Björk began working on '' Utopia '' soon after releasing '' Vulnicura '' in 2015 . Upon winning the award for International Female Solo Artist at the 2016 Brit Awards , Björk did not appear as she was busy recording her new album . In an interview published in March 2016 , Björk likened the writing to " paradise " as opposed to '' Vulnicura '' being " hell ... like divorce . " Speaking to '' Fader '' in March 2017 , filmmaker and collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang said that he had been involved with Björk on her new album , stating that " quite a bit of it " had already been written , and that the " new album 's gon na be really future-facing , in a hopeful way that I think is needed right now . " '' Utopia '' was announced via social media on 2 August 2017 with a handwritten note by Björk . The announcement coincided with '' Dazed '' s autumn 2017 cover issue with Björk which included the announcement of few song titles . The lead single , " The Gate " was announced on 12 September for a digital release the following week but received a surprise midnight release on 15 September . The same day of the single 's release , Björk announced the album 's title , '' Utopia '' , during an interview with Nowness , stating she had " a thousand name suggestions " and " could n't think of anything better , " but it was open to change . The release date of November 24 and cover art were unveiled on 31 October . Jesse Kanda , Arca 's frequent collaborator and director of Björk 's " Mouth Mantra " music video designed the cover , which incorporated a silicone mask designed by frequent collaborator and mask maker James Merry
2016 Brit Awards
2016 Brit Awards
Utopia (Björk album)