Matty Healy has had several headline-making moments before a Malaysian festival was cancelled on Saturday after controversial remarks by The 1975 frontman.
The 34-year-old singer has faced criticism for kissing fans during the band’s latest tour, joining in on jokes about rapper Ice Spice and previously appearing to make a Nazi-style salute on stage.
Healy addressed some of his past controversies during The 1975’s headline show at Finsbury Park earlier this month.
He said: “The 1975 isn’t a dry band, there’s a lot of irony in it. Like Love Me (one of their songs) for example, it doesn’t make sense unless I take the piss out of myself.
“I was always trying stuff and some stuff I got right and some stuff I got wrong, there’s a lot of things that I’ve said, jokes that I’ve made and there’s probably a couple of songs I’d take back if I had the choice.
“I’m only doing this because I want to make you guys laugh and feel good because that’s what my favourite art does and that’s all I’m trying to do and I get a bit excited, and you know what, I’m proud of myself.”
Here is a look back at some of his headline-making moments:
– Ice Spice
During an appearance on The Adam Friedland Show podcast, he revealed that he had once privately messaged rappers Ice Spice and Doja Cat but received no reply.
As the podcast presenters joked if Ice Spice, who is of Nigerian and Dominican descent, was an Innuit Spice Girl and imitated Chinese and Hawaiian accents, Healy can be heard laughing.
Following a backlash to the episode, it was removed from Spotify and Apple Music with Healy reportedly apologising to the US rapper during his show in Auckland, New Zealand.
When asked if he had baited his fans on purpose during an interview with The New Yorker last month, he said: “A little bit but it doesn’t actually matter.
“Nobody is sitting there at night slumped at their computer, and their boyfriend comes over and goes, ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ and they go, ‘It’s just this thing with Matty Healy.’ That doesn’t happen.”
He added: “If it does, you’re either deluded or you are, sorry, a liar. You’re either lying that you are hurt, or you’re a bit mental for being hurt.
“It’s just people going, ‘Oh, there’s a bad thing over there, let me get as close to it as possible so you can see how good I am.’ And I kind of want them to do that, because they’re demonstrating something so base level.”
– At Their Very Best Tour
The indie-rock band’s recent tour was praised for its innovative staging which featured a multi-levelled set designed like a 1990s-style home.
However, it also made headlines after Healy performed bizarre antics including completing a series of push-ups and eating a raw steak live on stage.
He also kissed a number of fans from the crowd during the shows as well as a crowd safety worker mid-performance while singing in Denmark.
– Kanye West
The singer faced criticism for what some interpreted as a Nazi-style salute while performing the song Love It If We Made It during a show in January.
He performed the action while singing the lyrics “Thank you, Kanye, very cool”.
US rapper Kanye West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, gave an interview last year with US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in which he praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The rapper’s Twitter account was also suspended for violating the platform’s policy against inciting violence after he made antisemitic remarks on social media.
– Support for LGBT+ rights
In 2019, Healy hit headlines after he kissed a male fan during a gig in the United Arab Emirates where homosexual acts are illegal.
Following the incident, he wrote on Twitter: “Thank you Dubai you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again.”
That same year, Healy won ally of the year at the 2019 Diva Awards for supporting the LGBT+ community.
Most recently on Friday, he made a speech about homosexuality, which is illegal in Malaysia, and also kissed bassist Ross MacDonald.
The remarks and comments were criticised by Malaysia’s communications minister Fahmi Fadzil.
The Good Vibes Festival was cancelled on Saturday and other acts, such as Australian singer-songwriter The Kid Laroi and American rock band The Strokes, could not perform.
A source, who is close to the band, said: “Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and the community.”
