Matty Healy faces lawsuit after defying Malaysia's anti-LGBT laws

The controversial lead singer of the band The 1975 has faced consequences. Matty Healy criticised the local anti-LGBT laws during a festival in Malaysia and also kissed guitarist Ross MacDonald. Now, the organisers are suing the singer.

Drugs, parties, publicly expressing controversial opinions, breaking laws. Artists and celebrities sometimes feel that they can do more than ordinary citizens. Although they sometimes manage to avoid fines for illegal driving or disturbing the peace at night, more serious offences are punished just as harshly as in the case of any person. The singer and frontman of the band The 1975, Matty Healy, found this out.

On 18 July 2023, the band 1975 performed at the Good Vibes festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event's regulations included a ban on discussing political and religious topics, as well as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and cursing on stage. Matty Healy seems to be against these types of bans. At the 1975 concerts, there was no shortage of curses or alcohol.

Malaysia is known, among other things, for having a strict policy against the LGBT community, which did not sit well with the British singer. Healy said on stage that he had considered cancelling the performance but did not want to disappoint his Malaysian fans: "I don't see the [expletive] point, right, I do not see the point of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with. Unfortunately you don't get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I'm [expletive] furious." Matty Healy also added that he knows the audience is not representative of the government. The artist then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald.

The behaviour of Matty Healy led to the cancellation of the rest of the Good Vibes festival. Now the company that organised the event is demanding compensation of 1.9 million pounds, which is over 1.5 million pounds. The case has been referred to a British court. The lawsuit stated that the artist deliberately broke the event's regulations. Future Sound Asia also cited the guidelines set by the Central Agency for Filming and Performance Permits for Foreign Artists in Malaysia, which prohibit kissing, kissing a member of the audience, or performing such acts among themselves.