The US president has repeatedly suggested that Greenland should become part of the United States, arguing that the territory is needed for national security. The comments have drawn widespread backlash in Greenland and Denmark, where leaders and residents have rejected the idea outright.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, dismissed the proposal as a “fantasy” and told Trump to stop. Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the US president has no right to annex any nation within the Danish kingdom.
Greenland has been self-governed since the late 1970s and is home to about 57,000 people. While it controls many domestic matters, Denmark still oversees foreign policy and defence.
Now, Icelandic music icon Björk has added her voice to the debate. In a statement shared on social media, she urged Greenlanders to hold on to their push for independence and warned against replacing one form of control with another.
“I wish all Greenlanders blessing in their fight for independence,” she wrote. Björk pointed to Iceland’s own history, noting that her country broke away from Danish rule in 1944. “We didn’t lose our language,” she said, adding that she feels deep sympathy for Greenlanders.
She also referenced the scandal involving forced contraception imposed on Greenlandic women in the 1960s and early 1970s, and accused Denmark of continuing to treat Greenlanders as “second class humans” even today.
“Colonialism has repeatedly given me horror chills up my back,” Björk wrote. “The chance that my fellow Greenlanders might go from one cruel coloniser to another is too brutal to even imagine.” She ended her message with a clear call: “Dear Greenlanders, declare independence!”
The debate has intensified amid broader global tensions and recent US military actions abroad, which have fuelled concerns about American expansionism. Leaders beyond Denmark have also pushed back. UK prime minister Keir Starmer said that only Denmark and Greenland can decide the territory’s future, while a spokesperson for the European Union rejected claims that the bloc wants the island under US control.
Björk’s comments are consistent with her long history of political activism. She has previously supported independence movements in Tibet and Kosovo, backed Scottish independence in 2014, and more recently joined the ‘No Music For Genocide’ campaign in response to the war in Gaza. That campaign has seen several artists restrict their music in Israel.
In past interviews, Björk has said she does not see herself as a politician, but as a musician with a responsibility to express human emotions and stand up for what she believes in. She has also been outspoken on climate change, working alongside figures such as David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg.
Björk’s most recent studio album, Fossora, was released in 2022, and reports suggest new music could arrive in 2026. For now, however, she is using her platform to urge Greenlanders to shape their own future — free from what she sees as the lasting harms of colonial rule.
Tags:
News
