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Original poster

Music/culture that is popular outside the home country

42 replies

Emelee · 29/06/2025 11:01

I'm thinking like Morrissey becoming massive among US based Mexicans, and Mexican Americans. British David Gray first breaking massive in Ireland, Norman Wisdom in Albania- etc. Wondered if you knew of any more examples?

OP posts:
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Redheadedstepchild · 30/06/2025 13:53

Eastern European players seem to be taking the US NBA by storm these last couple of years.

Original poster
Emelee · 30/06/2025 10:47

I've also found that cultural aspects associated with Northern England is very well received in Ireland; many people love Coronation Street, the Smiths toured here a lot when breaking through. Manchester United & Liverpool are extremely popular

OP posts:
shuffleofftobuffalo · 30/06/2025 07:03

David Hasselhoff - inexplicably massive in Germany to the point where he played the Berlin Wall just after it fell and its become an iconic moment.

AgentJohnson · 30/06/2025 06:09

Allo Allo, Mr Bean, Are you being served were very big when I first moved to the Netherlands in the early 2000’s. I was bemused because things that you view as typically British, apparently travel very well. Don’t get me started on Dinner for one in Germany, Germans feel slighted when you explain that it isn’t a thing in the UK and that you’ve never heard of it.

mathanxiety · 30/06/2025 06:00

Northern soul in Dublin..

Ballroom dancing in Quebec and Ontario.

YuMex music in the last days of Yugoslavia - Mexican musical styles sung in Serbo-Croat.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 30/06/2025 00:53

So like countries adopting an artist that weren't as popular in their own countries - like Kylie in the UK she's British as far as I'm concerned or ABBA in Australia. Although I know ABBA were famous all over but Australia claimed them as their own.

Original poster
Emelee · 30/06/2025 00:45

More great responses! Turkish soap operas seemed to be very popular in Poland/Slovakia. There are also sub national/city pockets of interest. Goth I think is massive in Leeds, the Scandinavian countries famously love metal.

OP posts:
Redheadedstepchild · 29/06/2025 16:12

Pizza. No matter where you go, you can always find pizza. Of some description.

Redheadedstepchild · 29/06/2025 15:33

ginasevern · 29/06/2025 15:20

Oh god yes, I've sat through "Dinner for One". I mean, it's quite amusing - but you still need to ask....why?

Show quote history

There’s nothing like a bit of Weltschmerz to bring in the New Year.

Jabberwok · 29/06/2025 15:27

Country and western in huge in Australia (or it was) and in the UK in certain areas.

1950s rock and roll has always had a huge underground scene. All those Butlins weekend for 80's, 90's themes come from the 50s scene who have been doing that since the early 1970s. Minor rock and roll stars who had stopped playing in the USA were brought to the UK in the 70s, 80s and 90s and wet shocked to be playing to teenagers...and their parents/grandparents.

Jazz is similar but a more middle class crowd!

GaspingGekko · 29/06/2025 15:25

Oh, and vimto is huge in the middle east as a ramadan drink.

Redheadedstepchild · 29/06/2025 15:23

Adidas in Russia. It's become a self deprecating stereotype by now but it was a real thing.

Barbadossunset · 29/06/2025 15:22

Charel2girl5 · Today 14:22
K pop is just massive everywhere. It’s so lovely to see/hear how we can appreciate cross cultural lives now. Well mostly anyway

Yes, also K drama.

ginasevern · 29/06/2025 15:20

Redheadedstepchild · 29/06/2025 12:43

Quite a few of these cultural crossovers seem to be associated with either Christmas or New Year. Since I thought of the Japanese KFC phenomenon, I've come with two more:

Watching a Donald Duck cartoon, "Kalle Anka" In Sweden at Christmas and, "Dinner For One" on New Year's Eve in Germany.

Oh god yes, I've sat through "Dinner for One". I mean, it's quite amusing - but you still need to ask....why?

Cecilly · 29/06/2025 15:20

Mexican soap operas and a South American tea called mate are really big in Lebanon.

AnnaMagnani · 29/06/2025 15:19

Tango in Finland. Apparently it was massive when it arrived in the 1930s, the Finns adopted it and turned it into a uniquely Finnish tango music.

Went to a conference in Helsinki, they opened it by singing the national tango of Finland.

GaspingGekko · 29/06/2025 15:17

About 15 years ago, DH and I were walking along a street in Kuala Lumpur at night. We saw a huge crowd of local men gathered around a television shop, watching something on one of the TVs that had been left on. We expected some sort of sports match, but when we got there, it turned out to be Mr Bean.
We then also saw a small child from a jungle tribe wearing a Mr Bean T-shirt on the same trip.

SeanMean · 29/06/2025 15:11

Garth Brooks is huge in Ireland.

Theeyeballsinthesky · 29/06/2025 15:06

Keane are huge in South America as in people waiting at airports/camping outside their hotel/playing football stadiums huge

EmeraldRoulette · 29/06/2025 14:59

Inside No 9 being popular in China. I'd be really interested to see the show they have there.

Redheadedstepchild · 29/06/2025 14:57

"Allo, Allo" was broadcast in Germany. On ProSeiben.

MeringueOutang · 29/06/2025 14:49

Patricia Routledge once did an interview where she said that Keeping Up Appearances had its highest ratings in Botswana and they all loved Hyacinth Bucket.

Redheadedstepchild · 29/06/2025 14:27

Emelee · 29/06/2025 14:08

Amazing answers. I never knew.about most of these!! Now I recall.reading in the late 80s music press that The Cure were absolutely massive in France. Certainly Country & Western is huge in Ireland. They also absolutely love Springsteen and apparently films starring Meryl Streep outperform there.

(Run time 5mins56seconds.

Here's some people from Senegal enjoying some Bollywood style wedding party dancing.

It's a huge thing in West Africa.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/PFZuKvwOd7I?si=FZtEeahLIqdlnDxi

Original poster
Emelee · 29/06/2025 14:23

DiscoBob · 29/06/2025 14:12

Gavin Rossdales band, Bush, were not big in the UK at all but massive in the states.

I didn't know Morrissey was big among Mexicans?

I think specifically Mexican immigrants to southern California & their descendants.
Traditional Irish folk music has a huge audience in Germany and The Netherlands. There's a Serbian band called thr Orthodox Celts who sing Irish songs with Balkan accents.

OP posts:
Charel2girl5 · 29/06/2025 14:22

K pop is just massive everywhere. It’s so lovely to see/hear how we can appreciate cross cultural lives now. Well mostly anyway!