In 1993, Björk was in the middle of a transformation. She had just released her debut solo album Debut, the record that would introduce her to the world not as the pixie-punk singer of The Sugarcubes, but as a wholly original artist with an electronic, emotional, and wildly imaginative voice.
Kevin Cummins, already famous for his stark, intimate portraits of Manchester’s music scene, was one of the photographers who understood how to bring out an artist’s essence without overwhelming it. When Björk stepped in front of his lens, the chemistry was instantaneous.
The shoot took place in London in early 1993, during a promotional run that had Björk floating between interviews, rehearsal spaces, and studio sessions. Cummins preferred simple, almost bare environments—places where a subject’s personality had room to breathe.
He put Björk near soft natural light, letting her expressive face and luminous eyes take center stage. She wore minimal styling: knitted textures, soft fabrics, pieces that looked like they’d been chosen from her own eclectic wardrobe.
Björk came in buzzing – excited, curious, and playful. She had a habit of drifting around the room, examining props and surfaces, humming melodies under her breath, the same way she approached sound in the studio. Cummins didn’t pose her aggressively; he watched and adjusted, capturing moments where she seemed lost in her own inner landscape.
One of the most striking images from the session shows Björk looking directly into the camera, wide-eyed, her expression half-serious, half-mischievous. Cummins later said the key to photographing her was to let her lead. She didn’t need direction, she needed freedom.
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