Björk Explains Tour Cancellations, Vows to "Start Anew"

The emotional rawness and steadfast vulnerability of Björk's latest album, Vulnicura, mark what made the nine-track epic a darling to fans and critics alike, as it stepped away from the singer’s notoriously abstract style. Sadly, the blunt candor that seemed to break down Björk's conceptual fourth wall is exactly what has cut her tour in support of Vulnicura short.

Last week, it was announced that Björk had cancelled the European leg of her tour, which only included a few more dates. As Vulnicura details the end of her partnership with video artist Matthew Barney, performing such personal material seemed to take a serious toll on the Icelandic artist, and today, via Facebook post, she announced precisely why the show could not go on:

dear audience i would like to thank everyone for the concert last night !!!!!! i have no words to describe how grateful i am for this tour : i would like to thank the crew and the promoters and the musicians and the management , the designers . and most of all my personal little team and the audience !!! these have truly been some of my most sublime moments !! singing this album has been intense and the internal clock of it different to the other ones . it has sort of had to behave in its own little way . both the urgency of the leak and now this sudden closure for reasons beyond my control is characteristic of that . i hope through the years i have earned enough tourkarma points to get your support for this .  i have started writing new songs and feel the best most natural pathway to go is to let this beast flow its natural course and start anew best intentions

björk

Björk debuted her interactive music video for the album’s first track, “Stonemilker,” at MoMA PS1 back in March, and for “Black Lake” at her MoMA Retrospective. The futuristic videos have since gone viral. Upon the videos’ release, Björk remarked to Pitchfork on the album’s harrowing content, “I had like 20 technological threads of things I could have done, but the album couldn’t be futuristic. It had to be singer/songwriter. Old-school. It had to be blunt.” Bjork and Matthew Barney have one child together.

[Editor's note: Previously, this article incorrectly stated that Björk and Matthew Barney have two children together. Björk has two kids, but only one is with Barney.]  

For more Björk, check out:

A 360º Look at Björk's Two New Music Videos

Here's Björk's New Moving Album Cover

A Guide To Björk's Custom Biophilia Instruments