Why do so many European vocalists sing with an American accent?

[Tobin S.]

I can get foreigners wanting to record in English. The American market is huge. But as far back as the Beatles, European rock-n-rollers have been singing with an American accent. Singing well takes talent, and singing in a different language and going so far as to sing in a different accent must be even more difficult.

I like a band called The Sounds and another called Avatar. They are both from Sweden, but to hear them sing you'd think they were L.A. based bands. I've seen interviews with them and I'm always taken aback by the Swedish accents. Their English is good, but you can tell they ain't from L.A.

[sharp_stick]

1. It's an interesting phenomenon

I like this explanation about the "disappearing accent"

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/08/why-british-singers-lose-their-accent-when-singing/

[Tobin S.]

4. Interesting. Thanks for the link.

So it's probably not intentional which is less cynical than I was thinking.

[lunatica]

2. I always thought it was because they were singing

It seems to be pretty universal that they all sound like their singing in American English. Maybe it's just the way it naturally comes out.

[Tobin S.]

5. 10-4. Read the article linked in reply number 1.

It seems to confirm what you are thinking.

[NightWatcher]

3. Because they're probably faking it and are actually from outside Cleveland

Nobody wants to be from Cleveland...
...unless they're actually from Toledo.

[Tobin S.]

6. I'm originally from Dayton.

I went to Cleveland once and I liked it alright. The mistake by the lake might surprise you.

[NightWatcher]

7. I was working in Pennsylvania and spent a weekend in Cleveland.

It was pretty nice. The RR HoF was pretty cool and the weather was still nice and hadn't frozen yet

[mrmpa]

17. Go Flyers!!! eom

[cemaphonic]

8. I think it also depends on who the singers are trying to emulate

All those early British bands were listening to, and covering black R&B artists, Buddy Holly, Elvis and so on, and their singing gravitated towards the accents and inflections that those artists used (in the same way that Buddy Holly and Elvis sounded 'black' to the audiences of their day).

Later bands, like a lot of the punk and new wave bands in the 70s and 80s have recognizably British accents in their singing.

[Grantuspeace]

9. And all the national news people speak like they are from,

Wisconsin!

[dilby]

10. I don't think Europeans sing with an American accent at all.

I can spot European bands right away they have a distinct accent. In the 80's with New Wave you had American bands that were singing with Brittish accents because it's what was selling. All Jurgensen talked about how the record label made him sing with a Brittish accent on Ministry's first album.

[Tobin S.]

12. Swedish and English

Swedish

English

Those all sound like California bands to me. Some foreign bands do sing with an accent, but I can think of more bands that don't.

[dilby]

15. They sound Swedish and British to me.

Swedish Bands

German

French

US Texas

US Oregon

US Washington

US California

US not sure which state.

[dilby]

16. Adding a Spanish Band

I ran into this guy while in Spain and love his music.

Scottish

Swedish Again

[Orrex]

14. No one would mistake Bjork for an American vocalist, for instance.

[Tobin S.]

18. I didn't say all of them sound American, but a lot of them do- to me anyway.

[Orrex]

19. I was replying specifically to dilby's comment

[Tobin S.]

20. I was, too.

[Orrex]

21. But you replied to me.

[font color="white"]XXXX[/font]

[Tobin S.]

22. I replied in the wrong spot.

I had to take off and didn't have time to fix it.

[Orrex]

23. Ah. Now I get it.

[Orrex]

13. Do they?

Maybe vocalists sing with a neutral accent, so we Americans perceive it as an American accent.

[Aristus]

24. Davy Jones kept his English accent in "Daydream Believer".

His accent is as thick as a buttered crumpet...

[MrScorpio]

25. That never applies to sea ditties.

[NewJeffCT]

26. There's money in singing like an American?

there's a market of 320 million people here, while the UK has 64 million. It's a lot bigger market, so they're appealing to Americans, whereas Brits, Canadians, Australians, Kiwis, etc may be more open minded and accepting of playing to an American audience.

[BumRushDaShow]

27. And then there is Gomer Pyle

[Populist_Prole]

28. As I understand it

British English is spoken more from the front of the mouth, whereas American English is from the rear of the mouth by the throat. It could be louder and more forcefully "projected" singing may tend to shift the sounding further back in the mouth; hence a more neutral "American" sound.