Staff
Recently, America has seen an influx of British pop artists propping up the top ten spots of the charts. This musical invasion by the Brits now contributes to 1/8 of all album sales. Many explanations have been bounced around trying to speculate the reason for the sudden surge of interest in British bands, from the abundance of UK talent shows to the accessibility the Internet provides for musicians and groups. Whatever the cause, here is a collection of the most impressive British artists and the awards for which we may see some nominations this year.
Adele
Adele has taken America by storm, topping the US charts time and time again. Her album “21” sold 352,000 copies when it debuted earlier this year which has now raised to 5.8 million copies worldwide. Having had phenomenal success at the Grammy’s earlier this year, winning 6 awards in total, it is difficult to see how Adele can top herself next time around. But what is the appeal to Americans of this 23 year old girl from North London? Many claim that it is down to her style, which is a mix of many distinguishable American styles. She has often attributed her own style to jazz and blues singers, such as Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. Aside from this, her success has also been credited to the lack of commercialization of her image, making her appear artistically genuine and sincere, not to mention authentic, something that is new to America. And she has been nominated again for the 2012 Grammy Awards.
Mumford & Sons
Although being slightly overshadowed by Adele, Mumford and Sons has had astronomical success, especially considering that they are a British folk band, a genre of music that has had trouble in the past when extending to American soil. Their success has been attributed to the raucous and rowdy style of their folk rock that differs greatly from modern American folk songs. Though they have been standing in the shadow of Adele, they still managed to nab two Grammy award nominations for their album “Sigh No More” which has sold approximately 1.4 million copies.
Coldplay
Many bands have flopped in the US, simply because they refused to do the various publicity stunts, such as radio, that British bands consider cheesy. Their invasion of the US stems from their universally appealing lyrics, their distinctive style that does not include the usual pretty boy image or gimmicks, associated with a successful pop group. Their tours have been sell-outs in the US, and they have won a slew of both British and American awards, from the Brits to the Grammy awards.
One Direction
One of the few UK talent show runners-up to have a huge amount of success in the States is One Direction. Managing to score a number 1 in the US charts with their debut album, something that few other British pop groups have managed before them, their success comes down to their teenage appeal, and the fact that they are under the management of Simon Cowell, someone well established and knowledgeable when it comes to breaking acts in America.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran attributes his surprising US success to social networking and the fact that anyone around the world, with Internet, can access his music. His debut album “+” reached the top 5 of the Billboard charts, one of the highest debuts for a UK male in America. And after receiving two Brit awards, he is now looking across the pond towards the States, nominated for a Grammy award earlier this year, receiving nominations along with other British stars such as Florence & the Machine and Jessie J.
Author Bio:
Ashley Coxx contributed this guest post on behalf of iMesh.com – visit their site to download free music. Ashley is a freelance music writer. Her articles mainly appear in online music periodicals.
