Outstanding Contribution Award To Go To Pet Shop Boys

Each year one great artist or music industry personage is given the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the BRIT Awards. A lot of speculation has been going around as to who will receive the 2009 Outstanding Contribution to Music accolade, with people such as Simon Cowell and George Michael rumored to be in the running. As it turns out, the amazing British duo known as the Pet Shop Boys have been chosen to receive this prestigious award.

The Pet Shop Boys are an electronic dance music duo. The band is made up of Neil Tennant (primary vocals, keyboards and guitar) and Chris Lowe (keyboards and sometimes vocals). Having already been active for more than 20 years, the Pet Shop Boys are already widely known and have a wide fan base across the globe. Over the years they have become incredibly successful and the decision to choose the duo as recipients of the award can largely be attributed to their long-term success. According to Ged Doherty, the Chairman of the BRITs committee, “Since their first BRIT Award over twenty years ago, Neil and Chris have produced a fantastic body of work with songs that truly were the soundtrack to a whole generation’s lives.” He also commented that “The Pet Shop Boys have since become one of the most influential groups of the modern era and are deserving recipients of the award.”

Their success is clearly reflected in their record sales and progress up the hit charts in the past. Their first UK number one was called ‘West End Girls’. It was released in 1986 and became a worldwide hit, giving them their very first BRIT award in 1987 for Best British Single. They returned to the BRIT awards just one year later in 1988 to receive the award for Best British Group. During the course of their successful career, they have sold more than 50 million records across the globe and managed to get four UK Number One singles as well as 22 top 10 hits. They have collaborated with the likes of Madonna, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue and other noteworthy people over the years. The duo are currently working hard recording their tenth studio album which will be released soon. They will receive their award at the ceremony, which will be presented by James Corden and Mathew Horne (both from ‘Gavin and Stacey’), in February 2009. The duo will close the event with a live performance of their greatest hits.