Icelandic musician Björk has offered a rather fresh take on the global state of affairs, admitting she’s feeling surprisingly optimistic about the future of the planet.
Björk made her comments in a new interview with Paper, where she spoke at length about her Cornucopia concert tour, which ran from 2019 – 2023. Not named for a specific album but thematically associated with 2017’s Utopia, the tour itself was a large-scale theatrical production which was described as her most ambitious to date.
Alongside elements of science fiction, the live show’s narrative was heavily focused around environmental concerns, with Björk ultimately asking the audience to think of contemporary issues affecting the world – such as the Paris Climate Accord (which newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump removed the U.S from once again).
“If we think of whatever climate accord we’re trying to reach as completely unreachable, then we’ll never be able to meet these goals,” Björk explained. “The only way to do it is to imagine a future and then step into it. We have to write climate accords that we can reach. We have to keep tweaking it until we get it right. And I’m hoping the next generation, when they take over, they’ll think about it in a different way and come up with different solutions, green ways of living.”
As she continued, Björk discussed her own experiences with activism, noting how her 2007 track “Declare Independence” was her first foray into blending art and activism – a concept she previously found laughable but eventually grew to embrace. Despite the doom and gloom going on in the world, however, she explained that she’s feeling “very excited about 2025”.
“There have always been apocalypses. We had Noah and the flood, we’ve had plagues,” she explained. “There’s always been this narrative, and now I think it’s about being active and being part of the solution. And also to have the courage to imagine a future and be in it, to be it. To inspire your work locally in your community or however you think you can make a difference. It is important.
“I do find it hard to watch some of these post-apocalyptic shows or films,” she adds. “It’s like you’ve just given up — the nihilism, the self-pity, it’s like it’s cool to give up. [Laughs] I don’t think it’s cool to give up. So it’s about figuring out how we can keep humanity and soul in the future worlds we’re building, where nature and technology can collaborate. But I think it is possible. I think with imagination, biology can take it, biology will be fine. Biology always wins.”
In September 2024, Björk previewed her Cornucopia concert film as part of Climate Week, with the film – which showcases a live performance of her tour, filmed in Lisbon, Portugal – arriving on Apple TV on Friday (Jan. 24).
