Matty Healy Vaguely Talks ‘Getting Some Stuff Wrong’ After Criticism Over Controversial Comments
The 1975’s Matty Healy appeared to address his many recent controversies as the band took to the stage at London’s Finsbury Park on Sunday night.
The frontman, who is the son of showbiz stalwarts Denise Welch and Tim Healy, has found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons in recent months.
Amid his rumoured (and now-finished) fling with Taylor Swift, a podcast that featured Matty laughing at racist jokes about American rapper Ice Spice resurfaced.
The episode, released just before in February 2023, also saw Matty discuss masturbating to pornography which features women “just getting, like, brutalised.”
And, to add to the list of controversies, 2023 has also seen Matty criticised for accusing Harry Styles of “queerbaiting”.
At Glastonbury Festival in late June, rising star Rina Sawayama took aim at the musician while introducing her track STFU!.
She said: “I wrote this next song because I was sick and tired of microaggressions. So, tonight, this song goes out to a white man who watches Ghetto Gaggers [a pornography series] and mocks Asian people on a podcast.”
Referencing the fact Matty is not only her Dirty Hit labelmate but also served as a director for the label until April of this year, she added: “He also owns my masters. I’ve had enough.”
Matty appeared to vaguely allude to all of this as he took to the stage on Sunday, where he admitted: “Some stuff I got wrong.”
In footage published by Metro, Matty can be seen telling the crowd: “The 1975 isn’t a dry band. There’s a lot of irony in it.
“[The 1975 song] Love Me, for example, it doesn’t make sense unless I’m taking the piss out of myself.
“I was always, like, trying stuff. And some stuff I got right and some stuff I got wrong.
“But, do you know what? There’s a lot of things I’ve said, jokes that I’ve made, you know what, there’s probably a couple of fucking songs I’d take back if I had the chance.”
He added: “What I mean is that I really am only doing this because I want to make you guys laugh and feel good. That’s what my favourite art does and that’s what I’m trying to do. I get a bit excited
“And, you know what, I’m fucking proud of myself.”
Matty did previously address the Ice Spice controversy at another gig.
He told the crowd at a performance in Auckland, New Zealand: “I just feel a bit bad, and I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you. Ice Spice, I’m sorry.”
Since deactivating his Twitter after facing controversy, Matty often addresses topical matters while on stage.
At a Vienna gig in early June, Matty alluded to his brief romance with Taylor Swift as he thanked fans for their support.