The Pet Shop Boys’ lead vocalist Neil Tennant has taken a swipe at today’s biggest music artists, as he claim pop music has ‘fizzled out’ since the ‘golden age’ of the 1980s.
On Sunday night, the English singer, 70, and his bandmate Chris Lowe, 65, were honoured with the inaugural Pop Pioneers Award at the MTV European Music Awards in Manchester.
The synth-pop duo were given the award for their ‘contribution to the world of pop music, including the groundbreaking sonic and visual spectacles they create for their fans.
And after picking up the gong, they celebrated by performing a mash-up of their song West End Girl and a cover of David Bowie and Mott The Hoople’s hit All The Young Dudes in front of an audience of huge pop stars, including Raye and Tyla.
Neil previously slammed today’s artists, saying current pop music is ‘narcissistic’ and wasn’t groundbreaking like it had been in the 80s.
The Pet Shop Boys’ lead vocalist Neil Tennant believes pop music has ‘fizzled out’ since the ‘golden age’ of the 80s (seen on Sunday)
On Sunday night, the English singer, 70, and his bandmate Chris Lowe, 65, were honoured with the inaugural Pop Pioneers Award at the MTV EMAs in Manchester (pictured)
The band performed a mash-up of their song West End Girl and a cover of David Bowie and Mott The Hoople’s hit All The Young Dudes (pictured) in front of an audience of huge pop stars, including Raye and Tyla.
He had said: ‘I find pop difficult now. I don’t like the sound of it. I am an electronic musician so I know the sound of it but it is so processed now. I find it all narcissistic.’
He added that even massive bands like Oasis – whose frontman Liam Gallagher won the MTV EMA for Best Rock Act on Sunday – couldn’t compare to what he and his contemporaries achieved in ‘golden age of pop music’.
Neil said: ‘[The 1980s] was the golden age of pop music. The classic period was Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Tears for Fears, New Order and the start of rap music. It is the last great period of people trying to push the idea of a pop song.
‘A lot of people think the 1990s is a golden era, with Oasis and stuff, but it seemed at the time in the 90s that people started re-writing The Beatles and looking back. In the 80s something exciting used to happen. But that stopped and fizzled out.’
And hitting out at today’s pop, he added that people ‘go to bootcamp now to write songs’ and argued ‘you don’t get the miracle melodic development like David Bowie.’
Taylor Swift dominated the MTV EMAs, scooping a whopping four gongs for Best Artist, Best US Act, Best Live Artist and Best Video.
And Neil had said of the superstar’s penchant for writing lyrics inspired by her relationships: ‘This is my complaint. Writing about ‘self’ is the only subject now.’
Neil had also questioned Taylor’s talent in April this year, arguing that for all her popularity, she has ‘no stand out hits’.
Neil previously slammed today’s artists, saying current pop music is ‘narcissistic’ and wasn’t groundbreaking like it had been in the 80s (pictured with Chris in 1983)
He believes massive bands like Oasis (pictured in 2008) couldn’t compare to what he and his contemporaries achieved in ‘golden age of pop music’
While previously hit out at Taylor Swift, who dominated the MTV EMAs, scooping a whopping four gongs for Best Artist, Best US Act, Best Live Artist and Best Video (pictured this month)
He said: ‘She fascinates me as a sort of phenomenon because she is so popular. I sort of like the whole thing but then think, where are the famous songs?
‘What is Taylor Swift’s Billie Jean? Shake it Off? Is it though? I listened to that the other day and it is not Billie Jean.’
While Neil took particularly umbrage at her writing about her ex-boyfriends, saying: ‘To have a successful pop career now you have to have a series of relationships which are amazing and then break up tragically.
‘I sometimes wonder what the other half of the relationship feels about this. People don’t write songs like Karma Chameleon any more.’
Neil met his musical partner Chris randomly in a hi-fi shop on London’s King’s Road in 1981 and they’ve remained dedicated to holding pop to a higher standard ever since.
With hits such as It’s a Sin – the Pet Shop Boys have sold more than 50million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in 1999.