Bush’s fourth studio album, The Dreaming. As a highly futuristic genre-blender who seamlessly incorporates various musical elements, much of Björk’s sound seems to resemble The Dreaming, with a touch of Bush’s debut, The Kick Inside.
Both artists have played pivotal roles in reshaping the landscape for women in music. For instance, Bush is the first woman to attain a solo number one hit in the UK with a self-penned and self-performed song. While gender equality in recognition is still a work in progress, trailblazers like Björk and Bush persist in breaking ground and contributing to the overdue acknowledgement of women’s contributions in the music industry.
