Top 10 American Artists Who Are More Popular in Other Countries

#10: Scissor Sisters

Born at the turn of the century in the clubs and cabarets of New York City, Scissor Sisters first found fame with a disco cover of a Pink Floyd classic. Their audacity paid off. Their cover of “Comfortably Numb” earned plenty of play on the European dance charts. With their dance-focused, avant-garde, and brash style, Scissor Sisters’ sense of theatricality and glam-rock throwback was much more aligned with a European audience’s sense of camp and fun. They stormed the UK charts, and their debut album became one of the country’s best-selling albums of the decade. Despite this, they remain a cult success in the United States.

#9: Kings of Leon

Though their music has been described as “southern rock,” the Followill family band first found major chart success in the UK and Ireland. Years before “Use Somebody” was storming the American charts, Kings of Leon found success abroad with their early albums. Their mixture of gospel-infused rock and ‘90s grunge was celebrated on an international level. In America, their acclaimed albums seemed to face criticism for purportedly selling out their original sound. Kings of Leon haven’t had a charting single in the US since 2010, but they routinely appear on charts in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

#8: Meat Loaf

Known for his sincere, melodramatic, and even downright operatic style of rock music, Meat Loaf was not radio-friendly in the least. Part of that might have to do with his “Bat Out of Hell” collaborator, composer Jim Steinman, who would write 10-minute rock opuses that defied the standard pop radio template. Instead, it was his live performances that made Meat Loaf a rock star. His exuberant, exaggerated, and highly theatrical style found much more adoration in Europe and Australia than the US. He toured extensively in the 1980s to save him and his family from financial ruin, building up a loyal international audience.

#7: Kenny G

The world-famous saxophonist’s smooth sound didn’t please everyone. Fellow jazz musicians, for example, are very skeptical of Kenny G’s highly polished music and bid for mass appeal. While his American audience has faded since his debut in the 1980s, his skills have won him adulation from crowds in Asia and Europe. Perhaps it speaks to a larger respect and demand for solo instrumentalists abroad. In China, specifically, Kenny G’s music has made a lasting impact on the culture. Many businesses in the country play his original composition, “Going Home,” to signal the end of business hours.

#6: Anastacia

Crafting her persona and honing her talents among the house music culture of New York in the 1980s and ‘90s, Anastacia’s distinctive, husky voice made her an anomaly. Her first single, “I’m Outta Love,” was a massive success seemingly everywhere but the United States. But it perhaps wasn’t just a simple matter of taste. Anastacia surmises that industry politics got her blacklisted from the radio. It doesn’t sound that far-fetched when you consider how massive her success was abroad. Her US sales were so low that she didn’t even bother releasing her self-titled third album in America. Meanwhile, that same album hit number 1 on 13 international charts and broke the top ten in a few more.

#5: Nina Simone

Singer-songwriter and activist Nina Simone’s sound and point of view are steeped in her experiences as a black woman growing up in the American South. Simone fled America mainly to avoid charges for tax evasion, as she had stopped paying taxes in protest of the Vietnam War. Mistreatment by the music industry and still-pervasive racism kept her from returning. Her singular vision and independent spirit were completely at odds with the way the American music industry branded its artists. Instead, she sustained her legacy performing at jazz clubs, music halls, and festivals outside the US.

#4: Pink

With American music having trended away from more rock-influenced sounds, Pink’s success has grown in international markets. Pink’s American career is an unqualified success in itself. Unlike many other artists on this list, she’s had an incredible run of singles and albums in her home country. But her jam-packed arena tours, which see her employing her impressive acrobatic skills, are especially big in Australia. Despite her American upbringing, her fans down under have latched onto her music and dynamic performance style in a way no other market has. This phenomenon is so pronounced it’s actually been covered by Australian media.

#3: Kelly Rowland

Once Destiny’s Child disbanded and embarked on their own careers, their solo efforts weren’t always looked at in the same way. Kelly Rowland has had some moderate success in America. But in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, Rowland’s singles and albums have frequently landed her in the top 10. Several of these successful singles never even charted in the US. Rowland’s blending of dance-pop and R&B made her an icon in the dance scene. Her contributions to the music industry continued on TV. As a judge on “The X Factor UK,” she was responsible for assembling the young music group that would become Little Mix.

#2: Nicole Scherzinger

The former Pussycat Doll’s popularity in Europe is two-fold. The Brits embraced Nicole Scherzinger’s dance-pop sound as a solo artist way more than Americans did. Her spot on the judges’ panel of “The X Factor UK” only further raised her profile there. Her current stardom as a Tony-winning leading lady of musical theater didn’t start on Broadway either. In 2015, Scherzinger made her transition to major professional stage work in London’s West End with the support and patronage of world-renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. There, she made her debut in the award-winning role in “Sunset Boulevard” before crossing the pond to Broadway.

#1: Tina Turner

After her contentious marriage and divorce from husband and collaborator, Ike Turner, Tina Turner was forced to rebuild her entire career and star profile. But even during that marriage, the couple’s “River Deep – Mountain High” was way more successful in Europe, reaching number three in the UK. Tina credited her European fans for her miraculous comeback in the early ‘80s off the success of the album, “Private Dancer.” She spoke candidly about how her fame on the continent was surprisingly larger than it ever was in America, rivaling that of Madonna’s or the Rolling Stones. It’s one of the reasons she lived in Switzerland for the last 30 years of her life with husband and record executive Erwin Bach.

Which of these artists were you shocked to see on this list? Tell us in the comments.