Capaldi America’s sweetheart with No 1
● Been there, done that… Bathgate boy has got the t-shirt for breaking US
The Beatles may have famously managed it, but making it big in America is a nut often too hard to crack for even the most long-serving and celebrated of British musicians.
But Scotland’s very own musical maestro Lewis Capaldi has managed the feat in little time, conquering audiences across the pond as his smash hit Someone You Loved reached number one in America on Monday night.
Often touted as Scotland’s Sweetheart, the West Lothian singer/songwriter has, momentarily at least, changed his allegiance to celebrate his success by daubing himself in the stars and stripes of the American flag.
Capaldi, who hails from Bathgate, is the first solo Scottish artist to hold a number one in America in nearly 40 years since Sheena Easton’s Morning Train (Nine To Five) achieved the same feat in 1981.
The singer said to the BBC: “I have no clue why this piano ballad has done what it’s done.
“I never thought we were writing a big song here. I just wrote a song and, thankfully, people seemed to like it.”
Known for his very downto-earth sense of humour, Capaldi celebrated in trademark fashion by changing his Twitter handle to “America’s Sweetheart”.
He also posted pictures on Instagram of himself celebrating his achievement with the American flag painted across his face. The chart topper was seen sporting some new clothes that showed him in his well-known towel peace sign pose surrounded by the text “Lewis Capaldi: America’s Sweetheart”.
Capaldi’s piano ballad held the number one spot in the UK charts over the summer for seven weeks.
The song has also topped the charts in several other countries including Canada, Ireland, Malaysia and the Czech Republic.
But his UK chart topper was more of a slow burner in America, taking 24 weeks to reach the number one spot and knocking off Lizzo’s Truth Hurts in the process.
“I feel like America’s sweetheart, at least for a moment,” Capaldi told Billboard magazine.
“I feel like I’m the sweetest heart in all of the US of A.
“I feel like I’m a wrestler and I’m just walking out [to the ring] and there’s an American flag, and I’m saying, ‘USA, USA’. That’s what I feel like, a wrestler.”
Capaldi later added that breaking the US meant “I’ll be able to pay the rent for the next few months”.
Some comments on Twitter noted that perhaps the singer would be able to move out of his parents’ home.
The 23-year-old has become known almost as much for his social media posts as his music.
He has attracted headlines this year for sparking a feud with Noel Gallagher, most recently posting a photo of himself kissing the former Oasis star’s daughter Anais on the cheek.
Gallagher had originally said in a radio interview that Capaldi was an example of how bad pop music had got.
Lewis Capaldi is only the ninth Scot to reach the pinnacle of the US charts.
The last was Dumfriesshire DJ and producer Calvin Harris, who topped the charts in November 2011 paired up with Rihanna and We Found Love.
The list of famous Scots to claim a Billboard Hot 100 number one starts in September 1966 when Donovan – aka Donovan Leitch – claimed the top spot with Sunshine Superman.
He was followed by fellow Glaswegian Lulu in October 1967 with the title song from the movie she starred in with Sidney Poitier, To Sir with Love.
Four years later, in October 1972, Rod Stewart – whose family hail from Scotland – hit number one with the double A-side singles Maggie May/reason to Believe.
This was followed in February 1975 by the Dundee funk and R&B band Average White Band’s hit Pick Up the Pieces.
Months later, in January 1976, Edinburgh’s finest, the Bay City Rollers, took the prized number one spot with Saturday Night, followed five years later in May 1981 with Sheena Easton’s Morning Train (Nine to Five).
Ellon’s Annie Lennox and Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart’s hit Sweet Dreams (are Made of This) were number one in September 1983 while Simple Minds also took the prized spot with Don’t You (Forget About Me) in May 1985 after it was the title song in hit teen movie The Breakfast Club.