"Declare Independence" was originally an instrumental track by British musician and frequent musical collaborator Mark Bell, performed at his live shows as early as November 2006.

[13] The video shoot was originally going to take place in August 2007 in London (as was the projected single release)[9] but it was eventually rescheduled to 11 October 2007 in New York City.

The video opens with Mark Bell standing on a wall suspended above Björk, playing a loom-shaped bass guitar.

A trickle of green paint streaks down the camera's lens at the end of the video as the machine begins to grind to a halt.

All the people in the video including Björk wear jumpsuits with the flags of Greenland and the Faroe Islands on their shoulders.

[27][28] Immediately there was an "uneasy atmosphere" and fans left the venue quickly,[29] and internet forums such as Tianya fielded many negative comments on her statement.

[30] Chinese Ministry of Culture issued a statement denouncing Björk's outburst,[31] and warned that she would be banned from future appearances in China if she repeated such behavior.

[33][34] On 17 July 2008, the Chinese Ministry of Culture announced that artistic groups who "threaten national unity" or "whip up ethnic hatred" among other things during live events would be banned from performing.

[37] In August 2019, following Donald Trump's expression of interest to buy Greenland from Denmark, Björk once again took to Twitter to support the island nation's independence.

The live performances make heavy use of the ReacTable, an electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop Tangible User Interface.

During the Australian leg of her tour, as part of the 2008 Big Day Out, the song was dedicated to the Aboriginal people of Australia.