Björk explains how she was ‘offended’ by Kate Bush being branded a ‘crazy witch’
‘If we were guys, we would be taken more seriously,’ Icelandic singer said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Björk has celebrated Kate Bush’s recent resurgence, admitting that she was “always quite offended by how often” the “Running Up That Hill” singer was branded “insane or a crazy witch” during her career peak.
The prominent Eighties British pop singer first gained success with her 1978 UK chart-topping song, “Wuthering Heights”.
However, Bush performed live very rarely over the course of her career due to the anxiety she faces on stage.
While she remained largely out of the music world, Stranger Things’ inclusion of her 1985 single “Running Up That Hill” quickly brought Bush’s song to the top of the UK charts, 37 years later.
Speaking in a new interview with NME, fellow singer Björk couldn’t “even start to describe” her happiness for Bush dominating the charts again.
The Icelandic singer – whose latest album Fossora was released today (30 September) – recalled Bush’s earlier career when male critics were dismissive of her music, saying that “writing from a woman’s point of view was considered a lesser art form”.
“I was always quite offended by how often Kate Bush was written about like she was insane or a crazy witch – or me being a crazy elf,” Björk continued.
“We are producers. I’ve written all my scores for 20 years, you know. I’m not bragging, I’m just saying that because people still want me to be a naive elf.”
She added: “If we were guys, we would be taken more seriously. Finally, Gen Z-ers can imagine a woman’s production or a woman’s world and it not seem insane or a thing that they have to ridicule or be scared of.”
Björk further clarified that “I definitely don’t want women to take over; I’m quite happy to do 50/50”.
“Let’s do 50 per cent ‘beers and tits’ and 50 per cent other stuff,” she quipped. “I’ll settle for that.”
Fossora is out now.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments