Fans of The 1975 feel ‘sorry for’ Matt Healy’s bandmates after the lead singer appeared to address the recent hate surrounding him mid-performance.
Healy is rumoured to be dating Taylor Swift, after the singer broke up with her boyfriend of seven years, Joe Alwyn.
Although the relationship is unconfirmed, the rocker has come under increasing scrutiny for controversial comments he’s made in the past.
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Things have become so intense recently, that The 1975 rockstar decided to ‘subtly’ speak about the online hate during a gig.
Appearing on the main stage at Radio One’s Big Weekend, Healy with his bandmates dressed in a lab coat and tie.
Referring to the ongoing scrutiny, he introduced the band and told fans: “Is it all a bit? Is it sincere? Will he ever address it? All of these questions and more will be ignored in the next hour. Ladies and gentlemen, this is The 1975.”
While the 34-year-old clearly felt the need to speak out, others have not been impressed with his impromptu speech.
In a thread on Reddit, many forum users reacted to the singer’s comment and criticised his not-so-subtle swipe at the haters.
One wrote: “Why is half singing/speaking like it’s Catholic mass?”
Others also comment about the singer’s voice, with another user joining that they ‘need subtitles’ after hearing Healy speak.
Some were even more surprised, having not heard The 1975 lead speak before, writing: “I realize now I don’t think I’ve ever heard this man speak before and…”
However, other Reddit users were more concerned about the amount of controversy surrounding the singer – including laughing along at jokes about Ice Spice's ethnicity on The Adam Friedland Show.
Though he has since apologised, the backlash has been intense and the podcast episode has been pulled from Apple and Spotify.
There's also been pressure for Swift to speak up about the controversy after Ice Spice featured on one of her tracks.
Referring to this, one Reddit user said that they felt ‘sorry’ for his 1975 bandmates due to the ongoing controversy.
They wrote: “I kinda feel bad for his bandmates cause imagine your income being jeopardised every 5 minutes cause the lead singer can’t understand he’s just not that deep and needs to quit the antics.”
With scrutiny ongoing on social media, The 1975 are continuing their tour and will begin the US leg later this year.
Katherine Sidnell