The Tragically Hip and k-os boast a rare connection.

Both have managed to be mega-successful Canuck acts without having much success in the U.S., which is usually a prerequisite if an artist wants to do well in Canada.

Canadians are much more accepting to their own artists if their friends north of the border approve first.

Take Nickelback as an example. The rock foursome won a Juno Award in 2001 for their album, The State, but 99 out of 100 Canadians were more familiar with the non-existent music of Freddy Kruger than they were with Chad Kroeger’s band’s tunes.

It wasn’t until the band reached number one on the singles charts in the U.S. for their late-2001 hit How You Remind Me that Nickelback became a known act in Canada.

Add soulDecision to the list as well. They were just another Canadian pop act until their fans decided to rally together and vote for them on MTV’s TRL, which didn’t even air in Canada. Suddenly they went from playing high schools to selling out large theatres.

Of course, no one heard from the boys for almost four years, the pop scene changed considerably, and when soulDecision released their Shady Satin Drug album towards the end of last year, nobody seemed to notice. Especially their U.S. fans, probably because the album wasn’t released stateside.

On the other hand, there are too many Canadian artists to list in one article that should be much more successful in their native land than they are. And they all share a common characteristic: little or no U.S. success.

In Essence, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Sarah Slean, Kyprios, Stars, Jacksoul, some former Canadian Idol contestants (note: that’s some, not many), Barlow, Low Millions, Jarvis Church, Jeremy Fisher, Stabilo.

Some of these artists aren’t the best Canada has to offer, and some are still managing to make a living off their music in Canada. But all lack U.S. success, and thus the type of fame in Canada that is reserved for the Simple Plans and Avril Lavignes of the industry.

And then in a category of their own: The Tragically Hip and k-os.

The Hip have been able to sell out arenas all over Canada, but in the U.S., they struggle to fill clubs with a capacity near 1000; and a lot of the people in those clubs are usually Canadians on a road trip.

It took Toronto-based rapper k-os two albums before Canadians took notice, and he broke in with his mega-hit single Crabbuckit. He too has had trouble in the U.S., despite a major push by his label which included a 30-minute show on VH1.

So why can the Hip and k-os be considered A-list stars in Canada, when hoards of other deserving artists in the same boat as them ? no U.S. success ? struggle?

The simple answer: I don’t know.

Some potential reasons: dedicated fans (especially true with the Hip), great music that appeals to a broad array of fans (especially true with k-os), and some pure luck.






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