August 2004 - Platinum Europe Awards

Sept 6, 2004

September 6, 2004 - As Europe's summer season draws to a close a total of five albums are honoured with Platinum Europe Awards for sales of one million or more across the territory.

Released in May 2004 Under My Skin the second album from Avril Lavigne continues along the same pop-punk vein as her hugely successful debut album. Working with a variety of co-writers and producers, including fellow Canadian singer and songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, the album features the trademark angst-ridden lyrics and acoustic guitars bolstered by rock riffs in the chorus. Reaching platinum status in August, the album features the anthemic single My Happy Ending.

Sussex 3-piece Keane's debut album Hopes & Fears has sparked comparisons with Coldplay. Melancholy tales and hook-laden choruses, accompanied by the emotive vocals of Tom Chaplin all serve to tug at the heartstrings. Keane's beguilingly beautiful music is unusual as the guitar-less trio use the piano as the centre of the arrangements. Hopes & Fears achieves its first Platinum Europe Award.

Schoolmates since junior high, Maroon 5 started as an indie-outfit formerly known as Kara's Flowers. After its demise, frontman Adam Levine surrounded himself with New York City's urban hip-hop culture and absorbed an entirely new genre of music which had a profound impact on his songwriting. Maroon 5 was born and debut album Songs About Jane is an eclectic mix of alternative rock, R&B, funk and hip-hop. This month the album receives its first Platinum Award for European sales of over one million.

The Scissor Sisters, a theatrically-camp, electro-glam band from New York, have created the party record of the year with their self-titled debut album. Influenced by vintage Bowie, Roxy Music and Elton John the album contains cheeky reminders of '70s pop clichés which all add to the fun. The most obvious example of this is the band's reworking of Comfortably Numb which transforms the Pink Floyd classic into a disco number. Platinum Europe Award-winning album Scissor Sisters notches up a million sales across Europe.

Huge soulful vocals, sophisticated R&B and infectious tunes are plentiful in Anastacia's album, Not That Kind which achieves a massive four x Platinum Europe Award. The album achieved national gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards for sales in a record 16 countries across Europe.

For further information contact
Nisha Gohil, IFPI Communications Department
Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7900