25 musicians you assumed were American but aren't

While bandleader Marcus Mumford sings with an unmistakable British accent, Mumford & Sons' folk and bluegrass-rock sound evokes Appalachia and the American South more than it does London, where the band originated. This sound reportedly comes from the band members' early musical influences, many of which were American, including Count Basie, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.

Pop star Dua Lipa has confused fans for years due to discrepancies between her singing and speaking accents. While speaking, Lipa has a detectable British accent, while her songs have little trace of her London roots. This widespread confusion came to a head in 2019, when the singer took the stage to deliver her acceptance speech after winning a Grammy for her song "Electricity," giving way to a Twitter storm of fans and others expressing their shock after hearing her speaking voice for the first time. Lipa received two Grammy nods in 2024—Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media—for "Dance the Night," her contribution to the "Barbie" movie soundtrack. She even made a cameo in the movie: as a mermaid with an American accent.

Fleetwood Mac began in England with British band members Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie, along with Christine McVie, who joined a couple of years later. After undergoing several lineup changes, the band was ultimately joined by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, two Americans. The group recorded their legendary album "Rumours" in Los Angeles and Sausalito, California, and became so popular in the U.S. that they've remained a fixture of 1970s California mythos, despite their British origins.

This British band started out with a blues-rock sound and only moderate success in the U.K. and the U.S. After switching to David Geffen's U.S. label in 1982, however, the group took on a harder rock edge to better cater to changing tastes and released a hit album which took American listeners by storm. Their American label, coupled with a blues-tinged rock sound and an imperceptible British accent, misleadingly hint at American origins.

Legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen lived in LA and New York City for much of his life, mingling with Andy Warhol's contingent of artists and joining the ranks of '60s and '70s folk musicians like Judy Collins, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan. But Cohen actually hailed from Quebec, and he remained in Canada until he graduated from college.

Known for pioneering the emergent country-pop genre in the '90s, Shania Twain's peers were American country musicians like Reba and Trisha Yearwood. Despite Twain's influence in the traditionally American genre, she grew up in Canada, making her a barrier-breaking artist in all parts of North America.

These days, Twain is bringing the house down at a residency in Las Vegas that runs through February 2025.

AC/DC's classic rock sound, encompassed by songs like "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell," has made the band an American mainstay. But the group actually formed in Australia and was founded by two Scottish brothers. The band's music didn't reach an American audience until the release of their third album in 1977, when they arrived to tour North America. On that note, the group still tours today and wrapped their most recent run close to home, playing their final show in Dublin, Ireland in August 2024.

Joni Mitchell was at the center of the California folk and singer-songwriter scene in the late '60s and '70s after she moved to LA. There, she helped pioneer both genres and had friendships and relationships with other groundbreaking musicians of the time, including David Crosby, James Taylor, Leonard Cohen, and Graham Nash. Mitchell grew up in Canada and stayed there until after she attended art school.

In 2024, the iconic folk singer won a Grammy for Best Folk Album for "Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live)," a recording of her first full-length concert in over two decades.

Famous for their '90s and '00s dance party staple "Cotton Eye Joe," Rednex is known for its techno take on classic country. The band is not American, however, but Swedish, with band members who adopted stereotypical hillbilly personas—with names like Billy Ray and Bobby Sue—and claimed to be from Idaho. Rednex's most well-known song wasn't originally penned by the group but was rather a folk song about slavery dating back to the Antebellum South. The track remains hugely popular today—in April 2024, "Cotton Eye Joe" broke a YouTube record by earning three billion new views in 26 days.
 

The iconic genre-spanning musician was a member of some of the biggest American bands of the '60s and '70s, like Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, before going on to a successful solo career. Neil Young, like Joni Mitchell, was Canadian-born and got his start playing at coffee shops, encountering Mitchell in Winnipeg before she, too, made her way to the States.

The Bee Gees are known for their iconic disco soundtrack for the film "Saturday Night Fever," featuring songs like "Stayin' Alive" and "How Deep Is Your Love." The group, formed by three brothers, got started in Australia, but eventually, they moved back to England where they were born.

The group that would go on to become The Band was hired to back first Ronnie Hawkins, and then Bob Dylan, on big tours. Only after supporting legendary American names did they go on to create their own bonafide work, which manifested in "Music from Big Pink." The Band originally formed in Canada and comprised of Canadian members, with the exception of Levon Helm.

The electronic dance duo is known for revolutionizing the genre and for remaining anonymous behind robotic masks. Daft Punk has achieved international fame with its blending of a nostalgic funk sound with techno elements. The band is French and met in high school.

In early 2024, rumors swirled about the potential release of Daft Punk's never-heard 2018 album, with a drummer who worked with the band teasing, "I'm told they're working on it. It's coming out of the locker."

M83's evocative electronic music has been used in several American movie and television soundtracks, likely because it hits on a certain nostalgic feeling. Heavily influenced by American culture, the group was actually formed in Antibes, France.

The eclectic, genre-bending rock band was influenced by American punk bands like the Pixies and the Sex Pistols, as well as the Talking Heads. Though their songs are all written in English—which sometimes posed difficulties to the band's popularity in their native country—the band is actually French.

Pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen skyrocketed to fame with her 2011 single "Call Me Maybe" and has released several successful albums in the years since. While "Call Me Maybe" was her introduction to most American listeners, she was already known in Canada after placing third in the competition show "Canadian Idol."

In July 2024, Jepsen headlined the annual Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.

The Weeknd is a global sensation, with Guinness World Records proclaiming him the most popular musician on the planet in early 2023. His music feels indelibly influenced by LA, celebrity culture, sex, drugs, and money, so much so that it would be easy to believe he's a native Angeleno. He even created and starred in the LA-based HBO series "The Idol," which came out in 2023 to critically atrocious reviews. On the contrary, the Weeknd is actually Canadian, and he grew up in Toronto.

Arcade Fire's expansive "apocalyptic pop" sound is eclectically influenced, evoking a feel that is both universal and unfamiliar. The group, formed in Montreal, comprises mostly Canadian members, with one American exception: frontman Win Butler. In 2022, Butler was accused of sexual and emotional misconduct by five individuals, leading to fellow touring acts Feist and Beck to leave their opener slots. That hasn't stopped the band's remaining members from touring, and in 2024, the group performed a series of shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, "Funeral."

Dance-pop musician Robyn has produced emotional-yet-liberatory dance tracks that have influenced contemporary pop stars like Lorde, Charli XCX, and Carly Rae Jepsen. Though her songs are in English, Robyn actually hails from Sweden.

A staple of dance clubs starting in the mid-'80s with hits like "Take On Me," A-ha took the world by storm with its quintessentially '80s synth-pop and history-making music videos. Though many of the Norwegian band's songs didn't make it to the U.S., the ones that did were quickly adopted into American dance hits of the decade.

Keith Urban's decorated career in country music and prominence on the U.S. charts lead many to assume Urban grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. But Urban was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia as a child, where he began his musical pursuits. He eventually relocated to the U.S. to launch his solo career. In 2024, Urban joined "The Voice" as Season 25's mega mentor; he also released his 12th studio album, "High," on Sept. 20.

The indie-rock band CHVRCHES is known for powerful hits like "The Mother We Share" and "Recover," and their synth-heavy sound has American influences ranging from Cyndi Lauper to Madonna. The trio is Scottish and formed in Glasgow, where they wrote their first album.

'90s pop sensation Alanis Morissette dominated the U.S. charts and MTV programming with her raw and visceral sound. Born in Canada, Morissette was a child actor and got her start as a musician when she was just 14. Nearly 30 years after the release of her hit album "Jagged Little Pill," Nearly 30 years after the release of her hit album "Jagged Little Pill," Morissette continues to perform across the U.S.

Late '70s funk-disco band Boney M. topped the charts with hits like "Rasputin" and "Sunny." The group formed in Germany and was comprised of German members as well as musicians from the Caribbean. Frank Farian, the German producer and creator of Boney M., died on Jan. 23, 2024, at the age of 82. 

The rock band behind hits like "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" and "Hall of Fame" was made up of childhood friends who originally wrote music for other musicians. The group formed in Dublin in the early 2000s but didn't become internationally known until 2008. Though guitarist Mark Sheehan passed away in 2023, the group has since added two new members and still performs around the world today.

Story editing by Cynthia Rebolledo. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.