Since the first British Invasion in the 1960s, U.K. artists have been invading the tops of the charts and the hearts of many Americans.

Many well-known U.K. artists that have been appearing through the years include: The Who,  The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd,  Elton John, Queen and The Beatles.

But many U.K. artists and bands have been making breakthrough debuts more recently.Some of these include Coldplay, The Wanted, Ed Sheeran and One Direction.

“I found out about One Direction through the U.K. X-Factor,” said freshman Ari Nikbakht. “I  really love Ed Sheeran and found out about him through his song ‘The A Team’ and then bought his album ‘+,’ and really liked his music ever since.”

Coldplay, with members Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion, caught the public’s attention in 1996.

Coldplay’s songs all have a different sound to them, bringing meaningful lyrics together with great instrumental backing. Their most popular songs are “Viva La Vida” and “Paradise.”

“I found out about their album, ‘Mylo Xyloto,’ last year and decided to listen to them,” said sophomore Sneh Chawla. “I listened to the album and I loved them ever since.”

More recent U.K. artists have been catching the attention of many Cal High girls.

The oh-so popular band One Direction was formed on the U.K. X-Factor under their mentor Simon Cowell and finished third on the show. Their songs “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Live While We’re Young” have been played on nearly all the big radio stations.

Freshmen Claire Segal and Cayla Bermas are two of the many girls who have fallen in love with those five U.K. boys.

“They’re so popular cause I mean they’re really cute and foreign,” Segal said.

Not only do their charm, accent and looks get the ladies, but the morals expressed through their songs tug at the heartstrings of many girls.

“They have a lot of respect for women, too,” Bermas said. “They’re not like talking about disrespecting a women like a lot of the artists here do.”

The Wanted, which includes members Nathan Sykes, Max George, Tom Parker, Jay McGuiness, and Siva Kaneswaran are considered One Direction’s rival. The group is known for their songs “Glad You Came,” and “Chasing the Sun.”

Upcoming singer  Ed Sheeran is a ginger haired 22 year old who has a knack for writing songs that tug at the heart strings and playing concerts with only himself, a guitar, and a loop pedal.

Luckily for fans, Sheeran  has a concert coming up in San Francisco on Feb. 8. Taylor Swift also announced that he would be the opening act for her upcoming tour.

Sheeran wrote One Direction’s new single “Little Things” from their new album, “Take Me Home,” and “Moments” from their first  album “Up All Night.”

The popularity of U.K. artists is a growing phenomena. It’s a wonder how our interests peak for these artists while there are many aspiring artists here in the U.S.

“I feel that these (U.K.) artists have a different style and a lot of flamboyance to them,” said English teacher Anatoly Alexeeff. “These artists are more dramatic in some ways and that makes them a little more exotic than native artists here.”