Hits out of the UK

The boy band concept did not come from the UK but I must say that the Brits did a pretty good job of perfecting it. Must be why they are still constantly at it, I mean working on boy bands, although, it has now been a good 50 years since they gave the world The Beatles. Fifty years! Yes, it has been that long ago. And their latest offering in this category is One Direction.

One Direction is more like the Monkees than the Beatles in that its members were not friends or schoolmates but were put together to become a band. The members are five young and very attractive boys. All of them are British, of course. They are Niali James Horan, 18; Zaya Malik, 19; Liam Payne, 18; Harry Edward Styles, 17; and Louis Tomlinson, 20.

They all joined the talent show The X-Factor as individual contestants but failed to qualify. Producer Simon Cowell and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger then suggested they try out as a group and that was when they became One Direction. They didn’t win and came in only third in the contest. But who cares, their show song Forever Young had already become a big hit in the web by the time the winner was announced.

They have since then gone on a record-breaking tour where tickets sold out minutes after the announcement, became ambassadors for Pokemon, launched the One Direction limited edition Nokia phone and generally, became the newest teen heartthrobs. They also bested Adele at the Brits Music Awards when their first No. 1 selling song What Makes You Beautiful won Brit Single of the Year.

One Direction is made up of The X-Factor contestants

It is just too bad that Forever Young is not in the Up All Night album by One Direction. But everything else is in the CD led by the award-winning What Makes You Beautiful, and new originals by Kelly Clarkson and Ed Sheeran. The song titles are Gotta Be You, One Thing, More Than This, Up All Night, I Wish, Tell Me A Lie, Taken, I Want, Everything About You, Same Mistake, Save You Tonight and Stole My Heart.

Still on acts from the UK. While Adele was winning those trophies at the Brit Music Awards a week or two ago, a talented, unassuming young man was also making his own harvest. He was Ed Sheeran, only 20 years old and the UK’s newest singing/songwriting sensation. Ed won the awards for British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act of 2011.

Ed, born in West Yorkshire, of English and Irish parentage, might just emerge as the male version of Adele. He writes his own songs and these are simple, heartfelt tunes that are easy on the ears. He reminds me of Jason Mraz but more intense. His big debut was The A Team, a song about a girl stuck in a daydream, but it was the Oscar and Grammy-winner Jamie Foxx who gave him his biggest break. Jamie gave him use of his private studio and allowed Ed to stay in his home while working in L.A.

Ed’s major label debut includes The A Team plus a whole lot of his original songs — U.N.I., Grade 8, Wake Me Up, Small Bump, This, The City, Kiss Me, Give Me Love, Autumn Leaves, Little Bird, Sunburn, Gold Rush and later singles You Need Me I Don’t Need You, Lego House and Drunk.

Ed Sheeran is British Breakthrough Act of 2011

And now from the UK charts. Adele is still the No. 1 seller in the UK with the multi-awarded album 21. The other CDs in the Billboard UK hit list are Our Version Of Events by Emeli Sande; + by Ed; Born To Die by Lana del Rey; Making Mirrors by Gotye; Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay; 19 by Adele; Lonely Are The Brave by Maverick Sabre; Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine; and Who Are You by Jessie J.

The Top 10 singles are Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra; Next To Me by Sande; Hot Right Now by DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora; Wild Ones by Flo Rida feat. Sia; Titanium by David Guetta feat. also Sia; Domino by Jessie J; Starships by Nicki Minaj; Turn Me On by Guetta feat. Minaj; Ass Back Home by Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch; and T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever) by will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez.