Björk Announces Grief-Inspired New Album ‘Fossora’
Björk will release a new album, Fossora, this fall. The Icelandic singer confirmed the LP, her 10th full-length effort, in a new interview with The Guardian, revealing that it was partially inspired by the 2018 death of her mother, Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir.
The album’s title, Fossora, is the feminine version of the Latin word for “digger.” The songs were written during and after the Covid lockdown, which saw the singer returning to her home country. “I don’t think I’ve been that much home since I was 16,” she said. “Guilty to admit it, but I was eating chocolate pudding every day. I got really grounded and I really, really loved it.”
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According to the article, the LP features a collaboration with Serpentwithfeet, as well as backing vocals from Björk’s son, Sindri, and her daughter, Doa. It also includes contributions from Indonesian dance duo Gabber Modus Operandi (“They’re taking tradition into the 21st century, which I really respect,” the singer noted. “They do it like nobody else.”).
Two of the album’s tracks, “Sorrowful Soil” and “Ancestress,” were inspired by the death of Hauksdóttir, an environmental activist. When her mother died, Björk remembers her being unhappy being surrounded by traditional doctors after having embraced alternative medicine during her life. “She didn’t agree with all that,” Björk noted. “She was in the hospital a lot and it was really difficult on her. It was quite a struggle.”
In the interview, Björk describes the album as a “mushroom album.” She added, “It’s like digging a hole in the ground. This time around, I’m living with moles and really grounding myself.”
Björk also confirmed that she has been scouring her musical archives to make a podcast series about her discography, which is due out this fall alongside the LP.
The musician’s last full-length album, Utopia, was released in 2017.
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