Generally there's this phenomenon that some musicians that are huge in America are not even a blip here in Russia, while other are everywhere on radio. Charitable reading would that those are the performers for whom understanding lyrics is important for understanding their art. Uncharitable would be that their popularity has more to do with image they've made to themselves and marketing than quality.
Like I've heard Adele and Rihanna all the time on the radio while on the bus here in Russia. Never heard Beyonce.
I think this phenomenon is mirrored on a micro level in terms of The Tragically Hip, who for like 30 years were the best selling Canadian band in the country and were regularly able to fill stadiums (stadia?) and concert halls up until Gord Downie's death, but you go 5 km over the border into the US and they're like "Who the fuck is Gord Downie? What's a Tragically Hip, is that a TV Show?"
The Hip is basically a part of the culture where i live. Take em or leave em, they were one of the only bands to trek up here yearly, and their shows were always packed.
I swear to god, my father is the only fan of the Hip in the US since my parents moved there. They have a massive fanbase here as well, but you go to the US and it's just like 12 dudes in the entire country that know they exist and they're all Canadian expats.
And 8 of those 12 only know "New Orleans is Sinking".
Edit: but one of those guys are also going to be the hip version of a deadhead, and knows their favourite songs live performance by heart, including the adlibs.
His fans act like cultists its wild.
Generally there's this phenomenon that some musicians that are huge in America are not even a blip here in Russia, while other are everywhere on radio. Charitable reading would that those are the performers for whom understanding lyrics is important for understanding their art. Uncharitable would be that their popularity has more to do with image they've made to themselves and marketing than quality.
Like I've heard Adele and Rihanna all the time on the radio while on the bus here in Russia. Never heard Beyonce.
Isn't 50 Cent still the biggest rapper in Europe?
He was pretty big at some point. Eminem was freaking huge, which might have had a racial component, I guess.
Lmao, no. We pretty much share the same top artists as America with sometimes local artist sprinkled in.
Supposedly there's a bunch of country musicians in US top charts no one outside US ever heard about.
I think this phenomenon is mirrored on a micro level in terms of The Tragically Hip, who for like 30 years were the best selling Canadian band in the country and were regularly able to fill stadiums (stadia?) and concert halls up until Gord Downie's death, but you go 5 km over the border into the US and they're like "Who the fuck is Gord Downie? What's a Tragically Hip, is that a TV Show?"
The Hip is basically a part of the culture where i live. Take em or leave em, they were one of the only bands to trek up here yearly, and their shows were always packed.
I swear to god, my father is the only fan of the Hip in the US since my parents moved there. They have a massive fanbase here as well, but you go to the US and it's just like 12 dudes in the entire country that know they exist and they're all Canadian expats.
And 8 of those 12 only know "New Orleans is Sinking".
Edit: but one of those guys are also going to be the hip version of a deadhead, and knows their favourite songs live performance by heart, including the adlibs.
Every single time.