All The Great British Music Icons We Wouldn’t Have Without Immigration

Dua Lipa, British pop star. Image credit: Tyrone Lebon, Warner Records

Great music and Great Britain – they’re synonymous.

Since globalisation in the 20th century enabled sound waves and celebrities to travel across the world, our (not so) humble island has raised countless legendary singers, bands, songwriters and musicians. Our music icons are a vital part of UK culture and tourism; something many Brits are proud of. 

Shock horror: not all great British musicians have Great British ancestry. 

In this article, we’re looking at just some of the greats of British music, past and present, who wouldn’t be the British music icons the world adores if it weren’t for immigration.

From Olivia Dean to Dua Lipa to Oasis, these artists prove that identity isn’t where you ‘come from’, it’s where you’re made.

Queen, British rock band. ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’ cover art. Image credit: Queen Online

Queen

It’s only right to start with music royalty; and one of Britain’s most famous bands of all time, Queen. Born in 1946 to Parsi-Indian parents (themselves descended from Persian refugees), Freddie Mercury’s life actually began in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Though born as a British subject (due to the state being a British protectorate at the time – that is, controlled by the British government), Mercury didn’t move to the UK until 1964, when he was 17. Before that, he’d spent most of his childhood in India, where he learnt to play piano and first developed his lifelong love of music.

“The decade’s reigning British female popstar, Dua Lipa was born in London to Kosovo-Albanian parents, who fled as refugees after being expelled from their home country.”

Dua Lipa

The decade’s reigning British female popstar, Dua Lipa was born in London to Kosovo-Albanian parents, who fled as refugees after being expelled from their home country by forces under the Serbian president. After a long war, they returned to Kosovo, where the singer spent her early teens before moving back to the UK alone at 15 to pursue music. A frequent and vocal supporter of Kosovar causes and charities, Dua Lipa was given citizenship by the nation’s president earlier this year, and says her first language was Albanian. 

RAYE, British singer. Image credit: Aliyah Otchere

RAYE

Rachel Agatha Keen, better known as RAYE, is undoubtedly one of the UK’s fastest rising mainstream artists. Born in London, she has a Ghanaian-Swiss mother and takes her middle name from grandma Agatha Dawson-Amoah, emigrant of Ghana. Dawson-Amoah even features in brand new single ‘Where Is My Husband’, and RAYE took her on stage at the 2024 BRITS when accepting her ‘Album Of The Year’ win. Watch it if you’re in a safe place to ugly cry.

Oasis

The great British summer of Oasis still lives in recent memory… Pimms and bucket hats and ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ – it couldn’t get more St. George-y than that, right? Well, the Gallagher brothers were born to Irish immigrant parents Peggy and Thomas Gallagher, from County Mayo and County Meath, making them second-generation immigrants. And that’s ok… they’re still a defining voice of 90s working-class Britain.

Stormzy, British rapper. Image credit, Frank Schwichtenberg, CC

Stormzy

Stormzy has won 36 awards and been nominated for 93 – representing rap, grime and hiphop genres, and the UK, on an international scale. He is credited with expanding the global influence and local accessibility of grime and UK rap, despite facing backlash for it: ‘I done a scholarship for the kids, they said it’s racist. That’s not anti-white, it’s pro-black’. Michael Omari Owuo Jr.’s mother is Ghanaian, and he was the first Black British solo artist to headline Glastonbury, though not until 2019.

Olivia Dean, British singer. Image credit: Gwen Trannoy

Olivia Dean

We’ve hailed her as Britain’s next music icon, but Olivia Dean wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her Guyanese grandmother, who emigrated in the Windrush generation, aged 18. ‘Carmen’ tells that story, illustrating her bravery and the lack of gratitude towards thousands who uprooted their lives to rebuild post-war Britain by invitation, only to face decades of enduring discrimination and even deportation. It’s one of Dean’s most touching, emotional performances, with lines like: ‘You’re stronger than I’ll ever be, never got a jubilee, I’ll throw it for you.’

Little Simz

Little Simz, or Simbiatu (Simbi) Ajkawo, was born in London to Nigerian parents. Like RAYE, she brought a family member on stage at the 2022 Brit awards, thanking her mother in her ‘Best New Artist’ speech. In ‘Woman’, Simz celebrates the diversity of London women across the African diaspora, featuring vocals from acclaimed British soul singer Cleo Sol – herself born to Jamaican and Spanish-Serbian parents. ‘Broken’ explores the poverty, poor mental health and lack of support facing young immigrants moving to the UK alone: ‘War ready, but travelled to this country for peace’ — themes that Simz regularly raps about.

Little Simz. British rapper. Image credit: Karoline Wielocha, Good Machine PR

One Direction

Whatever your thoughts on the X-Factor pop group, One Direction remains one of the best-selling boybands of all time. One of Britain’s biggest cultural exports, they ushered in a new celebrity form for the 21st century. And One Direction wouldn’t exist without Zayn Malik – handpicked by Nicole Scherzinger. Born in Yorkshire to a Pakistani immigrant, Malik credits his father for introducing him to music by artists such as Prince and Bob Marley. 

Coldplay

Chris Martin of Coldplay, known for his uplifting music and accidental exposé of affairs, was born and raised in the UK, though spent a lot of time in Zimbabwe – then Rhodesia – where his mother is from. His work has been credited to traditional Sungura music influences, reminiscent of its colourful sound, particularly in ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’. Zimbabwe was liberated from British colonial rule in 1980 – now that’s real unauthorised immigration… and Britain has a long track record of immigrating to – or rather, invading – other countries.

Our British Music Icons Are BORN From Global Influences

It’s not a coincidence that so many iconic British artists have roots in other lands. Immigration doesn’t mean assimilating so completely into a nation’s culture that the one before it is swallowed entirely, nor is it staunchly carrying on with unbendable traditions. Growing up exposed to multiple cultures creates an orchestra of sounds, sights, family customs and world experiences. Unique, genre-defining music is bound to be the product.

“Music is just one realm of society that benefits from immigration, and it’s so embedded in its history that Great British music simply wouldn’t exist without it.”

Music is just one realm of society that benefits from immigration, and it’s so embedded in its history that Great British music simply wouldn’t exist without it. Immigration is not a dirty word – it’s something we should celebrate, as many of these artists do in their music and acceptance speeches. 

Whether someone is fleeing war, in search of a better life, or hungry for adventure, who holds the right to attack them for it? That individual, or their British-born child, might end up writing the song that plays at your wedding, features in your next favourite film, or defines a decade.

So stop crying your heart out, ‘nationalists’ – the only thing Britain is threatened by is the loss of what makes us great.

Disclaimer: This article has been written with information available online. To suggest a correction or edit, please contact the Groove.