Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant Shares Candid Opinion on Taylor Swift's Music

Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant Doesn t Think Taylor Swift Has Famous Songs

Getty Images (2)

Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been a huge success, but not all celebrities are as big fans of her music.

During The Guardian’s event, “An Evening with Pet Shop Boys,” Neil Tennant, one half of the pop duo, expressed his thoughts on Taylor Swift's dominance on the charts. He mentioned how fascinated he is by her popularity and the whole phenomenon surrounding her. However, he also questioned where her iconic songs are, comparing her to the likes of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

One audience member at the panel compared Taylor Swift's song "Shake It Off" to Michael Jackson's hit "Billie Jean" from 1983. However, Tennant, who is 69 years old, disagreed with this comparison, stating, "It's not 'Billie Jean,' it's not."

Tennant did acknowledge that Swift, who is 34 years old, has a "great voice" and that the production of her music is "beautiful," even though it may not be his personal preference.

He expressed his appreciation for how her music unites people of different ages, but he felt that the music itself was lacking, not the lyrics.

Tennant's remarks followed Courtney Love's recent statement that Swift is not a significant artist. Love, 59, stated in an interview with The Evening Standard that while Swift may provide a sense of safety for girls and could be seen as the current Madonna, she does not find her artistically compelling.

Swift's latest album, "The Taylor Swift's Perfect Day," has received a mix of reviews. The Atlantic called it a "dreary muddle," while The New York Times criticized it as "unnecessarily verbose."

Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant Doesn t Think Taylor Swift Has Famous Songs

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Several celebrities have come to Swift’s defense amid the backlash, including Heart’s Nancy Wilson.

During an interview with the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday, April 23, she expressed her admiration for the Eras Tour. She particularly loved the acoustic performance done solely by the artist herself. Despite the grand scale of the event, she found it impressive and cool that the artist made a point of including this intimate moment in her show. She also praised the artist's songwriting skills, calling her a great songwriter.

Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski took to Instagram to respond to a comment by the New York Times suggesting that Swift should have used an editor for her writing in TTPD. He expressed his disbelief with a playful "Oh no what u doing." Porowski then shared his favorite songs from the record on his Instagram Story, listing "Down Bad," "Florida!!!," "loml," and "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" as his top tracks.

During the Wednesday, April 24 episode of Hot Ones Versus, Machine Gun Kelly was challenged to say three negative things about Swift. Instead, he chose to praise the pop star, calling her a saint and mentioning how nice she has been to him. He also acknowledged that he did not want to upset her fanbase and referred to her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as his bro.

Since its release on April 19, TTPD has shattered multiple records. It became the first album to achieve 300 million streams in a single day on Spotify, marking a significant milestone in its success.

Editor's P/S:

The music industry is abuzz with reactions to Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department." While the album has been a commercial success, it has also sparked debates among critics and celebrities alike. Some, like Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, have questioned the artistic merits of Swift's music, comparing her to iconic artists like Michael Jackson and finding her songs lacking in substance.

However, Swift has also received strong support from other celebrities, such as Nancy Wilson of Heart and Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye. These defenders praise Swift's songwriting skills, live performances, and ability to connect with her fans. Machine Gun Kelly even went so far as to refuse to say anything negative about Swift, calling her a "saint." These contrasting opinions highlight the subjective nature of music criticism and the diverse perspectives that exist within the entertainment industry.