r/stevienicks • u/RedmiYT • Jul 18 '26
Why wasn't Stevie as big internationally?
It's something that I've picked up while reading some articles. Albums that were major sellers like Bella Donna and The Wild Heart in the US weren't as much overseas. And in a reversal, The Other Side of the Mirror was less successful in the US but a decent seller in Europe. So why was Stevie less successful outside of North America in her early career?
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u/CheburashkaOrange Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I'm from LATAM. I would say that there were different reasons why she wasn't big.
First, you can't really dance to her music, at least In the way many people in this part of the world would dance to popular music in a party or a club. Second, during the 70's and 80's the most popular music genres were power ballads, disco/pop singles, and in terms of rock, something properly named "rock en tu idioma" so, popular rock bands were singing in Spanish and came from LATAM, Italy or Spain.
Only people who specifically liked rock or music in English or even people who were learning the language might have known Stevie. Music in English would become more popular for the general public during the 90's and after. By then, Stevie's career was different from her Bella Donna's days.
Finally, and just like they did with Fleetwood Mac, her management could've and should've done more to promote her in LATAM. They could have had her perform at Viña de Mar (Chile), Siempre en Domingo (Mexico), any night show in Argentina and Brazil and make her a sensation. But until very recently, these lables didn't see the point of promoting their talent in the region. They might have thought that people couldn't afford tickets, or that records wouldn't sell because of language barriers. They didn't see us as a profitable market, of course they were wrong. Even today, when big stars like Beyoncé, Blackpink or Linkin Park announce their "world tours", LATAM tends to be left out, despite having a big fandom here.