Bjork is fed up with being pigeonholed musically thanks to her gender and has called on music journalists to expand their minds.
Bjork expressed her distaste for how her work has been represented in the press over the years in an open letter she published on her Facebook page on Wednesday (December 21).
“dear little miss media !!!! happy winter solstice !!! (sic),” she wrote in the lengthy address. “as you know the majority of my career i havent moaned about sexism and just got on w (with) it . but im feeling there is an enormous positive current in the sky , a flow w (with) possible changes so i wanted to mention one thing… (sic).”
Bjork went on to explain she was disappointed with the reviews she had received for her DJ set at the Day for Night festival in Houston, Texas last weekend, when she brought her groundbreaking and futuristic Bjork Digital travelling virtual reality exhibit to fans in the crowd as she spun records behind the decks.
She had originally decided to go down the virtual reality route, instead of doing a traditional concert tour, to explore her creativity following the release of her Vulnicura album last year.
But as she read reviews of her DJ set at Day for Night, she found it odd her male peers, like Aphex Twin, Arca and electronic duo Matmos, who had put on similar shows at the event, did not receive the same criticism she faced.
“i am aware of that it is less of a year (sic) since i started djing publicly so this is something people are still getting used to and my fans have been incredibly welcoming to me sharing my musical journey and letting me be me,” she continued. “but some media could not get their head around that i was not ‘performing’ and ‘hiding’ behind desks (decks) . and my male counterparts not . and i think this is sexism . which at the end of this tumultuous year is something im not going to let slide : because we all deserve maximum changes in this revolutionary energy we are currently in the midst of.”
Bjork concluded her letter by encouraging female musicians to be experimental with their songwriting: “women in music are allowed to be singer songwriters singing about their boyfriends,” she added. “if they change the subject matter to atoms , galaxies , activism , nerdy math beat editing or anything else than being performers singing about their loved ones they get criticized : journalists feel there is just something missing … as if our only lingo is emo …
“men are allowed to go from subject to subject , do sci fi , period pieces , be slapstick and humorous , be music nerds getting lost in sculpting soundscapes but not women . if we dont cut our chest open and bleed about the men and children in our lives we are cheating our audience .
“lets make 2017 the year where we fully make the transformation !!! !!! the right to variety for all the girls out there (sic)!!!”
