i am sassa

I linked my favorite song by Björk below. It was released when I was six years old, when she was with her band The Sugarcubes. I don’t remember how old I was the first time I heard it, but I never forgot it. It has remained one of my favorite songs of all time. I love all of her music, but that one is nostalgic to me because it was the first time I’ve ever heard someone use their voice that way. That gutteral, growl-scream that feels real and ancient. Björk’s music is so weird by traditional Western standards that I think her authenticity is the only thing that ever made her a household name.

I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m pretty weird myself. I grew up feeling like a total alien around everyone. The things that interest me are usually odd to other people, and what drives me is not what is “supposed” to drive me. All this is to say that Björk is a badass to me because she is one of the first examples I ever saw of a true oddball who seemed to unapologetically embrace herself as such. She birthed beautifully unique gifts out into the world, and never bought into the parameters of the mainstream. In fact, the Sugarcubes turned down quite a few hefty label offers and disbanded on good terms, simply not wanting to trade pure art for the life that fame would bring. Björk says her first music came from a place of terror of the small-town mentality of mediocrity, materialism, and narrow-mindedness. That she wanted to put something out that didn’t exist before. And I really believe she has; her voice, her music, her style, are all truly unique, while retaining an undeniable authentic quality.

There are plenty of other reasons that Björk could have made my list. She’s an outspoken activist who’s won a zillion awards. But all of that, to me, pales in comparison to how inspired I feel as an artist and human listening to her sing.

Thank you, Björk.