Pet Shop Boys didn’t perform at the BRIT Awards “due to a contractual issue”.
The band was involved in the production of Sir Elton John and Years & Years’ moving rendition of their hit ‘It’s A Sin’, and they were asked to be part of the live performance at the ceremony on Tuesday night (12.05.21).
In a statement to The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, a representative said: “It’s true that Pet Shop Boys had been asked to be part of the performance of their song ‘It’s A Sin’ and that they co- produced the new version for the BRITs with their long-term producer Stuart Price.
“It’s not true that creative differences led to them not appearing. The staging and casting ideas were approved by PSB along with Olly and Elton.
“The non-appearance of PSB was ultimately due to a contractual issue that proved unresolvable and about which there will be no further comment.”
Elton and Olly Alexander – who are both openly gay – performed a moving rendition, after the song inspired the recent TV series of the same name in which Olly starred.
The series is set during the HIV and AIDs crisis in 1981, and before their performance, Elton’s husband David Furnish gave a moving speech in which he compared the crisis to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: “When a new virus broke out in 2020, the whole world reacted immediately. Governments took action, cities closed down, scientists created vaccines, and we all talked about it night and day. Quite rightly, given the pain and suffering which has been reaped on so many people the world over.
“But when the same thing happened in 1981, there was silence. That was the year HIV arrived, but people with HIV and AIDs were treated with ignorance, fear, shame, and stigma. That silence allowed AIDs to grow into the greatest disease affecting our planet. But we fought back. Campaigners and activists and allies shouted down the silence and demanded to be heard. We refused to let men, women, and children die in shame, and by fighting together, we’ve changed the world.”
David went on to say there is now light at the end of the tunnel for those living with the illness, but encouraged people to continue fighting to “banish” the stigma attached to it.
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