November 16th 2023.
Matty Healy, frontman of the 1975, has stirred up controversy after publicly expressing his admiration for Kanye West during a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Healy, 34, made a passionate speech about how the band was yet to receive a nomination for a Grammy Award. He said, “The fact that we didn’t get nominated for a Grammy is a f**king outrage. The reason people don’t say that is because it’s not a very tasteful thing to say…but I am way past tasteful.”
Healy then went on to mention two of the band’s albums, I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It and A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, and declared that their song About You should have been up for a nomination. After taking a sip of his drink and holding a lit cigarette in his hand, he then proceeded to mention Kanye West - who has had his own run-ins with the Recording Academy in the past - as one of his 'heroes'.
Healy's comments were met with boos by the crowd, to which he responded by saying, “I believe that’s an awkward hero to have right now, I understand that…but separate the antisemitism. Just think about the self-belief.” This statement was met with further criticism, as Kanye West has a history of making anti-semitic statements in the past. Since then, West has lost several of his brand deals, and been met with condemnation from many public and political figures, as well as organisations that represent Jewish communities.
It is clear that Healy's decision to express his admiration for West was a mistake, and one which has caused great upset amongst his fans. It will be interesting to see what happens next, and how Healy will respond to the criticism.
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