British Singers Attract Audiences with Their Sensational Music and Accents

You sing along with their heartfelt lyrics and sway with the rhythm of their acoustic tunes. What is it that draws so many Americans to adore British singers? It is not just their sensational music, but also their crisp accents. British accents convey the qualities of sophistication, charisma, and poise. These accents reach Americans' ears through television interviews with British singers. From their prestigious awards and the massive audiences that they attract, one sees how highly recognized they are. Take a look at five popular British singers.

- Seal - A British pop and soul singer and songwriter whose career began in 1989 and continues to thrive today. In 1992, Seal won the award for Best Male Artist and Best Video. Then, in 1996, Seal won the Record of the Year and Song of the Year Grammy Awards for his most successful third single in the U.S. "Kiss from a Rose." Later, he was nominated for the 2007 Grammy Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his 2007 song "Amazing" in his album System. Recently in November 2008, Seal released his album Soul in the U.S.

- James Blunt - A British rock singer-songwriter known for his single You're Beautiful released in 2005. His songs were nominated for five Grammy Awards, a Teen Choice Award, World Music Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards in 2006. His second album released in 2007, All the Lost Souls, sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.

- Natasha Bedingfield - A British native pop singer and songwriter whose music career began in 2004 with the U.S. release of her hit album Unwritten in 2005. "Unwritten" was the U.S.'s most played song on the radio in 2006 and the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2007. Bedingfield has over 10 million singles and albums sold across the world.

- Corinne Bailey Rae - A British singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music career began in 2003. Her debut album in 2005 was Like A Star. She is also known for her single Put Your Records On that got nominated for the 2007 Grammy Awards of Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Her third Grammy nomination was Best New Artist.

- Leona Lewis - A British pop/R&B singer and songwriter who emerged in 2006 and is known for her second single, Bleeding Love, the biggest selling single of the 21^st century. In addition, her debut album Spirit was rated number one on the US's Billboard 200 album chart. Her songs have been nominated for three Grammy Awards.

Aside from the music, in analyzing the British accents, you will detect the frequent use of adverbs and fillers used as common native expressions. Examples include the adverb "quite" used in sentences such as "It was quite nerve-wrecking" or "I'm quite lucky;" and fillers at the ends of statements such as "really", "actually", "at all", and "for that matter". British natives are also known for their eloquent pronunciations of phrases such as "a lot of" (pronounced "a la uv") and "a little bit" (pronounced "a li ol bit"). Many Americans will agree that both the speech and vocal performances of British singers are admirable and pleasing to the ear.

Sources

"Corinne Bailey Rae Fan Page." Pop Star Plus website.

"James Blunt." Artist Direct website.

"Leona Lewis." Artist Direct website.

"Natasha Bedingfield Fan Page." Pop Star Plus website.

"Seal Biography." Sing 365 website.