The American music market is the biggest music market in the entire world, and many artists have tried to break into it to leave their mark on it. Here are 10 acts from around the world that tried and failed to break into the American music market.
1) Utada HikaruUtada Hikaru tried to break into the American music market over 10 years ago with her debut English language album
Exodus in 2004. She was marketed as the "Japanese Britney Spears," but her album didn't make a dent stateside. She released four singles from
Exodus, including
Easy Breezy,
You Make Me Want To Be A Man,
Devil Inside, and
Exodus 04.
Devil Inside was a #1 dance hit in the states, while
Exodus 04 was a minor club hit.
Utada released her second English album 5 years later in 2009.
Come Back To Me peaked at #69 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was promoted with the lead single
Come Back To Me.
2) BoAKorean superstar BoA released her first English language album
BoA in 2009. Her heavily-publicized stateside debut flopped, as her debut album consisted mostly of throwaway Britney tracks. She released three singles:
Eat You Up,
I Did It For Love, and
Energetic.
3) Wonder GirlsKorean girl group Wonder Girls released their debut English single
Nobody in 2009. Despite opening for the Jonas Brothers on their tour, their single peaked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4) Girls' GenerationThe second Korean girl group to try to break the American music market was Girls' Generation. In 2011, Girls' Generation embarked on a heavy promo tour, performing on the Late Show with David Letterman and Live! with Kelly in support of their single
The Boys. Their attempt to break the American music market was quickly forgotten.
5) Marie SerneholtMarie Serneholt was originally from ABBA cover band A*Teens. In 2006, she released her debut solo album
Enjoy The Ride. She was slated to release her album in the United States, but plans were quickly scrapped after her label realized that nobody in states would care to check for her music.
6) Kaci BattagliaKaci Battaglia is an American pop star who had much better luck in the UK with her debut single
Paradise. Despite being American, Kaci had trouble landing on the charts in the U.S. Her first album never charted.
She followed up with two singles,
Crazy Possessive in 2009 and
Body Shots in 2010, both of which were #1 Dance hits in the U.S.
7) SunSingaporean pop star Sun released the single for her debut English language album in 2009.
Fancy Free's Joseph Kahn-directed music video got some promo on television and before trailers in movie theaters, but not even that could get her song to chart in the states. Her debut English-language album never came out.
8) Tata YoungThai pop star Tata Young released her first English-language album in 2004 in hopes of breaking the American music market. Her cover-heavy album never was released in the United States, but she found success in Japan, where her single
Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy went Top 10. Tata Young went on to release two more English-language albums.
9) SugababesBritish girl group Sugababes released their debut American single
Hole In The Head in 2003. Despite being a #1 Dance hit, the song peaked at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100.
10) Mis-TeeqBritish girl group Mis-Teeq also released their debut American single in 2003.
Scandalous was featured in the flop movie Catwoman, and it peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sources: YOUTUBE1234567891011121314151617Share your favorite pop acts that failed to break into the American music market!
