Björk Collaborates With Hamrahlíð Choir on ‘Sonnets’

The Hamrahlíð Choir has released their new single “Sonnets,” created in collaboration with Björk for their upcoming album, Come and Be Joyful.

Come And Be Joyful by The Hamrahlíð Choir

The entirely a cappella choir piece, composed by Björk and set to a poem by e.e. cummings, was first premiered as part of Björk’s critically acclaimed Cornucopia show at New York’s the Shed venue last year. Björk was a member of the Icelandic choir as a teenager, and adapted her Medulla track “Sonnets,” as well as the Biophilia song “Cosmogony,” for the performance. The Hamrahlíð Choir was also featured on her 2017 album Utopia, and all 52 choristers performed with her at every live show on the Cornucopia tour in 2019.

Earlier this month, the choir released their other Björk collaboration “Cosmogony” as a single. Both will be included on Come and Be Joyful, out December 4th, along with traditional Icelandic folk songs.

In August, Björk performed a trio of live shows in her native Iceland, which has begun the process of reopening after nearly eliminating the coronavirus from the country. The three shows were also livestreamed to raise money for domestic women’s charities in both Iceland and worldwide. In announcing the show, Björk expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and encouraged her audience to “fine comb out all our hidden prejudices and privileges.”