Yungblud has spoken to NME about his online spat with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, saying that he found it “quite funny” and branding it as “all fucking entertainment”.
The pair came to blows last year when Healy received criticism online for his appearance on The Adam Friedland Show podcast, during which the frontman said he believed Harry Styles “gets a pass” on criticism over alleged “queer-baiting” and discussed New York rapper Ice Spice‘s heritage – debating whether she has Hawaiian, Inuit or Chinese heritage and impersonating the accents of those countries and regions.
Healy later apologised to Ice Spice over the comments, as well as all the other people he “hurt” while playing the “character role of 21st Century rock star”.
At the time of the podcast, Yungblud penned a now-viral Tweet in which he took aim at Healy and the hosts, writing: “Love listening to three privileged white dudes sit around and objectify a young black female artist who’s blowing up. Welcome to your 30’s I guess.”
love listening to three privileged white dudes sit around and objectify a young black female artist who’s blowing up. welcome to your 30’s i guess …
— YUNGBLUD is a lowlife (@yungblud) February 11, 2023
Healy soon responded by sharing a video Yungblud smoking a cigarette and reading a book on stage, adding: “I feel a bit responsible and I am really sorry” – suggesting that Yungblud’s live performance was similar to his own.
He then posted another clip of himself mimicking Yungblud’s northern accent and impersonating him to say: “I don’t stand for stuff, I stand against stuff… I just stand against stuff and it tends to be the most morally obvious stuff… fuck the patriarchy!”
The 1975’s Matty Healy makes fun of Yungblud in newly shared video.
Yungblud recently condemned Healy’s questionable comments about multiple racial and ethnic groups. pic.twitter.com/WRgj7Rjy8w
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 19, 2023
Now in a new interview with NME, Yungblud – real name Dominic Harrison – has shared his thoughts on the incident.
“Honestly, I don’t really care,” Harrison told NME. “That whole ’75 thing was funny to me. It was quite funny because we were in Manchester Arena [Healy’s hometown], ironically, when that whole thing happened. It went on a little too long, and that’s why I found it funny. I like the dude. I think he’s a bit of an idiot, but I like his fucking tunes.
“It was a pretty cool thing; I was like, ‘Fuck it, right, some fucker’s talking about me, cool’. I thought about it for about two minutes before I went on stage, and never thought about it again since.”
Asked if it ever felt like their feud was ever nearing ‘legendary beef’ status, he replied: “I don’t think so, no. I think if we saw each other at a party, it’s be like, ‘Alright, you fucking dickhead?’”
He continued: “That’s the thing about being British. People like me, people don’t. Honestly, I’d be lying [if I said that] between the ages of 22 and 25 it didn’t get to me – because it really did. This year, having a little bit of time out [has helped]. It’s all bollocks; it’s all fucking entertainment. I’m just having a good time. I love my community, I love my fucking music. I fucking do, that’s all I’ve known up to now and it’s got us to here.
Yungblud added: “Lead with your gut, love people, and I think you’ll be alright. That’s my motto.”
Check out our full interview with Yungblud here, where he also discussed taking stock of his career so far, how he built his community of fans, and plans for a huge Britpop-inspired concept album.
Yesterday (March 18) also saw Yungblud play a surprise gig at Camden Market in London to launch his new festival BludFest, taking place at Milton Keynes Bowl this summer. Taking place on Sunday August 11, the day will see a headline set from Yungblud alongside a line-up featuring recent collaborator Lil Yachty, as well as Soft Play, Nessa Barrett, The Damned, Lola Young, Jazmin Bean and many more to be announced.
Tickets will go on sale at 10am this Friday (March 22) and will be available here.
The 1975 meanwhile, are currently in the midst of completing their European tour dates for acclaimed 2022 album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language‘.