Isadra Bjarkardttir Barney Is Bjrk's Daughter of Many Talents

Isadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney is an exceptionally talented creative who goes by many names, like Doa Barney. However, as she gradually makes a name for herself, most people still know her as Björk's daughter.

Isadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney was born to Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk and her then-New York artist partner, Matthew Barney. Her parents were together for over a decade before their relationship ended, and it did not end on good terms.

Barely in her twenties, Isadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney has used her few years on earth well. She has collaborated musically with her famous mother and friends and appeared on screen with A-list actors.

Bjork, Matthew Barney and their daughter Isadora at the 2005 Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2005. | Source: Getty Images

Doa Split Her Year between New York City and Reykjavik in Her Youth

Björk married her first husband, Sugarcubes bandmate Þór Eldon in the same year as the band's formation. They had a son, Síndri Eldon Þórsson, during their brief marriage, on June 8, 1986. The duo divorced a year later.

The Icelandic avant-garde star met Brooklyn-based visual artist Matthew Barney while promoting her 2000 film "Dancer in the Dark" in New York. They began dating soon after meeting and had a daughter, Doa, on October 3, 2002, in London, England.

Doa's middle name is in the Icelandic tradition of using words derived from the father or mother. Bjarkardóttir essentially means "daughter of Björk." A family friend called her "a very lively, innovative, sweet child" from her early days.

Bjork and daughter Isadora Barney are seen in Soho on March 6, 2012, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Growing up, she spent her fall semester in the Nordic island country of Iceland and attended St. Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights in the spring. Throughout the year, she had a tutor who traveled with her.

After graduating high school, she was accepted at Pitzer College near downtown Los Angeles where she studied liberal arts. She took many courses that interested her but told The Face in 2022:

"I would like to have a focus on acting – possibly [with] a more production standpoint, to have that kind of background."

Matthew Barney and Bjork attend AMERICAN PATRONS of TATE Artists' Dinner at Hearst Tower on May 4, 2010, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Isadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney's Parents Had an Awful Public Spat

Isadóra's father left her mother, Björk, in 2013 for an artist he had been collaborating with, abruptly ending their 13-year relationship.

She shared scenes with Anya Taylor-Joy.

Years later, the betrayal was still fresh, with Björk singing, "Family was always our sacred mutual mission/Which you abandoned," on her 2015 studio album "Vulnicura."

That same year the American artist sued his former partner for equal time with his daughter. He claimed that his ex was "effectively sacrificing Doa's emotional well-being" and putting all the blame for the dilution of their family unit on him.

In 2017 she released "Sue Me," whose lyrics say, "Sue me, sue me, sue me all you want/I won't denounce her origin." Doa only became aware of the extent of her parents' public falling out. In an interview when she was 18, she explained:

"I was really well protected through all of it. It was a weird age – I was 11 and 12. Luckily, they're pretty niche when it comes to their audience! Fellow 12-year-olds weren't really listening to Björk or looking at Matthew Barney's art!"

Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The Northman" at TCL Chinese Theatre, on April 18, 2022, in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images

Doa Barney Is a College Dropout and Miu Miu Muse

Since her early teens, Doa had shown an interest in acting and got her first chance at the big screen when she was cast in "The Northman," starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, and her mother before graduating high school.

She shared scenes with Anya Taylor-Joy as an Irish slave girl with a singing talent on the Icelandic farm she's held captive. The delayed shooting schedule occurred in Belfast during the 2020 pandemic when she turned 18.

During the UK lockdown in the UK, her mother encouraged her to make a film as a birthday gift. The teenager reflected that her mother was "sweet" to make the request, which was a good distraction.

The result is a short film of just under nine minutes, "Almanac," uploaded to YouTube in November 2020. The cheeky variations of her name credit her with all the roles to put the short together.

Doa has been involved in many musical projects. She recorded with friends under the band name FOOD and co-wrote "Her Mother's House" on her mom's 2022 album "Fossora."

She released a solo effort at the beginning of 2023, "bergmál," on an Icelandic collective's compilation album. As Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, she is credited for a track on the 2021 album to raise funds for Refugees International.

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