But the electro duo insist their new song ‘Ego Music’ isn’t about Lady Gaga
Pet Shop Boys have branded modern pop music ‘very ego-driven’.The electro duo, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, send up the self-obsessed approach of today’s chart stars in ‘Ego Music’, a track from their new album ‘Elysium’. The song features tongue-in-cheek lyrics such as ‘I am my own demographic, what does that say about me?’ and ‘In a sea of negativity, I am statue of liberty, that’s why people love me’.When asked whether the song was inspired by Lady Gaga, Tennant told Attitude: ‘It’s not specifically about Lady Gaga, it’s about the modern pop star. Pop music is very ego-driven these days. The modern pop lyric is like a diary almost. In other words, people don’t imagine, they just say what it is… A lot of lines [in the song] are direct quotes from what people say in interviews. ‘I am my own demographic’ is a direct quote.’Tennant also claimed that today’s pop artists are only able to present their thoughts in a very literal fashion. He added: ‘If you look at the lyrics that Boy George wrote in Culture Club, or even Adam Ant and Gary Numan – ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ – and compare that, or ‘Karma Chameleon’ with a contemporary pop song, they don’t have the artistry or the imagination or the sense of metaphor. It’s like it hasn’t even occurred to anyone to have that.’Pet Shop Boys are preparing to release their 11th studio album, ‘Elysium’, on September 10. The album was recorded in LA with producer Andrew Dawson, who has worked regularly in the past with Kanye West. Discussing the decision to ‘go west’ to record an album for the first time, the duo explained: ‘We wanted to make this album in a different environment. Despite frequent visits there we have never made an album in Los Angeles. Working there with Andrew Dawson has enabled us to make a very fresh-sounding album.’
Taken from: NME
Interviewer: unknown
