Photo: Press
In a winter solstice open letter, Björk has taken to Facebook to lambast negative reviews after her headline DJ set at Houston's Day for Night festival. Addressing "little miss media", Björk claimed: "Some media could not get their head around that I was not "performing" and "hiding" behind desks. And my male counterparts not. I think this is sexism".
Björk reacted strongly to the criticism that was labelled at her, a rare female artist on the festival bill, and not to other acts using a similar set up, such as Aphex Twin. However, she quickly moved on to more general points, stating that "we all deserve maximum changes in this revolutionary energy we are currently in the midst of."
Björk believes this to be the ability of the artist to "have a costume change and walk out of this role". Making a name for her transformations, and often unique subject matter, such as "pregnant suicide bombers and for the independence of faroe islands and greenland", Björk critiqued the stereotyping of female artists into particular topics and roles.
While Volta and Biophilia found often lukewarm critical praise, she claims it was not until last year's Vulnicura, "where I shared a heartbreak, I got full acceptance from the media." Female artists "are allowed to be singer songwriters singing about their boyfriends...as if our only lingo is emo, but Björk now believes that the change is in the air that will lead to "the right to variety for all the girls out there."
And there's a festive slice of feminism to warm the Christmas cockles.
