Mouth Mantra

Album: Vulnicura (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Björk underwent surgery for vocal cord nodes in late 2012. For a three-week period after her operation the Icelandic songstress was unable to speak. In this song, she expresses her feelings of sadness and inability when she had to be oh, so quiet. Björk recalled to Rolling Stone that during those weeks of silence, "My daughter and I made notes for each other - it became like a game."
  • Most of the music video was filmed from the inside of Björk's mouth. Director Jesse Kanda, a frequent collaborator of the song's co-producer, Arca, shot the clip in London and Reykjavik with Sony Action and Sony F55 cameras.

    "I am so extremely grateful to Jesse to be up for going on this journey," Björk wrote about the visual. "It was brave of him to take it on and I feel spoiled having witnessed him grow… his dedication and devotion is overwhelming !!!

    Jesse Kanda added; "If there's one thing I'd like for people to take away from this video, it's the power of vulnerability. That is what Björk's album Vulnicura is all about to me, and hopefully this video reflects that. It's about having the courage to express yourself and seeing yourself in that mirror. Doing something that scares the s--t out of you and sharing it, growing from it, spreading love and courage to others and making the world a warmer place to be and relate to each other."

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