Why Don't You Hear Someone's Accent In A Song? by Matt Soniak

     Most of my favorite singers, including Marina and The Diamonds, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding, and Kate Nash, are British or from the UK. However, (excepting Kate Nash) their accents can sometimes be hard to pick up. I was wondering why this is, so I read Why Don't You Hear Someone's Accent in a Song? by Matt Soniak.
     "Accents are often defined by rhythms, intonation and vowel quality and length," says Soniak. Sometimes, these factors can push an accent to the point of disappearance. This is also true for the other way around- some songs sound rediculous if they're not sung in a British accent. For example, the pop singer Adele switches back and forth between accents. Try singing or speaking the song with the emphasis on the "Rs", "Os" and "Is", like General American english. "NeveR mind, I'll fInd SOmeOne lIke yOu," instead of how she sings it, which is more like "nevahmind ah'll fahnd sahmmane lahk you." It would sound rediculous and almost pirate-ish if sung in an American accent.
     Soniak says another reason some stars drop their accents is for social reasons. If a singer's social class was easily detected by his or her accent, they might want to change it if they weren't that well off.