Matty Healy responded to the removal of We Are Fu***ng Fu**ed by the band Muse from their setlist at the Malaysian concert of their world tour on July 29, 2023, stating that the recantation of the song from the setlist was “sick.” The removal comes in the aftermath of Healy’s band The 1975’s controversial performance at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, on July 21, 2023.
@hellouniversemy Matt Healy provoke Muse pic.twitter.com/mCpLBmvSyD” target=”_blank” title=”tweet-url” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>pic.twitter.com/mCpLBmvSyD
During their performance at the Good Vibes Festival, Matt Healy took to the stage and derided the stringent anti-LGBTQIA+ laws in the country, before proceeding to kiss his fellow band member, Ron McDonald. Subsequently, the 1975 were banned from Malaysia and forced to leave the country, cutting their set short.
Matty Healy was criticized by Malayasian LGBTQIA+ members for his actions
Matty Healy called the entire scheduling of a concert in Malaysia a mistake prior to kissing his band members,stating:
“I don’t see the fu***ng point of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have s*x with. Unfortunately you don’t get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I’m fu***ng furious.”
The singer continued:
“And that’s not fair on you, because you’re not representative of your government. Because you’re young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.”
His actions at the concert have drawn the ire of the local Malaysian queer community, who stated that the incident only further exacerbated the hostility towards them.
1) you rly think Matt Healy, the racist, is going to do any changes to lgbt rights in MALAYSIA?
2) you really a complex, multilayered scene like lgbt in malaysia can be solved with this?
If you care about queer being opressed then start thinking about the repercussions he did twitter.com/diyaseesghosts…
Malayasian criminal laws, a vestige of the British colonial law codes, forbid gender noncomformity as well as queer practices, with imprisonment of up to 20 years, with the additional possibility of the death penalty under the Sharia laws.
A viral Twitter thread clearly points out the possible consequences of such an incident, with a netizen stating in a tweet that the actions of the singer only enhanced the negative image of the local queer community and made them more vulnerable:
If anything, what Matt Healy and The 1975 have done, is discount and disrupted YEARS of work by local activists who have been pushing for change and understanding AND endangering our vulnerable minority communities.
Other queer community activists in the country pointed out that while the international spotlight on such issues was useful, the band had not contacted the local communities to make sure the action was not counterproductive and therefore harmful.
As Malaysian LGBTQ+ activists and community members excoriate Matt Healy and his sanctimonious defenders, I think its crucial for allies to understand that it’s not our place to share that anger.
We must instead REDIRECT it to Malaysia’s rampant and institutionalized homophobia.
Further concerns have also been raised regarding the timing of the incident, as activists further note that the incident involving Matty Healy and his band came weeks before state elections in the country, a time period when violence and hate speech against the queer community rise due to political and religious pressure, often with the backing of the state and its judicial components.
As an out and proud Gay Man in Malaysia, especially as a singer and performer.
It will be even harder for artists like myself to make a name or something out of myself in the country after the stunt that was pulled by Matt Healy last night at GVF.
We as Queer performers in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The Malaysian controversy remains only the latest controversy the singer has become embroiled in, with previous incidents involving his support of Kanye West following the rapper’s fascist comments as well as derogatory comments towards rapper Ice Spice.
More about Matty Healy and his music career
Matty Healy is one of the original founders of what would eventually become known as The 1975 in 2001, when he was 13 years old. Together, Healy performed alongside the band for nearly 10 years before finalizing the name The 1975.
The singer had his first commercial breakthrough with the band, with their eponymously titled album,The 1975, being a major chart success. The album, released on September 2, 2013, was certified platinum in several countries.
Aside from his career with The 1975, the singer is also known for his collaborations with musical acts such as The Japanese House, No Rome, FKA Twigs, Holly Humberstone, and more.
Edited by Siddharth Dhananjay
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Source: newstars.edu.vn