Neil Tennant

Neil Tennant
Neil Tennant
	Tennant performing with Pet Shop Boys at Hyde Park in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Neil Francis Tennant
Born	10 July 1954 (age 69); North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England
Origin	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Genres	Synth-pop; dance; electropop; disco; alternative dance;
Occupation(s)	Singer; songwriter; music journalist;
Instrument(s)	Vocals; keyboards; synthesizer; guitar;
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Parlophone; Spaghetti;
Member of	Pet Shop Boys
Website	www.petshopboys.co.uk

Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for Smash Hits, and assistant editor for the magazine in the mid-1980s.

Tennant coined the phrase imperial phase to describe the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously. This observation was initially self-referential, made as the Pet Shop Boys had achieved commercial success with four British number one hits ("West End Girls", "It's a Sin", "Heart", and "Always on My Mind"), had received unanimous critical praise for their first three albums and had expanded their creative horizons through innovative collaborations in the visual and performing arts.^[1]

^ Ewing, Tom (28 May 2010). "Imperial". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 October 2022. I felt at this time that we had the secret of contemporary pop music, that we knew what was required. We entered our imperial phase.

[1] Ewing, Tom (28 May 2010). "Imperial". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 October 2022. I felt at this time that we had the secret of contemporary pop music, that we knew what was required. We entered our imperial phase.

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