Conor Maynard Ready For The New British Invasion

Conor Maynard has an idea why so many Brits are making it big in America in 2012: He thinks U.K. artists' accents have music fans' ears perked up a bit more than usual.

"It's mad times right now. ... It's an amazing time for British talent to be crossing over to the U.S. It's obvious I've got to try and do that," he told. "I don't what it is. I know you guys have something about the accent. I mean, you've always loved the accent, so I don't know, maybe you're hearing it a little more and it's just like, 'Oh my God!'

"I don't really know what it is that's putting the world's eye on British talent right now," Maynard continued. "Maybe there's been a sudden surge of these British artists with international talents. I'm hoping I'm the next one to do that."

Maynard is already a star back in his native England. The 19-year-old's single "Can't Say No" hit #2 on the charts in the U.K., and his album Contrast is set to drop there later this month. Stateside, he will release his next single, "Vegas Girl," this weekend. His album is tapped to arrive on U.S. shores in September.

With Americans embracing their Anglophilia more than ever, buying up tracks from One Direction, the Wanted, Adele and more, Maynard is excited to be a part of this new class of British stars-in-the-making.

"U.K. artists do seem to see each other quite a lot. ... I see Rita Ora about all the time. I've been a close friend of Rita's for some time, since before both of us released our singles," he said of the singer, who also appears on his album. "It was really cool for us to release almost at the same time in the U.K.

"Ed Sheeran, he's a really, really cool guy. He'd been tweeting me before I even got the chance to meet him about music and stuff, and then we finally got to meet and he was really cool. I met one-fifth of One Direction. I met Louis and he was a really cool guy. The Wanted? I see them about all the time. Funny enough, we got the same plane to the U.S. the last time I came here."

So if anyone thinks there's rivalry among the U.K. newcomers, Maynard insists it's quite the opposite. "I suppose British artists, 'cause the country only has a few festivals in the year 'cause it's not huge, it's a really nice thing," he said. "It's almost like a family of artists. It's really cool."