Pet Shop Boys deny ‘pulling out’ of Elton John and Olly Alexander’s BRITs performance over ‘creative differences’
Elton John and Olly Alexander during The BRIT Awards 2021 at The O2 Arena. (JMEnternational/JMEnternational for BRIT Awards/Getty)
The Pet Shop Boys have furiously denied claims that they “pulled out” of Elton John and Olly Alexander’s show-stopping 2021 BRIT Awards performance over “creative differences”.
In a surprise number at Tuesday night’s (11 May) BRIT Awards, Elton John and Olly Alexander duetted on a searing rendition of the Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 hit, “It’s a Sin”.
The performance was originally set to include the Pet Shop Boys but Neil Tennant and Chirs Lowe “pulled out just days” before filming, insiders told The Sun.
The newspaper alleged “creative differences” led to them ducking out of the awards altogether.
“Some wanted it to be a celebration of gayness,” The Sun claimed, “others thought it’d be better to make it more general.”
However, the duo have forcefully denied this version of events.
“It is true that PSB had been asked to be part of the performance of their song ‘It’s a Sin’ with Years and Years and Elton John and that they co-produced the new version for the Brits with their long-term producer Stuart Price,” they wrote on Twitter Thursday (13 May).
“It is not true that ‘creative differences’ led to them not appearing. The staging and casting ideas were approved by PSB along with Olly Alexander and Elton John.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys perform at the Brit Awards 2009. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
“The non-appearance of PSB was ultimately due to a contractual issue that proved unresolvable.”
Nevertheless, the end result was a gloriously queer version of “It’s a Sin” that was used to remind viewers that the fight against HIV is in no way over.
As Elton John’s husband David Furnish introduced the queer powerhouses, he said: “By fighting together, we’ve changed the world.
“Today, HIV is no longer a death sentence.
“The fight goes on until we can banish stigma, ignorance, fear and the virus itself forever.”
