{"id":49876,"date":"2025-02-06T01:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T00:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edwinm29.sg-host.com\/?page_id=49876"},"modified":"2025-03-05T11:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T10:46:07","slug":"10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-taught musicians dominate UK\u2019s Spotify charts \u2014 here are 10 remarkable examples"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #103133;color:#103133\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #103133;color:#103133\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk\/#The_data\" >The data<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk\/#Self-learning_vs_formal_education\" >Self-learning vs. formal education<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk\/#10_Self-taught_icons\" >10 Self-taught icons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk\/#Broader_implications_and_concluding_thoughts\" >Broader implications and concluding thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"49876\" class=\"elementor elementor-49876\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-29382aaf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"29382aaf\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3a251aa7\" data-id=\"3a251aa7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13a69cd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"13a69cd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For almost as long as popular music has been around, kids have dreamed about becoming famous musicians. It\u2019s the dream for almost everyone who picks up a guitar or sits down at the piano.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a lot of learners, the challenge is that becoming a professional musician can feel like an impossible task if you don\u2019t take (or can\u2019t afford) music lessons. But the thing is \u2026\u00a0 a lot of people at the top of the charts never had formal lessons!\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_data\"><\/span><b>The data<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skoove<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/\">DataPulse<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, conducted a study which revealed <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/top-spotify-artists-stats\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">key insights about the top UK Spotify artists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and found that 71% of the top 100 did not engage in regular training with music teachers or instructors. The remaining 29% had lessons. The data suggest that the vast majority of successful musicians pursued alternative approaches to learning music, such as apps or self-guided learning, for example with YouTube or tutorial books.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The underlying data for the analyses came from multiple sources, including ChartMasters\u2019 list of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/chartmasters.org\/top-spotify-artists\/?slk=sb\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Top Spotify Artists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Wikidata, and manual research and aggregation. In order to extract insights about musicians who are in bands and groups, we looked at characteristics of the lead composer or band frontperson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><iframe title=\"UK&#039;s musicians who received tutoring or private lessons\" aria-label=\"pies-title\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-ACdhE\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/ACdhE\/6\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"532\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();<\/script><\/p><div style=\"overflow: auto; position: absolute; height: 0pt; width: 0pt;\">\u00a0<\/div><div style=\"overflow: auto; position: absolute; height: 0pt; width: 0pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embedista.com\/\">Iframe Generator<\/a><\/div><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skoove and DataPulse also dug a little deeper into the numbers around formal music degrees. The discrepancy here is even greater. We found that only 13% of the Spotify top 100 have a music degree. An additional 3.2% started a degree, but didn\u2019t finish it. So it goes without saying that the remaining 84% don\u2019t have a music degree and didn\u2019t even start one.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><iframe title=\"Music Degrees Among UK&#039;s Top 100 Spotify Artists\" aria-label=\"pies-title\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-8IvsW\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/8IvsW\/4\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"517\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();<\/script><\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Self-learning_vs_formal_education\"><\/span><b>Self-learning vs. formal education<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are private lessons all they\u2019re cracked up to be? Private lessons are often considered the gold standard for musical education. But, as the data show, this doesn\u2019t necessarily make them the automatic or the appropriate choice for every aspiring musician.<\/span><\/p><p>There are various reasons why formal music education, including private lessons, might not be ideal or even an option for musicians. The curriculum of academic music qualifications, such as degrees, can often be rigid with the student having little to no choice over what they play or how they learn advanced or even <a href=\"\/blog\/easy-piano-songs\/\">easy piano songs<\/a>.\u00a0The environment may also be too pressurised for some students with factors like exams and homework. It goes without saying that both academic music qualifications and private lessons also require significant financial resources which may make them less accessible.<\/p><p>In contrast, self learning is becoming more and more accessible for aspiring musicians with resources like YouTube and <a href=\"\/blog\/best-piano-apps\/\">piano learning apps.<\/a> There are countless music tutorials and instrumental courses available on YouTube and entire apps dedicated to <a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-play-piano\/\">learning how to play piano<\/a>. In comparison to the financial commitment, time investment and inflexibility of traditional musical education, these options offer support and guidance while putting the learner in the driving seat.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not just instrumental learning that\u2019s becoming more accessible. Plenty of tools for <a href=\"\/blog\/record-piano\/\">music recording<\/a> and production are also readily available now, such as apps where you can sample beats or autotune your voice. These technological developments have arguably made it easier to learn and produce music outside of the traditional framework of formal education. Developments in pop music itself may have also made writing a chart-topping hit more attainable. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/faroutmagazine.co.uk\/what-does-science-say-about-modern-pop-music\/#:~:text=Looking%20at%20their%20tonal%2C%20melodic,mastered%20to%20sound%20considerably%20louder.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on an analysis of over 500,000 pop songs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pop music has become less harmonically and structurally complex over the last few decades. So writing a song that would harmonically fit in today\u2019s charts has never been more accessible to people without a traditional musical background.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite today\u2019s abundance of resources, going down a path of self-learning is never an easy task. With private instrumental lessons and academic music education, there is a level of guidance and structure that they offer which keeps your learning on track, which self-learning can lack. But it\u2019s precisely this absence of structure which can make self-learners incredibly driven musicians. Whether it\u2019s performing at open mic nights or putting their music up on platforms like YouTube, TikTok or SoundCloud, self-taught musicians learn how to be self-motivated when it comes to their learning and to getting their work out into the world.<\/span><\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Self-taught_icons\"><\/span><b>10 Self-taught icons<\/b><b><br \/><\/b><b><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><b><br \/><\/b>The following list is just a sample of the artists in the top 100 who haven\u2019t relied on formal music lessons to help their careers.<\/p><h3><b>Ed Sheeran &#8211; #1 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/10-Ed-Sheeran.jpg\" alt=\"Ed Sheeran\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ed Sheeran is one of the most popular singer-songwriters currently making music. He\u2019s won four Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards, and six Billboard Music Awards. He\u2019s also received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors twice, in both 2015 and 2018.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sheeran started his musical journey young. He started singing in a choir when he was four, learned guitar when he was 11, and by 13 he had released his first record. Sheeran was inspired to start writing his own music after meeting musician Damian Rice, who told Sheeran it was time to write his own material. At 14, Sheeran headed to London and started gigging around London and eventually found success. He would crash with friends and couch surf while he was starting his career. He studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music for just 3 weeks (and is listed on their website as one of their alumni) but dropped out to go on tour. As his time at the Academy of Contemporary Music was so brief, we decided to include him on this list as self-taught.<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo one else is going to do it for you, if you want it bad enough then go out and do it yourself.\u201d<br \/>Ed Sheeran<br \/><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>John Lennon (The Beatles) &#8211; #10 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/John-Lennon.jpeg\" alt=\"John Lennon\" width=\"592\" height=\"592\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arguably one of the most important songwriters of the 20th century, John Lennon was one of the main songwriters and guitar players in The Beatles. As a band, The Beatles are the most successful band in the history of the Billboard charts. They\u2019ve earned seven Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, and an Academy Award. They are credited as kickstarting the British Invasion in the 1960s, where bands from the UK crossed the Atlantic and became stars in the US.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lennon came from a poor, working class family in Liverpool. When he was 16, his mother lent him \u00a35 to buy his first guitar. His mom showed him a few banjo chords that he could play on the guitar, but Lennon, like the rest of The Beatles including Sir Paul McCartney, was self-taught. They honed their skills as musicians and songwriters playing gigs in Germany.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAll music is rehash. There are only a few notes. Just variations on a theme. Try to tell the kids in the Seventies who were screaming to the Bee Gees that their music was just the Beatles redone. There is nothing wrong with the Bee Gees.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>John Lennon<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>Ellie Goulding &#8211; #13 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Ellie-Goulding-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ellie Goulding \" width=\"585\" height=\"694\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellie Goulding is a British singer-songwriter who\u2019s considered one of the most successful British female performers of the 21st century. Her albums have won her three Brit Awards, a Billboard Music Award, 17 BMI London Awards, two Glamour Awards, and two Grammy Award nominations.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goulding learned clarinet in school and taught herself how to play the guitar when she was 14. At 15 she started writing her own songs and developing her talents as a performer. Goulding got her big break in university when she met her manager, who introduced her to producers and helped her make her first album.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI&#8217;ve watched and learnt from DJs and remixers and paid way more attention to how I want my voice to sound. Before, as long as it was loud and in tune it was fine. I&#8217;ve discovered the difference made by various microphones and effects, so each track has a different vocal sound, my voice is woven into everything and it&#8217;s above everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>Ellie Goulding<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>James Arthur &#8211; #14 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/James-Arthur.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"538\" height=\"303\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to Calum Scott, James Arthur first rose to fame after being on the popular talent show, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The X Factor. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite struggling with anxiety and being hospitalised during filming of the show, Arthur won <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The X Factor <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in 2012, pushing him into the national spotlight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arthur didn\u2019t have a happy childhood, his parents divorced and he eventually wound up in foster care. Music helped him manage his emotions in his life. He taught himself how to play the guitar during this time and developed as a singer. Music led to him joining several bands where he honed his skills as a musician and performing before appearing on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The X Factor.<\/span><\/i><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBeing in bands and plugging away with not many opportunities and no money for many years really shaped me and taught me about work ethic.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>James Arthur<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>David Gilmore (Pink Floyd) &#8211; #18 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/David-Gilmore.jpg\" alt=\"David Gilmore\" width=\"597\" height=\"398\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the guitar player and songwriter for legendary rock band Pink Floyd, David Gilmore has sold more than 250 million records worldwide. He\u2019s won countless awards, been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, and is often considered to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite this, he never received formal music training. He taught himself how to play the guitar using an old record and instruction book from American folk musician Pete Seegar. He borrowed the guitar from a neighbour and was so enthralled by the instrument that he never returned it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy only actual guitar instruction was with Pete Seeger&#8217;s guitar tutor record. It was an LP with a big book, it had all the chords that you might need. It started out with a pitch pipe playing six notes of a guitar, so the most important thing was to learn how to tune it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>David Gilmore<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>Noel Gallagher (Oasis) &#8211; #30 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Noel-Gallagher.jpg\" alt=\"Noel Gallagher\" width=\"480\" height=\"672\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the 1990s, Oasis was at the top of the game. They sold 75 million records worldwide and won 17 NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards. Although the band was fronted by his younger brother Liam, Noel Gallagher was the driving creative force behind the band.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gallagher\u2019s early life was tumultuous, much like it was during the Oasis years. Gallagher was often in trouble with the police and it was during a 6 month probation when he was 14 that he taught himself how to play the guitar. By the time he was 21, he\u2019d joined a friend\u2019s band as their guitar tech. Noel joined his brother\u2019s band after getting back from a tour and that band turned into Oasis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRock n&#8217; roll to me is all about freedom of thought and to be whatever you want to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>Noel Gallagher<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>Calum Scott &#8211; #44 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Calum-Scott.jpg\" alt=\"Calum Scott\" width=\"602\" height=\"452\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calum Scott is a British singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 2015 after an appearance on the show <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Britain\u2019s Got Talent<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Prior to his time on the show, Scott spent years honing his abilities both in bands and talent shows similar to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Britain\u2019s Got Talent.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite being known as a singer, Scott was originally a drummer. It wasn\u2019t until his younger sister encouraged him to sing more that he started focusing on his singing and joined a series of bands, while working in HR. The hard work paid off, after his first performance on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Britain\u2019s Got Talent, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon Cowell said, \u201cI\u2019ve never ever in all the years I\u2019ve done this show heard a guy with the talent you\u2019ve got. Seriously. And the version was sensational, and that shows to me you\u2019re more than a singer, you\u2019re an artist and that\u2019s why you got that (the buzzer).\u201d<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI used to work full time in an office, hiding away in my desk. Now, I have the opportunity to do something I love. And every day is a dream come true for me. I&#8217;m just generally grateful for all the love and support, and I will continue to give my 101 percent.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>Calum Scott<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) &#8211; #46 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Mark-Knopfler-.jpg\" alt=\"Mark Knopfler \" width=\"529\" height=\"529\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mark Knopfler and his band Dire Straits were one of the top performing acts of the 1980s. Before they broke up, they won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (Best British Group twice), two MTV Video Music Awards, and they\u2019ve been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, Knopfler is considered a virtuoso on the guitar and still ranks as one of the best players ever, which is impressive when you consider that he never had formal training. He taught himself how to play the guitar and started performing. By the time he was 16, he had been in several bands and appeared on TV. Knopfler continued to perform and tour during the 1960s and 70s until he formed Dire Straits in 1977.<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI just want to be able to play and make people feel good with what I do. When you&#8217;re thinking that way, anything can happen. And, usually, what happens is good.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>Mark Knopfler<\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) &#8211; #57 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bruce_Dickinson.jpg\" alt=\"Bruce_Dickinson\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might think that a man who\u2019s singing style is often described as \u201coperatic\u201d would have had at least some formal training in his youth to gain that level of control over his voice, but Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson didn\u2019t receive any.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dickinson\u2019s interest in music started at a young age, listening to old records with his grandparents, but it wasn\u2019t until he heard Deep Purple\u2019s album <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child in Time<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that his love deepened into something more serious. Initially, he wanted to play the drums and borrowed a pair of bongo drums from the music room at his school. It was while playing with school mates that he discovered his ability to sing. Dickinson started singing in bands in university before eventually replacing the lead singer of the band Iron Maiden.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As part of Iron Maiden, Dickinson released 41 albums, has won countless awards, and he is considered one of the best heavy metal vocalists of all time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think it\u2019s important to find something that you\u2019re passionate about and follow that passion.\u201d<br \/><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruce Dickinson<br \/><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><h3><b>Stormzy &#8211; #83 in the UK<\/b><\/h3><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Stormzy.jpg\" alt=\"Stormzy\" width=\"571\" height=\"675\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stormzy, born Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., is a British rapper and performer known for compelling lyrics in the UK grime scene. He was 11 when he started rapping with other kids in a youth club in London.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He started putting up his material on YouTube when he was 18 and his <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WickedSkengMan <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series of freestyles helped establish him as an artist worth watching. He was the first artist to win the MOBO\u2019s Best Grime Act award, the first unsigned artist to appear on Later\u2026 with Jools Holland, and his song <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shut<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which was originally a part of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WickedSkengMan<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> series on YouTube, became the first freestyle to reach the charts in 2015, where it peaked at #8.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOn the microphone, I\u2019m not scared to step up and say, \u2018This is my ability, this is how good I am.\u2019 In other areas of life, I\u2019m not so confident; I\u2019m still adjusting to the photo shoots, all that stuff. But behind the mic, I\u2019m fully confident.\u201d<br \/><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stormzy<br \/><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Broader_implications_and_concluding_thoughts\"><\/span><b>Broader implications and concluding thoughts<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s fascinating to see just how many artists in Spotify\u2019s top 100 did not receive formal music education. Some of these artists managed to become household names without instrumental lessons or being able to read music.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, it\u2019s possible to learn an instrument, produce music and share that music independently without a traditional musical education. In some sense, the playing field is now more level. As mentioned, there are more tools than ever that can help people learn music or mix songs to create quality music without spending money on lessons or recording studios. From apps and tutorials on YouTube to help you learn to play an instrument, to platforms like TikTok and SoundCloud where artists can share their music. Artists are no longer limited to begging radio stations to play their crudely recorded demos. This gives them the ability to create an authentic connection with a core audience before they\u2019re even on the radar of big music producers.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You could also argue that learning outside of the regimented structure of formal education may allow self-taught individuals to express their creativity more freely as their learning and engagement with their instrument is unconstrained in some cases. Without traditional frameworks and support, they have to be resourceful in their learning and stand on their own two feet, both when making music and making a name for themselves.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of musical education, these self-taught artists have succeeded in attaining global fame with their music. This is a testament to alternative learning methods and shows that a traditional music education is not the only way to bring a passion for music to life.<\/span><\/p><p>Interested in learning more about music? Check out our comprehensive guide to <a href=\"\/blog\/find-piano-teacher\/\">finding the perfect piano teacher<\/a>.<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Author of this study:<\/strong><br \/>Susana P\u00e9rez Posada<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Susana-Pe\u0301rez-Posada-1.png\" alt=\"Susana P\u00e9rez Posada\" width=\"212\" height=\"217\" \/><\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">With over seven years in piano education and a deep passion for music therapy, Susana brings a unique blend of expertise to Skoove. A graduate in Music Therapy from SRH Hochschule Heidelberg and an experienced classical pianist from Universidad EAFIT, she infuses her teaching with a holistic approach that transcends traditional piano lessons. In her writings for Skoove, Susana combines her rich musical knowledge with engaging storytelling, enriching the learning experience for pianists of all levels. Away from the piano, she loves exploring new places and immersing herself in a good book, believing these diverse experiences enhance her creative teaching style.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All images used in this article are licensed under the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For almost as long as popular music has been around, kids have dreamed about becoming famous musicians. It\u2019s the dream for almost everyone who picks up a guitar or sits down at the piano.\u00a0 For a lot of learners, the challenge is that becoming a professional musician can feel like an impossible task if you &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"\/blog\/10-self-taught-musicians-spotify-uk\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Self-taught musicians dominate UK\u2019s Spotify charts \u2014 here are 10 remarkable examples<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":49767,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"%%post_title%%","_seopress_titles_desc":"Formal music education might not be the only path to chart-topping success. Our study highlights 10 remarkable artists who topped the UK's Spotify charts through self-learning. Explore their journeys and see who made the list.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49876","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-and-culture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}