Björk and Rosalía to Release Collaborative Fish Farming Protest Song Tomorrow

"Oral" was co-produced by Sega Bodega

Photo: Vidar Logi (right)

BY Sydney BrasilPublished Nov 20, 2023

This is not a drill: Björk and Rosalía are releasing a song together. The two icons have pooled their resources for a noble yet niche cause: fish farming in Björk's home country of Iceland.

UPDATE (11/20, 10:10 a.m. ET): The track, "Oral," will officially be released tomorrow (November 21). Co-produced by Sega Bodega, the dancehall beat-inspired tune was originally recorded by Björk 25 years ago.

"I think somehow there is an elegant resonance between the fact that both of our voices are the same age on the recording," she wrote on X of Rosalía's contribution, adding that the Spanish artist's "experiments with the genre and her incredible voice made her an obvious guest for the song."

 

So far, only a minute-and-fifteen-second clip of the track exists on YouTube. There's no official track title, as the video is listed as "help fight fish farming in iceland." It's an acapella snippet of the two singers repeating, "Is that the right thing to do? I just don't know."

Once the full track is released later this month, the proceeds will help pay the legal fees of Fjord Seyðisfjörður residents protesting a new fish farm in the area. Björk explained the situation in greater detail, saying that farmed fish in the region suffer "horrid health conditions." Since these salmon are escaping, they have altered the DNA of the wild fish, which could lead to their extinction. 

"The majority of the nation already agrees with us, so this protest is about putting the will of the people into our rule-systems," Björk wrote in a statement.

Listen to the clip of the upcoming track below.

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