Trump has again raised the idea of the US taking control of Greenland, arguing that the Arctic island is important for security and strategic reasons. The latest remarks echo his 2019 push to explore buying Greenland from Denmark, which at the time was dismissed by Copenhagen as “absurd” and led to a diplomatic spat after Trump cancelled a state visit.​

In recent days, the rhetoric has sharpened. Katie Miller, wife of senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, posted an image of Greenland covered by a US flag and captioned “SOON” on social media, prompting outrage in Denmark and Greenland. Trump has meanwhile tapped Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy tasked with advancing US interests over the territory, a move critics describe as a political escalation.

Into this escalating geopolitical dispute, Björk has added a cultural and moral intervention, using her platform to spotlight Greenland’s long colonial history and present-day inequalities. In her Instagram note, she sends “blessings” to Greenlanders “in their fight for independence” and explicitly connects their struggle to Iceland’s own decision to break from Danish rule in 1944, saying Icelanders are “extremely relieved” they preserved their language and sovereignty.​

Björk also references historic and recent Danish policies towards Greenlanders, including reports of a state-backed IUD programme affecting Greenlandic women and girls in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and contemporary child welfare cases that campaigners say disproportionately target Greenlandic families. She characterises the current moment as a choice between continued subordination within the Danish kingdom and the risk of a shift to US control, which she frames as continuations of colonial dynamics.

Björk’s intervention lands in a music culture that is increasingly attuned to Indigenous rights, climate justice and the politics of land and extraction. Greenland’s own musicians have long folded themes of language, environment and autonomy into everything from indie releases to throat‑singing, and the renewed independence debate is likely to intensify that creative focus.

Denmark and Greenland have responded in unusually direct terms. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has urged Trump to “stop the threats” and underlined that Greenland is “not for sale” and cannot be annexed under international law. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has voiced measured concern over the escalating rhetoric surrounding Greenland, emphasising the importance of respecting Denmark’s sovereignty as a key NATO ally. Speaking with the BBC,  Starmer said, “Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark”. 

In an interview aboard the Air Force One, Trump said “the EU needs us to have [Greenland], and they know that”. In response, Paul Pinho, European Commission chief spokesperson, stated it is “certainly not” their position.

Grant Schapps, the UK’s Transport Secretary, revealed plans for a dual registration system that will lift the previous limit of three EU stops in a tour for equipment hauliers. When the plans come into action, hauliers will be allowed to stop as many times as they need for six months a year.

Schapps said of the situation that “It is unacceptable that, because of EU bureaucracy, the operations of our specialist haulage sector on which our artists rely have been put at risk, impacting the livelihoods of touring artists and sportspeople. Dual registration helps put this right and means that touring events can take place seamlessly across Great Britain, the EU and beyond, keeping our incredible cultural sector thriving for years to come.”

From music artists to Formula 1, Britain is at the heart of the cultural business. Today I have announced a new ‘dual registration’ option for specialist hauliers to ensure that all British talent can freely tour between Great Britain and the EU #LetTheMusicMove.

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) May 6, 2022

It’s an encouraging sign that the government is listening to the music sector, with Whole Entertainment manager Ross Patel saying back in January that it was “depressingly apparent that the government will not act until we as an industry raise the alarm on these issues.”

It’s not been a fun time for musicians as of late with all the restrictions. London post-punk group White Lies recently had to cancel a show in France due to not being able to get all the equipment there on time. The band’s drummer, Jack Lawrence-Brown, noted that despite having “everything fully in order“, they “still found [themselves] in a situation where – because of Brexit – there are these inhumane motorway queues“. He blamed it on “Brexit fuck-ups and essentially a lack of government control over what’s happening in Dover.”

Tonight’s show can’t go ahead, even though we are in Paris. We are so gutted to announce this. News on rescheduling ASAP. Details below. pic.twitter.com/YDqJKjeJCJ — White Lies (@whiteliesmusic) April 7, 2022

Despite the apparently good news, some still believe there’s a way to go before the situation is under control. Duran Duran and Sam Smith touring manager Wob Roberts argues that the new regulations will be less beneficial to smaller artists who lack hubs in Europe. Although “UK-based tours [will] keep going“, Roberts says that artists who can’t “afford to set up a European arm are still going to be facing the same issues”.

So there you have it. Good news for many, but perhaps slightly less helpful for others. On the bright side, it’s one of many signs that live music is starting to heal after the disruption of the past few years. You can read here about how the damage from the pandemic has already started to resolve itself as of late.

These claims were, however, called into question when The Independent published an article which included claims from an unnamed EU official that ‘It is usually in our agreements with third countries, that [work] visas are not required for musicians. We tried to include it, but the UK said no.’ This directly contradicts the previous claims made by UK officials that plans to include musicians in certain businesses which will be exempt from visa requirements was rejected by the EU, and points the blame squarely at them. A UK official has since told the NME that ‘this story is incorrect and misleading speculation from anonymous EU sources,’ and going on to claim that ‘The UK pushed for a more ambitious agreement with the EU on the temporary movement of business travellers, which would have covered musicians and others, but our proposals were rejected by the EU.’

Unbelievable, actually, completely believable ! https://t.co/GepTItyW4U

— LILYALLEN2.0 (@lilyallen) January 9, 2021

With so many contradicting claims from both sides musicians and their unions are left not knowing who or what to believe but still desperately concerned about the state of their industry. After a year which saw the live music sector in Britain decimated by the coronavirus pandemic and a desperately short-handed approach to cultural relief from the government, musicians are rightly worried about the future. Names as big as Lilly Allen have taken to social media to vent their frustrations with the government following the Independent article and expressed disappointment, but not surprise as they have become used to Johnson’s cabinet’s total disregard for the music industry throughout his term as Prime Minister so far. Despite being an industry that ‘contributes around £5.8bn to the UK economy,’ this doesn’t seem to be a priority for Rishi Sunak who controversially suggested musicians find other jobs while they were struggling in the aftermath of lockdown one but was happy to bail out the hospitality sector with the extremely misguided eat out to help out scheme.

As it stands, musicians will be required to apply for visa’s to work in the EU which will push costs of touring in Europe out of reach for many smaller bands and artists who are already on a very stretched budget. Despite their protestations and blame shifting, it does sadly seem to be that our government are quite happy to see live music become the domain of only the super rich who can afford multiple visas on top of travel costs and extra fees for transporting bulky items by plane. According to Elle Giles, a music manager who spoke to NME, she told of how high the costs could be, ‘Based on a band of six on a four-day tour, requiring visas for three different countries, she estimated it would cost nearly £3,500.’ Considering a tour of Europe is usually the next step taken by emerging artists to go beyond gigging in their home country, and how such bands are often unsigned or receiving limited advances from indie or major record labels, spending the best part of 4 grand on a tour which only lasts four days its something quite obscene.

HAPPY NEU YEAR

today we resume shipping to Europe pic.twitter.com/FdlX2Z4uYk

— Banquet Records (@BanquetRecords) January 4, 2021

The record store spread the word that sales would continue through Twitter, tweeting ‘HAPPY NEU YEAR. Today we resume shipping to Europe.’ Alongside the tweet, the store released a graphic that read; “With clarity around orders to Europe, we can resume accepting orders to EU countries.” The announcement received a wave of support through social media, with many expressing their admiration, and support of the company’s ongoing efforts.

The fear over a no-deal Brexit was relieved on the 30^th of December, when the British government voted to accept Boris Johnson’s latest trade deal with the EU. However, Brexit has still caused a myriad of issues for touring artists and their crews, prompting many notable music industry figures to speak out, and demand security for these workers.

While the government have not put any measures to protect touring employees yet, they assured NME in a statement that they “…are working closely with the arts and culture sector to prepare for the end of the transition period and recognise the importance of touring for UK musicians.”