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I've read that the American style of singing is really just neutral English language singing. But a co-worker was convinced that almost all singers singing English language songs sing with a typical American accent, even if they have a non-American speaking accent (be it Scottish, English, Irish, Swedish, etc).
I kick myself for not thinking of The Kinks at the time. I brought up The Beatles, but the co-worker didn't think so, though it's plain as day to my ears. Brought up the lead singer for The Cranberries, but that was dismiss as singing with a Irish lilt.
So... who sings and retains most of their non-American accent while singing English language songs?
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
The Pogues
The Proclaimers
are two I can think of off of the top of my head.
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JohnRice
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
I don't think it is intentional. It is just natural to sing "neutral" which happens to be roughly a middle American "accent". Yes, some singers sing with an accent, but I think it takes a conscious effort. I listen to a lot of European Metal. virtually all the groups are from non English speaking countries, but most of the vocals are in English and the singers generally sound like they are from Iowa, when in fact English isn't their main language and they speak with heavy accents. Take Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation, Netherlands) or Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil, Italy) for example. They sing with no accent.
Country and Rockabilly is a major exception. Lots of southern drawl in those vocals.
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
Peter Noone of the Herman's Hermits?
I asked a simular question in a thread a few years ago (why do English/European performers sing with an American accent?) and the consensus was to attract the much larger American buying public. Not sure I completely agreed with that answer but I accepted it for lack of an alternative, even though I always thought it was just a natural way of singing. But there are exceptions. I'm surprised this topic doesn't come up more often.
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
Miho Hatori from the group Smokey & Miho had a noticeable accent. Nothing like Bossa Nova with a Japanese accent.
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
Ah also Flogging Molly. I think everyone should check this band out.
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Yee-Ming
I guess part of accents is not just the way one pronounces a word, but the rising and falling tone of each word in a sentence as well, and spoken tone is lost in music (or perhaps more accurately, superseded by the tune of the song)? If that makes sense...
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I think that is it. Once again saying that it takes a conscious effort to sing with an accent, though I think Asian languages may be the exception. I don't think marketing really has anything to do with it. There is no single "American" accent. They don't sing with a New York or southern accent. It is a middle America "accent" which I have always thought of as neutral, or not really any accent. Maybe it's just relative.
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
Where ever you are from, no one has an accent there.
\"and no one seems to understand the glory of guitar, when out of tune, the off timing, the singers who can't sing, - the beauty of flaw!\"
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Re: Singing with a non-American accent?
Germans sound German even when they sing in English.
They're English? I guess they are. But they don't sound it, to my ears.
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