Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant baffled by Taylor Swift’s popularity

After her record-breaking new album and history-making world tour, many other musicians will wish they knew the secret to Taylor Swift’s success.

And one singer has been left particularly baffled by the phenomenal popularity of pop’s biggest superstar – because, he claims, she has never made a stand-out hit.

Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant, who had number ones with West End Girls and It’s A Sin, says Swift has no signature song to her name – unlike someone like Michael Jackson with Billie Jean.

The singer, 69, said: “She fascinates me as a sort of phenomenon because she is so popular. I sort of like the whole thing, but then think, where are the famous songs? What is Taylor Swift’s Billie Jean?”

He suggests it may be what many consider her biggest hit, Shake It Off, but then adds: “Is it though? I listened to that the other day and it is not Billie Jean.”

He added: “People don’t write songs like [Culture Club’s] Karma Chameleon any more.”

Swift, 34, released The Tortured Poets Department to fan frenzy last week, making history when it was streamed more than 300 million times in a day.

Tennant also appeared to aim a dig at Swift’s habit of mining past relationships in her songs, telling the Daily Mirror: “to have a successful pop career now you have to have a series of relationships which are amazing and then break up tragically.“

“I wonder what the other half of the relationship feels about this.”

This year’s line-up for the BBC Proms will feature pop singer Sam Smith and rock band Florence + the Machine, it was announced last night.