Crossover music facts for kids
Crossover in music means when a song or artist becomes popular with many different kinds of listeners. Imagine a song that is a hit on both a country music chart and a pop music chart. That's a crossover! It happens when music that usually fits one style starts appealing to fans of other styles too.
Sometimes, when music crosses over, it might change a bit to appeal to more people. For example, in the early days of rock and roll, some songs by African-American musicians were re-recorded by white artists. These new versions were often softer and became very popular with a wider audience.
Crossover can also happen when music is featured in movies. For instance, Sacred Harp music became more popular after it was in the movie Cold Mountain. Also, bluegrass music saw a big comeback because of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
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Classical Crossover Music
Classical crossover is a mix of classical music and popular music. It can be classical songs that become super popular, or pop songs played in a classical way. It also includes classical and pop artists working together. This style blends parts of classical music, like opera or symphonies, with pop, rock, or Latin music.
Singers and musicians from both pop and classical backgrounds perform classical crossover. Record companies started using the name "classical crossover" in the 1980s. It has become much more popular since the 1990s and even has its own chart on Billboard.
Popular Classical Songs
Some classical songs have become very popular even with people who mostly listen to pop music. They sometimes even appear on pop music charts! Famous examples include Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21. The Mozart piece became a hit after being in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan.
Advertisements have also helped classical music become popular. For example, the song Aria by Yanni was used in British Airways ads. This song was actually based on an opera song by Léo Delibes.
Classical music also gets popular when used in sports. The song "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's opera Turandot, especially Luciano Pavarotti's version, is now strongly linked with soccer.
Classical Artists Crossing Over
Sometimes, classical artists record popular songs, like tunes from Broadway shows. Eileen Farrell was one of the first classical singers to have a successful crossover album in 1960.
Mario Lanza, a classically trained singer and movie star from the 1950s, was an early crossover pioneer. His songs were popular with more than just classical fans. His song "Be My Love" was number one on the Billboard pop charts in 1951. He was the first classical artist to sell over two million copies of a single.
Another early crossover artist was composer Kurt Weill. He wrote serious classical music but also created popular songs for Broadway musicals. Some of his songs, like "September Song", are still famous today.
In 1990, the first Three Tenors concert was a big moment. Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, and Plácido Domingo sang opera, folk, and pop songs for a huge TV audience. This helped classical crossover music grow even more.
Many classical singers and musicians today try to reach a wider audience. Artists like Vanessa Mae (violinist) and groups like 2CELLOS blend classical training with popular music styles.
Pop Artists in Classical Styles
Pop singers sometimes add classical or orchestral sounds to their music. Early examples include The Moody Blues's Days of Future Passed (1967) and Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969). More recently, Metallica released S&M (1999) with a symphony orchestra.
Italian pop singer Andrea Bocelli is known as a king of classical crossover. He is the best-selling classical music singer ever. British soprano Sarah Brightman also mixes classical, folk, and pop music in her albums. Katherine Jenkins, a Welsh singer, is another famous crossover artist.
Crossover Country Music
Country music used to be popular mostly in rural areas. But then, artists started making it appeal to a wider audience. Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith had an early country crossover hit in 1945.
In the mid-1950s, Rockabilly artists like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash had hits on both country and rock charts. Later, artists like Patsy Cline and Glen Campbell added pop sounds to their country music, making it popular with more people.
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers became huge country pop crossover stars in the 1970s and 1980s. Their duet, "Islands in the Stream", was number one on both country and pop charts in 1983. Many other artists, like John Denver and Olivia Newton-John, also found success in both country and pop music.
Country Crossover in the 1990s and 2000s
The 1990s saw many country artists become very popular in pop music. These included Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.
In the early 2000s, artists like Lee Ann Womack and the Dixie Chicks continued this success. Later, Carrie Underwood, who won American Idol, became a huge crossover star. She had hits on both country and pop charts.
Country Crossover in the Late 2000s and 2010s
Taylor Swift started as a country singer but slowly moved more into pop music. Many of her songs became hits on both country and pop charts. She became a leading example of a country crossover artist.
Other artists like Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry also found success in both pop and country music in the early 2010s. More recently, artists like Luke Bryan and Thomas Rhett have blended country with R&B, leading to more crossover hits.
Latin Crossover Artists
Latin crossover artists are those who sing in Spanish but also become popular with English-speaking audiences.
Latin Crossover in the 1980s
Gloria Estefan is one of the most successful Latin crossover artists. She started singing in English in 1984 with her group, the Miami Sound Machine. Their album Primitive Love (1985) had three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Conga". Gloria Estefan continued to bridge the gap between English and Latin music for many years.
Latin Crossover in the 1990s
In the mid-1990s, Selena became a huge star in Latin music. She was known as the "Queen of Tejano Music." She was working on an English crossover album when she sadly passed away in 1995. Her unfinished album, Dreaming of You, was released after her death and became a number-one hit on the Billboard 200. It was the first time a Latin artist had a number-one album that was partly in Spanish.
After Selena's success, the "Latin explosion" continued in the late 1990s. Stars like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez became very popular in mainstream pop music.
Ricky Martin's song "La Copa de la Vida" (The Cup of Life) became a worldwide hit after he sang an English version for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. His first English album in 1999, with the hit "Livin' la Vida Loca", sold over 22 million copies worldwide.
Marc Anthony also released an English album in 1999 with the hit "I Need to Know". Enrique Iglesias had a number-one hit with "Bailamos" from the movie Wild Wild West. Jennifer Lopez's first album On the 6 (1999) had the number-one hit "If You Had My Love".
Latin Crossover in the 2000s
After the 1990s, fewer Latin artists had big crossover success, but some still did. These included Shakira, Paulina Rubio, Jennifer Lopez, and Christina Aguilera. Both Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias remained very successful crossover artists.
Colombian singer Shakira's first English album, Laundry Service (2001), sold over 200,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and helped her become famous in North America.
Jennifer Lopez released her first full Spanish album, Como Ama una Mujer, in 2007. It did very well in the U.S. and Europe. Her song "Qué Hiciste" became number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Songs chart.
In 2004, Jay-Z teamed up with rock band Linkin Park to create the hit song "Numb/Encore." This song mixed hip-hop with rock, showing how artists can cross over between different music styles and reach new fans.
Latin Crossover in the 2010s
In 2017, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee became a huge hit worldwide. A remix featuring Justin Bieber helped it reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed at number one for many weeks and topped charts in 47 countries.
After "Despacito," other Latin songs also became very popular, like "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William, and "Súbeme la Radio" by Enrique Iglesias.
Christian Crossover Artists
A "crossover artist" can also mean a Christian musician who becomes popular in mainstream music. These artists might start on Christian record labels and radio stations. But then, their music starts selling well in regular music stores and gets played on mainstream radio.
Some people might worry that an artist is leaving their Christian roots for fame. Others see it as a great chance for the artist to share their Christian beliefs with more people.
Amy Grant was one of the first major Christian crossover artists. Her 1985 album Unguarded and her 1991 hit song "Baby Baby" were very popular on pop radio.
More recent Christian crossover artists include Lauren Daigle and Kirk Franklin. Many artists on labels like Tooth & Nail Records, such as Switchfoot and Lifehouse, have also found mainstream success.
Christian and country music often cross over. Many of Carrie Underwood's songs, like "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Something in the Water", have strong Christian themes and are popular in country music. Other examples include "Changed" by Rascal Flatts and "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn.
An interesting example of a crossover artist is Katy Perry. She released a Christian album early in her career under her birth name, Katy Hudson. Later, she became a huge pop star. Some of her pop songs still have Christian ideas in them.
Jazz and Rock Crossover
The term "crossover" can also mean mixing different music styles. "Fusion" is another common word for this. Examples include jazz fusion, which blends jazz with other styles, and world music, which mixes traditional music from different cultures.
Some bands play a mix of genres like funk, rap, rock, metal, and punk. Examples include Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, and Rage Against the Machine. These bands show how different music styles can come together to create something new and exciting.
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See also
In Spanish: Crossover (música) para niños
- Jazz fusion
- World music
- Folk music
- Eclecticism in art
- Polystylism
