Neil Tennant

Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He is the lead singer and main lyricist of the group. 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 critical praise for their first three albums and had expanded their creative horizons through innovative collaborations in the visual and performing arts. Biography Early life Neil Francis Tennant was born in the town of North Shields, approximately 8 miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne, to William W. Tennant (1923–2009), a sales representative, and Sheila M. (Watson) Tennant (1923–2008). He has an older sister, Susan, and two younger brothers, Simon and Philip. The family moved to Greenfield Road (opposite the corner of South Bend), Brunton Park, Gosforth shortly after Neil was born. Tennant was raised as a Roman Catholic, and he served as an altar boy. He attended St Oswald's Catholic Primary School in Newcastle, followed by St Cuthbert's Grammar School, an all-boys Catholic secondary school. His songs "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" and "It's a Sin" refer to his time at St Cuthbert's and the strict upbringing there. In 1965, Tennant joined the Young People's Theatre in Newcastle, where he learned about stage performance and became interested in writing music for theatre.