Why do British singers sing in an American accent?

[Yorkie]

Why do British singers sing in an American accent?

The only British Singer who I know that doesn't is Billy Bragg.

You don't know many British singers then! I'm having trouble thinking of any singers from the last 30 years who DO sing with an American accent.
Since the mid 70's punk revolution anyone putting on a fake American accent would be regarded as a bit of a joke over here.
When a region has a good scene going they take pride in their local accent and emphasise it if anything.

 

[No_Strings]

Full of shit.

 

[Not_Punny]

Hey Yorkie you handsome devlil... don't knock it -- I was fooled !! I thought the Killers were English and they were fuckin' American! And I am bi-Atlantic (American who went to school in England)

 

[ZOS23xy]

There's a bit of wee strain in this thread, knowing not what it leads too.
Perhap's you'd best be resting your views on syntax, not what your ears search for.

 

[Yorkie]

Hey Yorkie you handsome devlil... don't knock it -- I was fooled !! I thought the Killers were English and they were fuckin' American! And I am bi-Atlantic (American who went to school in England)

I saw The Killers on their first visit here supporting British Sea Power at a small pub in Leeds.There was a lot of interest in them because of their Las Vegas origins but he sounded English when he sang.They took their name from a New Order video so they've made it clear they're Anglophiles.
I'm not knocking affectation if it works for the music.British groups trying to sound American just doesen't happen now - except for the heavy metal mob,but who listens to them? :smile:

 

[B_HappyHammer1977]

The only British Singer who I know that doesn't is Billy Bragg. And there is a new young female singer who was at the Princess Diana benefit concert who sings in an almost Cockney accent.

Does the American way of speaking sound "sing-songy" to foreign ears?

Because I speak Spanish and there are some South or Central American people I have heard speaking spanish that have a strange pattern that sounds like a song when they speak. (I guess it's up and down inflection)

People tend to sing in an American accent simply because thats what they've listened to all their life. Also, to sing in a regional accent may - to the record companies - lose certain sales percentages. It's rubbish of course... I think it adds integrity to sing in your own accent.

For examples, see:

The Proclaimers
Arctic Monkeys
Oasis
Sex Pistols
The Streets

 

[Mem]

People tend to sing in an American accent simply because thats what they've listened to all their life. Also, to sing in a regional accent may - to the record companies - lose certain sales percentages. It's rubbish of course... I think it adds integrity to sing in your own accent.

For examples, see:

The Proclaimers
Arctic Monkeys
Oasis
Sex Pistols
The Streets

I understand the band BUSH (lead singer Gavin is married to Gwen Steffani.) was never big or popular in the U.K.

A singer with a great Irish accent is the lead singer of the Cranberries.

 

[ohgoonthen]

Maybe Americans talk in a British singing accent?

 

[B_HappyHammer1977]

I understand the band BUSH (lead singer Gavin is married to Gwen Steffani.) was never big or popular in the U.K.

A singer with a great Irish accent is the lead singer of the Cranberries.

Hear hear.

Slight tanjent...but Joss Stone - WTF?! Six months in the US and she's gone full blown yanky doodle dandy! She lost thousands of fans over that.

 

[B_ScaredLittleBoy]

I've heard this. Apparently the singer in The Commitments (Andrew Strong) sounds American. But he has a powerful voice and I love that album...well, soundtrack. The Commitments aren't a real band

I also thought the Killers sounded English.

Myself, I wish I could sing in any accent :redface: lol

 

[Mem]

I just heard a promo or a tv show the Brit said

dance the way an American would say donce.

 

[mephistopheles]

If you wanna argue how people with different accents pronounce words check out the international phonetic alphabet.

As for british singers not having accents: thats for the most part incorrect. I happen to have a ton of music from britain where they have accents: Uk Subs, The Damned, Sham 69, the Gorillaz, the Exploited, Subhumans, Jehtro Tull, Iron Maiden, Inkubus Sukkubus, and Billy Idol. These are just a small amount of what I, personally, listen to. Anyway, these bands are just a small bit of singers from england who keep their accents.

Someone asked this question last year in my Theatre 2 class(when we were first being taught IPA) Mr Eden(our theatre teacher) said tht for the most part, when singers lose their accent it's because the syllable is elongated, so consciously or not, they sing a long note without any sort of accent at all.

And that explanation works for me.

IPA official website

 

[Mem]

Someone asked this question last year in my Theatre 2 class(when we were first being taught IPA) Mr Eden(our theatre teacher) said tht for the most part, when singers lose their accent it's because the syllable is elongated, so consciously or not, they sing a long note without any sort of accent at all.
And that explanation works for me.
IPA official website

No sort of accent at all? The way most Americans speak. proves my original point.

 

[Throbby]

Trained singers use essentially the 5 Italian vowels -- ah, eh, ee, oh, oo. They usually soften the "r's" and sing with the sound forward in the mask of their faces. That usually produces the best and most efficient sound. Trained English and American singers sound alike because they are producing these similar "pear-shaped" sounds. It is a separate and distinct "singing accent." It sounds English to the English and American to the Americans, but basically 90% of these common sounds work for both.

Exceptions are, for example, Cockney English (The Beatles) and Country Western English (Johnny Cash). These are sung in a "style." Sounding like a trained voice would ruin the singer's and song's integrity and charm.

 

[dongalong]

I think that it depends on the kind of music they are singing.

The Rolling Stones sounded American when they were singing most tracks
but songs like "Mothers little helper" Mick sounds cockney.

Joss Stone's voice and singing style is based on US music, soul music comes from America.

Joe Cocker wouldn't have had as much success if he had sung his songs with the northern English accent that he talks with.
I'd love to hear a version of his songs sung with his Sheffield accent, that would be hilarious, "You can leave your hat on" probably wouldn't sound so sexy though!

 

[DC_DEEP]

Why do British singers sing in an American accent?

Well, it's because they want to be taken seriously, of course!

All kidding aside, it mostly has to do with the art and mechanics of singing diction as opposed to speaking diction. One of the things distinguishes singing from speaking is the fact that to sustain a note, you have to sustain a vowel sound. The consonants just (in almost all cases) cannot be sustained.

Add to that, the fact that most of what you recognize as the difference between "American English" and "British English" is in the vowel sounds, especially diphthongs (blended vowel sounds). But again, even a diphthong cannot be sustained. For example, if you say, very slowly, "Mi pais," you can hold the "i" in "mi", but when you get to "pais", you have to hold either the "a" or the "i", but cannot hold both at once. It's all in the phonemes, baby.

Damn, that was too complicated. I'll go back to my original statement.

 

[yngjock20]

I dunno, Mem, the Brit groups over here sound English to me when they sing -- Killers, Keane, Radio Head, etc. etc. etc.

ROFLOL!!! The Killers should sound American to you.

Lily Allen sounds British when she sings. So do Girls Aloud and the Spice Girls. Cleopatra did, All Saints did, that one guy who won Pop Idol, Gareth, sounds British, Boyzone did...I could go on with Brit acts who sound like Brits. Jet (or are they Australian?) Sex Pistols, Daniel and Natasha Beddingfield...etc.