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X-Factor slight: Neil Tennant blasts judge Simon Cowell

Feb 10, 2009, 9:30 GMT

The Pet Shop Boys singer lashed out at the music mogul\'s safe pop blueprint, claiming his British talent show \'The X Factor\' ignores most musical genres. Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Neil Tennant thinks Simon Cowell is narrow-minded.

The Pet Shop Boys singer lashed out at the music mogul's safe pop blueprint, claiming his British talent show 'The X Factor' ignores most musical genres.

The 80s hitmaker - who will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the BRITs next week - said: "What bugs me is that Simon Cowell's idea of pop music is so narrow. It's basically people singing Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, maybe Elton John.

"And if it's not power ballads it's an equally narrow version of disco. Why don't they have, say, a nu-wave week? Or 80s electro week? There are vast swathes of music out there."

The 54-year-old musician- whose hits include 'West End Girls' and 'It's a Sin'- claims none of the pop search shows respect musicians who are unusual or different.

He added to Britain's Radio Times magazine: "I remember on 'Pop Idol', judge Pete Waterman told someone, very sympathetically, 'The thing is, you're more of a Depeche Mode kind of artist.' In other words, 'What are you doing here, pet?' "

Tennant, along with bandmate Chris Lowe, is due to release the first Pet Shop Boys album in three years on March 23.