Music is an integral part of British culture. And our small island produces some of the world’s most celebrated musicians loved by millions at home and around the globe.
Musical talent spans the length and breadth of the UK, with globally celebrated performers born and raised in cities large and small across all four nations. But which musicians are their hometown’s shining star?
To find out, the cultural programming team at Wembley Park - home to two of Britain’s most iconic music venues, Wembley Stadium and the OVO Arena Wembley – analysed Wikipedia page view data for top musicians born in 25 UK cities*.
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is Birmingham’s most searched for musician with 6.8 million views. The Prince of Darkness rose to fame in the 1970s selling over 115 million albums cementing his rock legend status.
Also featuring in Birmingham’s top 10 most searched for musicians is additional Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi (1.07M views) and British rapping sensation Stefflon Don (840K views) ranking sixth and eight respectively.
Pop sensation Dua Lipa takes the top spot nationally and in the UK’s Capital, London, with over 16 million page views and counting. The “one kiss” singer beat the likes of Elton John (12 million views), David Bowie (11.9 million views) and Adele (11.2 million views) - who are also all London born and bred.
West Hampstead-born Dua Lipa has received numerous top music awards during her career. The star has received nominations for 15 Brit Awards, eight Grammy Awards and seven NME Awards - winning six, three and one, respectively.
And with over 34.7 million followers on Spotify and coming fourth in the global artist rankings on the streaming platform, there is no denying Dua Lipa is a British pop powerhouse.
Imagine singer and Beatles legend, John Lennon, ranks second overall and number one in Liverpool with over 11.4 million views. Throughout his life, The Beatles star achieved 25 number one singles, several Grammy Award wins and an Oscar for ‘Let it Be’.
Despite meeting an early death aged 40, Lennon continues to be mourned worldwide and has been the subject of numerous memorials and tributes, including the airport in his hometown renamed the Liverpool John Lennon Airport in 2002, proving his legacy lives on over 40 years later. The remaining three Beatles members complete the top four most searched for artists in Liverpool – Paul McCartney (9.9 million views), George Harrison (8.5 million views) and Ringo Starr (6.1 million views).
Former 1D star Zayn Malik follows in third place overall, with over 8 million page views, giving him the top spot for Bradford. Ozzie Osbourne (6.8 million views) and Sting (5.1 million views) complete the top five most and are number one in their resident cities, Birmingham and Newcastle. Surprisingly, the infamous Gallagher brothers were beaten to the top spot for Manchester by Bee Gee’s frontman Barry Gibb with over 4.4 million views.
Liam Gallagher ranked fifth with over 2.7 million views, and Noel Gallagher dropped to seventh place with just under 2.1 million views. Claudio Giambrone, Head of Marketing at Wembley Park, commented: “Music is the universal language of mankind, and, especially in the UK, we love to celebrate homegrown talent, as well as global superstars.
“Home to two of the world’s most iconic music venues, Wembley Park is excited to welcome back live music this summer, after two years of disruptions due to the pandemic. Hopefully, we can see a few of these iconic names grace our stage soon."
