Nothing has the capability to bring people together and foster cultural understanding than music. The UK is a good example of how an encounter of different musical cultures can elevate and bring about several other musical developments.
This was the case, for instance, in the growth in popularity of electronic music in UK.On the other hand, music collaborations can be used to help the artist to break through in territories away from home.
Read on to get a feel for how British musicians have collaborated with their contemporaries overseas and the impact this is having.
There are several reasons why musicians collaborate. First, it is a clever way of gaining easy access to foreign music markets. With tough visa and immigration rules in some countries, it sometimes becomes difficult for musicians to access these foreign markets and establish their brand easily. Even when one is able to get entry documents, to attract fans as a foreigner might proof a daunting task in the beginning. To beat all the hurdles, collaboration is the way to go, and you can continue building on that platform to establish your solo brand abroad.
Collaborations between British artists and other artists abroad have existed since time immemorial. In whatever the level of collaboration involved, it has helped to develop and transform the music industry, including opening more opportunities to musical artists on the international scene. Collaboration works as a grease that enables different musical and cultural backgrounds to work seamlessly together to produce a unique vibe.
We can cite the level of collaborations in music festivals, where artists from different countries converge, as another area of success in this field.
We have seen a lot of UK artists moving from mere collaborations with their counterparts abroad to choosing to have a permanent base out there. Some artists like The Rolling Stones, the Beatles and many others from Britain started with frequent tours abroad and alliances with foreign artists, to making a permanent base abroad. Collaborations still linger in their mind even today. For example, late last year, The Rolling Stones shared the stage with several other musicians at a US vintage rock festival.
Estelle is another artist who has used collaboration to her advantage. The British-born singer has so far collaborated with the likes of Kanye West, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, John Legend and several other American artists. As a result, she has enjoyed profound success in her music career.