Non-English bands that perform in English

[HemiBenny]

Others have already mentioned them, but Scorpions came to mind right away. Klaus Meine has a unique voice that you recognize right away.

 

[Speedbird001]

The "5,6,7,8's" From Japan

 

[Shannow]

 

[GON]

Does this singer from Mongolia count? This video is amazing to watch, especially since the singer doesn't speak English.

 

[4WD]

Does this singer from Mongolia count? This video is amazing to watch, especially since the singer doesn't speak English.

Well - as a youngster in a Catholic school - they had us sing songs in Czech and German (that’s who settled the area) - I can still remember parts of them - but never knew what the songs meant …

 

[Patman]

Some of my favorite bands are from overseas and their native languages are not English but they sing very well in English.

Such as:
Vanden Plas (Germany)
Battle Beast (Finland)
Dynazty (Sweden)
Stratovarius (Finland)

I’m also a big fan of Nightwish

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Always thought this was an interesting, but understandable approach. Bands from non-English counties producing music in English, despite their domestic audience not being predominantly English. It speaks, perhaps subtly, to the domination that English has on the first world stage.

Nightwish is probably my favourite example:


Lacuna Coil is another example, out of Italy:


KMFDM out of Germany is yet another:


What other examples can you think of off the top of your head?

That is interesting. It reminds me of another musical oddity.
Since the late 1980s , as the classic rock style music was just about being totally smothered out in the North American regions by the music industry , a strange thing occurred. Many new , real talented (some older ones too) bands ended up making tons of money selling and performing LIVE shows all across Europe. Many in the non-English speaking countries. Lots of them really made it big in Germany and Denmark.

 

[goblin]

It's not an oddity at all.

Given that rock bands were at least partly helpful in the collapse of the socialist block in Europe, it shouldn't surprise you that most rock bands got a second wind in ex-socialist countries, and are making concerts there to this day, 30+ years later. It's like a working retirement plan that keeps on giving.

The kids who were getting beaten by the cops for wearing an AC/DC tshirt are now grown men with established income, who won't miss a concert. The bands they grew up with are HUGE in their memories.

I don't know if there are statues of Ronnie James Dio in the US, but there is one in Bulgaria:

https://balkazaar.com/2023/09/08/a-holy-diver-in-kavarna-bulgaria/

The mayor of that city had renamed a street Heavy Metal Street and members of Uriah Heep, Manowar and Motorhead were about to buy houses there. There are rock festivals-a-plenty in Eastern Europe. I don't have exact numbers, but if someone can find them - I'm ready to bet that most rock bands (Metallica excluded) have more concerts throughout their carreer in Eastern Europe than they had in the West.

 

[y_p_w]

Obviously ABBA, but that was already mentioned. Roxette was also from Sweden. There are a lot of one-hit wonders like Vengaboys.

Maybe not a band, but Celine Dion supposedly barely understood any English when she started out. So would it be OK to include "musical artists" as a category since that's more expansive than bands?

 

[ripcord]

I was reading that in the 2000's (and maybe still) Sweden had the greatest per-capita number of rock/metal bands in the world... and most wrote and sing in English.

 

[CharBaby]

In the mid 70's, there was a band out of Germany called "LAKE". I bought their first album as it was promoted on our local FM station.
It was a decent LP but they were short lived here in the states. I supposed they're still around in some form around the world as I did look them up. Does anyone remember them?

 

[dlundblad]

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Not really an Abba fan, but those concerts they’ve done in the UK with the holograms/ “digital avatars” look incredible.

I’m surprised the tech hasn’t picked up for other bands yet.

 

[javacontour]

Shocked I've not seen Golden Earring mentioned yet. They are Dutch IIRC.

 

[RDY4WAR]

Some of the bands with long-term spots on my playlist are in this category.

Poets of the Fall (Finland)
Gojira (France)
Sepultura (Brazil)
In Flames (Sweden)
Opeth (Sweden)
Sabaton (Sweden)

I like Nightwish's older stuff.

 

[Kira]

Post #30...a worldwide rock/metal band density map...only on BITOG.

 

[Rand]

I added this one to the playlist a couple years ago.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Can’t recall the name, but a Russian band did the Guess Who’s Americanski Woman. I’m still trying to get over it.

 

[OVERKILL]

Some of the bands with long-term spots on my playlist are in this category.

Poets of the Fall (Finland)
Gojira (France)
Sepultura (Brazil)
In Flames (Sweden)
Opeth (Sweden)
Sabaton (Sweden)

I like Nightwish's older stuff.

Yes, Gojira and Sabaton are both on my playlist, should have included those in the OP, but it wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list, rather get people to list other bands, which has been eye-opening, some of the bands I just assumed were American were not!

 

[Nukeman7]

Leonid & Friends...all Russians but they do amazing note-for note covers of Chicago classics. Here is a sample.

 

[OVERKILL]

One might notice that the overwhelming majority of artists who sing in English while not being native English speakers are from Europe. The above is valid mostly for them.

Pretty much any band or singer there that communicates with spoken language and wants to make it has or had to use English at some point.

I was going to respond to this point with the obvious exception, but then you saw that coming and mentioned it:

Then you have one other large enough country, with Rammstein, which sorta never had to switch to English to be amazing.

But that's about it, in my book. Everybody else had at least an English version of their local stuff.

Once you get out of Europe - this is no longer the case. You're either in English speaking countries if you're in north North America, either sing in Spanish and cover everything Mexico and south of it all the way to Antarctica. In Asia, you have plenty of countries that have the population critical mass needed to sustain a good living singing in a local language. India, Indonesia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand - all are large enough to have local stars we never heard about, making boatloads of money and pulling millions of fans.

There have been a few Spanish artists that have made it onto the charts not singing English, but they, like Rammstein, are the exception as you note, and they haven't been as successful as Rammstein has been of course.

I remember when I was in grade school, of course everybody knew of Celine Dion, but Roch Voisine was an important French artist, so we all had to listen to his French pop in French class