Music of The United Kingdom (2000s) - Late 2000s Early 2010s

Late 2000s Early 2010s

British musical success in the United States was at its lowest point in the early 2000s. Less than 2% of the top 100 United States albums in both 2000 and 2001 were from the United Kingdom. In April 2002, for the first time since October 1963, there were no British acts on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This would be reversed in the latter half of the decade when the percentage of albums sold in the U.S. by British acts increased every year from 2005 through 2008. It would increase from 8.5% to 10% of the market between 2007 and 2008.

In 2007 Joss Stone's third album Introducing Joss Stone debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 becoming the first British solo female artist to have an album début that high on the chart. In 2006 and early 2007 British acts James Blunt, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Snow Patrol and Corinne Bailey Rae also had U.S. chart success. By March 2007 these successes had led to speculation that either another British Invasion was underway or that there was a return to normalcy. In 2008 Leona Lewis's single "Bleeding Love" topped the Billboard Hot 100, and her album, Spirit, also reached number 1, as Lewis became the first UK solo artist to debut at number one in the US with a debut album. The year would also be a successful one for Duffy, Adele, Estelle, and M.I.A.. Led by Coldplay, British acts received a total of 16 Grammy Awards in 2009. In 2009, Jay Sean topped the Billboard Hot 100, followed by Taio Cruz in 2010. Based on having the largest airplay and sales in the US, Muse were named the Billboard Alternative and Rock artist for 2010.

In 2011 albums by British artists totaled 1 in 8 of all albums sold in North America. This represented a 25% jump from 2010 and according to the British Phonographic Industry trade organization this was believed to represent the largest market share there since the Second British Invasion of the 1980s. 30 albums by British artists sold over 100,000 copies. During one week that year from three British artists, Adele, Mumford & Sons and Marsha Ambrosius, held the top three album spots during one week for the first time in a quarter of a century. Adele became the first female singer to be named Billboard's top artist and have both the number 1 album (21) and number 1 single ("Rolling in the Deep") for the same year By the time 2011 ended Adele had broken various records on the Billboard charts. Tinie Tempah became the first British hip hop artist to have a debut US single that sold at least one million units and two singles from the record have entered the Billboard Hot 100. The second single from Jessie J sold a million units, Ellie Goulding's single went double platinum, and the succes of Florence and the Machine led to the band being the topic of a Billboard Magazine cover story in September. In March 2012, One Direction's debut studio album, Up All Night, topped the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first British group in US chart history to debut at number one with their first album. In October 2012, Mumford & Sons' second album, Babel, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, and was the fastest selling album in 2012 in the US, selling 600,000 in its first week. From the lull in the early 2000s, various explanations have been given by people in the music industry for the resurgence of UK success in the US. Spin Magazine music editor Charles Aaron, speaking of the female singer/songwriters, called Amy Winehouse's breakthrough the "Nirvana moment". Billboard's chart manager Keith Caulfield also credited Winehouse and said, "They're not giving us the usual 'We're going to stay up until 6 am and party like we've never partied before,'?". Caulfield says, "Their approach is more classic and quirky, which makes Americans pay more attention. Tinie Tempah credited the confidence of the British Artists and David Joseph, the chairman of Universal Music UK noted that unlike in the past British artists are not specifically targeting the US but American audiences are noticing their talent through the internet.

The success of British music in the United States has been seen as part of broader Anglophile trend in the United States that has also seen a noticeable increase in use of British expressions, interest in the Royal Family, and British Television Programs.