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Matty Healy was practically born into entertainment with both parents, Denise Welch and Tim Healy, being famous British actors. Soap actress Denise Welch is known for her roles in Coronation Street and Waterloo Road, and currently as a TV presenter on Loose Women. Tim Healy is best known for his comedy acting roles on television shows such as Benidorm and Auf Weidersehen, Pet. Denise and Tim divorced in 2012, however, Matty has revealed that growing up with star parents exposed him to the "artifice" of fame long before his own success in The 1975.

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Matty Healy comes from a family of stars.

The 1975 singer is close with his British actor dad, Tim Healy, and mother, Denise Welch. While Tim is best known for being an actor, Matty's father also has quite the musical talents.

"My dad wrote [The 1975's song 'Don't Worry'] in 1990 or something," Matty told magazine in 2020. "My dad was a welder, and then he became a stand-up comedian and started a live theater company. At a time where people were going around Sunderland and Newcastle in the '70s and doing stand-up, he went out and did plays."

The "Somebody Else" singer has used his songwriting ability to open up about his relationship with his mother.

"'She Lays Down' is about my mum," he explained to in 2016. "It doesn't get much more personal than that ... [Denise] told me a story, she was so gripped by post-natal depression that she was coming into my room when I was a couple of months old, lying on the floor and actively trying to love me."

"That is brutal - especially considering how close me and my mum are," he continued.

Matty and his mom have remained close over the years. Denise even confirmed her son's engagement to model Gabbriette Bechtel in June 2024 on the talk show Loose Women.

"I have known for a few weeks that Matty got engaged ... Black diamond; he had it made for her," she said of the ring. "I couldn't be more thrilled. We couldn't be happier - she is everything I would want in a daughter-in-law. I'm thrilled."

Here's everything to know about Matty Healy's parents - Tim Healy and Denise Welch - and their relationship with the singer.

Tim and Denise met during an audition

Tim and Denise first met at an audition in Newcastle, and it was notlove at first sight.

"I just thought, he's such an idiot," she told her panelists on ITV's Loose Women, per . "I always thought he was really grumpy and guarded - I thought he was a fabulous actor mind."

However, she was quickly proven wrong after Tim gave her a ride home from a party. "I've got this guy completely wrong," Denise added.

They are British actors

Tim is best known for acting in TV shows like Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Benidorm, while Denise previously starred in Coronation Street and Soldier Soldier. She is also a current panelist on the ITV talk show Loose Women.

With both of his parents in the spotlight, Matty grew up seeing the ups and downs of fame. He told Pitchfork in 2022that he was exposed to the "artifice" of fame long before he joined The 1975 because of his parents' careers.

"Not that my parents posture, but by the time it came to being a performer and doing interviews, in my brain I was like, 'I will go insane if I have to do any of the posturing I've been witness to my whole life, ' " he said.

In early 2024, Denise began her run starring in a play called The Gap in Manchester. She played a woman named Corral who runs into a former lover she hasn't seen in 50 years (played by Matthew Kelly).

Tim and Denise were married for 24 years

The British TV actors married in London in 1988, one year before Matty was born. Denise's career took off in 1993 when she landed the role of Marsha Stubbs in ITV's Solider Soldier. Things got even more hectic for Denise when she joined the cast of Coronation Street in 1997 to play Natalie Horrocks.

While her career was taking off, Tim and Denise were living apart. Soon, Denise began struggling with clinical depression and she attempted to self-medicate using drugs, according to her 2010 autobiography, Pulling Myself Together.

Throughout their relationship, they had ups and downs, including a few affairs and rehabilitation efforts. The couple later divorced in 2012.

"Tim and I finally had the conversation at the Hemmel, our family house in the North East, where we go for Christmas most years," she wrote. "'I really think we should go our separate ways, don't you?' I said as he lit my cigarette for me," to which Tim replied, "'You're probably right. ' "

Matty was born in London on April 8, 1989, just one year after Tim and Denise got married. To celebrate Matty's 33rd birthday, Denise wished her son well and shared details about her birthing story on Instagram.

"You were definitely worth the 42 hour labour!!" she wrote on Instagram. "Happy birthday to my first born...Love you Matty moo."

The couple then welcomed their second son, Louis, in 2001. Like Tim and Denise, Louis has started acting. He's acted in several TV shows and films, including ITV's drama series Hotel Portofino.

"Hotel Portofino starts tonight on @itv at 9pm," Denise wrote on Instagram in support of her younger son. "If you didn't see it on @britboxtv you're in for a treat!!! Very proud of @healytymd and the stellar cast."

Matty wrote The 1975's song "She Lays Down" about Denise

In a candid profile with NME, Matty revealed that he wrote The 1975's emotional track "She Lays Down" about his mother's mental health struggles.

While it was hard for Matty to write the song, he ultimately thinks the song "had to come out."

"How f------ brutal is that? That is brutal - especially considering how close me and my mum are," he said. "We are like, insanely close. That resonated with me so much, I think that writing music for me is such a catharsis, and such a personal thing."

Denise opened up about the story behind "She Lays Down" on Loose Women to her fellow panelists: "I told him when he was older that depression robbed me of the ability of love and I used to lay down on the bedroom floor and pray for the ability to love my children again."

Denise is incredibly proud of her son's success

The Loose Women panelist is undeniably proud of her son's success with The 1975. She often uses social media to express her admiration for Matty and his bandmates.

"The giggling of 4 best friends who met at high school, started a band in our garage and today celebrate their 5th number one album," she captioned an Instagram video of Matty and The 1975 bandmates accepting an award for the fifth consecutive No. 1 album, "Don't stop believing kids ❤️❤️❤️❤️."

Tim was a surprise guest during The 1975's 2023 Newcastle show

The 1975 had a special guest join the band onstage during their Newcastle stop part of their At Their Very Best tour - Matty's father. Roughly two hours into their performance, Tim joined Matty's band to perform a rendition of their 2022 track "All I Need to Hear."

Denise posted a video of Tim's surprise performance on Instagram, captioning the clip, "Mattys dad Tim was a special guest tonight at Newcastle!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️."

Later on in the night, Tim called Matty the "king of the city."

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All About Matty Healy's Parents, Actors Tim Healy and Denise Welch

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Matty Healy was born to dad Tim Healy and mom Denise Welch in 1989. Here's everything to know about Matty Healy's parents, Tim Healy and Denise Welch.

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Matty Healy has been intertwined with the ups and downs of stardom from a young age. His music career, while a successful one, has led to an unstable star image since the beginning of his fame in 2013 as the frontman of The 1975.

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Perhaps following from his parents' careers, Matty appeared as a background character in Waterloo Road during series four and series five. Despite having very few lines, Matty makes it abundant that his passions lie within music. Here he performs with George, Ross and Adam, who would later become The 1975. Both Denise Welch and Tim Healy also had roles on the show, begging a question of Matty's fame being a result of nepotism.

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Matty, Ross's body, George, and Adam playing Scary Monsters in Waterloo Road S04E07

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It is speculated that Matty's stardom is a direct result of his parental connections, which gave him a head start in his career. However, some argue that he has built his own fame and career through his musical talents, a separate industry where his parents' careers lie.

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Matty's younger brother, Louis, has also inherited the acting genes through his role in Emmerdale, and most recently, in the stage adaptation Stranger Things: The First Shadow on London's West End. This emphasises the exciting, theatrical family that Healy has grown up with, influencing his performance-art persona.

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TV actor with rock star brother lands West End role - can you guess who he is?

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STRANGER Things: The First Shadow has announced its new cast for the upcoming months – with one name proving familiar to some. The play, which is a prequel to the events of the smash Netflix s…

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The 1975’s Matty Healy on TV as a child in 1999

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Accompanied by parents Denise and Tim, a young Matty tells the host about his aspirations to one day become a "top class musician". His confidence and boldness in this clip reconciles the star persona that we are familiar with in his adulthood.

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The 1975’s Matty Healy on TV as a child is the most Matty Healy thing

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The 1975’s front man, Matty Healy, is known for his zero-cares personality, and it turns out he’s always been that way.A resurfaced clip from 1999 sees him appear on the BBC show, This Is Your Life, where the then-10-year-old discusses his hopes of becoming a pop star.“I’ve been playing the drums an…

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The 1975 started out making music under different names, such as Drive Like I Do and BigSleep. Here, Matty sings one of their most perfomed songs to date, 'Sex', in 2009 under the title of Drive Like I Do. There is a youthful authenticty associated with Matty's image which encourages an appreciation for the humble beginnings of The 1975's career

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The 1975 (Drive Like I Do) - Sex (Live In Manchester 2009) Best Quality

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Their highly anticipated debut album 'The 1975', released in 2013, catapults The 1975 into the pop-rock music scene after building momentum with their EP's. The album debuts at number one on the UK album charts. Their melancholic style solidifies Matty's star image as a mysterious, 'tortured-soul'.

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The band faced a lot of criticism following their debut release, with some complaining that the tracks are monotonous, with "lifeless vocal delivery".

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The 1975 - The 1975 (album review ) | Sputnikmusic

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The 1975 - The 1975 review: Ultimately, a hit-or-miss effort by one of indie pop’s most anticipated bands.

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NME published this fleeting review of 'Chocolate', the track that ultimately awarded The 1975 their fame, dismissing them as Fall Out Boy "on a Thomas Cook package holiday... Avoid."

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Where have Fall Out Boy been during their three-year hiatus? Because it sounds like they've been passing tips to Manchester four-piece The 1975. Despite its gangster storyline this is like the Illinois emos on a Thomas Cook package holiday, all glossy production and cheery tropical guitar licks. Avoid.
Al Horner

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Where have Fall Out Boy been during their three-year hiatus? Because it sounds like they've been passing tips to Manchester four-piece The 1975. Despite its gangster storyline this is like the Illinois emos on a Thomas Cook package holiday, all glossy production and cheery tropical guitar licks. Avoid. Al Horner

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His image following this album release is shrouded by a monochrome veil, which emerges through their music videos, live set designs and social media presence. Matty successfully constructs a melodramatic self-image for himself and the band during this era. The 'Settle Down' music video depicts the experience of growing up in the North East of England, rehabilitating Matty's own family history, and attaching a personal authenticity to his music.

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Matty was inspired by the sounds and rhythms of the 1980s. In particular, he was inspired by John Hughes, the filmmaker behind The Breakfast Club and other cult classics, which influenced the lyrical imagery in The 1975's debut album. Matty taps into nostalgia yet brings elements of the 80s to a new generation.

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The pop-rock group debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. this year with its self-titled debut record. Lead singer Matthew Healy describes how films from the 1980s inspired the band’s songs of teenage love and lust.

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Brian Johnson of AC/DC and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits were friends of Matty's father, and encouraged his music career growing up. Matty was even given the guitar that Dire Straits used to record Romeo and Juliet.

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The door opens, and a bullmastiff greets me. "This is Allen," Matt Healy says. He licks me all over. (Allen, not Healy.) Allen, I say, that's an unusual name for a dog. "It's not his full name," Healy says. Ah, what's his full name? " Allen Ginsberg."

Welcome to the world of the 1975, Healy's chart-topping band. An Olivetti typewriter is perched on the living room table, a series of 20th-century clocks on the wall. It really does feel as if it could be 1975 at Healy's home in east London.

You might assume that it was a significant year for the band, but not a bit of it. The name came from a random inscription on the back page of a book of beat poetry by Jack Kerouac ("1 June The 1975"). In fact, the band is most obviously inspired by the 1980s - a nod here towards Duran Duran and INXS, a wink there at Scritti Politti and Yazoo. But that doesn't quite tell the story, either. The 1975 are the ultimate pop magpies; even Healy calls them copyists. So you're just as likely to hear the blue-eyed soul of Hall and Oates, the post-punk fuzz of My Bloody Valentine, the garage hip-hop of the Streets, or the boy band pop of One Direction in their music; quite possibly all in the same song.

For ages, the music industry didn't get the 1975, dismissing them as more human jukebox than a pop band. That's your problem, they told the industry in response: you don't understand the way people listen to music these days.

Sure enough, Healy and co were proved right. Their first album, simply called The 1975, topped the UK charts in 2013. Their follow-up, I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, was as romantic as it was wilful. Who on earth would remember that mouthful? Even more challenging was the concept, every song written in a different style. "It's art," Healy announced grandly. "The world needs this album." It went to No 1 in both the UK and US.

Healy looks as if he's just got out of bed, though to be fair, he always looks like that. His eyes are half shut, as if they can't quite face the daylight. Yet when he starts to talk, there is no stopping him. A torrent of overlapping words, opinions and plans pours forth. He gives me a tour of the house: a Rothko print on the wall; a noticeboard with reminders to pay the milkman, the water bill and council tax on one side and the words "Sit", "Look at me", "Stay" and "Leash" on the other. "That's the dog training for Allen."

On the next floor is his bedroom, with a mattress on the floor and a crucifix on the wall above. Healy is a devout atheist, but loves religious iconography. Next door is a bathroom plastered in gold and silver discs. The attic is a small room he is turning into a studio. "We're going to record the next album here." Has he told the three other band members of his plans? "Well, me and George, when we first looked to buy places to live, we put offers on places next to each other." George Daniel is the band's drummer and co-songwriter. Healy points out of the attic window. "In the end, George lives a two-minute walk away. We are completely symbiotic. We write 50% of the songs each. But because we've been a band since we were 13, the musicianship of the other guys is ingrained in the way I write and think - so I write for them and it becomes embellished. I couldn't be in a band with anybody else. That's why we share all the money." Equally? "Yes."

Healy is briefly distracted by Allen, who seems intent on ripping up the staircase. "Oi! What are you doing, you little shit? I would chastise you for that, but there's company. He really is very sweet. On your bed. Go. Now."

He's always been a dog person, Healy says, but not as much as George. "George might as well be a dog himself, he's so obsessed. He doesn't have one, and I keep coming home to find Allen not there, and then I see on Instagram he's having a barbecue at George's house."

George steals him? "Oh, me and George are like a married couple. The other day I woke up at 3am, and he was just on the sofa. I said, 'What are you doing?' and he was like, 'I didn't have any weed, so I just came round.'"

Tour of the house over, we're back in the kitchen. Healy heats up some old coffee and sparks up. "I smoke quite a lot. You don't mind, do you?" He talks about all the times the 1975 were rejected by record labels and the effect it had on him. "It was like somebody saying you're ugly, it felt really personal." When the first album came out in 2013, many critics slated them.

He had his right to reply in the video to the band's 2016 hit single The Sound. It is classic the 1975: Healy is leather-jacketed, heavily mascara-d, corkscrew curls bouncing off his cheeks, performing in a pink neon-lit box. As he sings, quotes from early reviews flash across the screen: "Is this a joke?" "Do people really still make music like this?" "This band thinks it has a charismatic singer... they are mistaken." "Terrible high-pitched vocals over soulless robo-beats." "Pretentious." "Unimaginative." "Annoying." "Ridiculous contrived knock-offs." "Punch-your-TV obnoxious."

Is the video the band's revenge? "Nonono, it was all of us being involved in the joke. It was us saying, that's the point." What does he mean? "Well, I am a bit of a knob. We weren't pissed off - it's all pop music, at the end of the day."

The band got together when they were pupils at Wilmslow High in Cheshire. Healy, now 27, spent his early years in Newcastle, but moved with his family to the north-west when he was nine. He joined up with Daniel, bass player Ross MacDonald and lead guitarist Adam Hann to form a band that had various names including Forever Enjoying Sex, Drive Like I Do, The Slowdown, Bigsleep and, eventually, the 1975. Healy was initially the drummer, but became the vocalist when their original singer left. At first they covered other people's songs, but by the age of 15 he and Daniel were writing their own.

Healy didn't apply himself at school, and left with three GCSEs. "School was just a tedious imposition, getting in the way of me being a pop star. I was just looking at the clock, waiting until I could go and do it." He went to music college, but lasted only three months. While the other band members were at university, he wrote songs, worked in a Chinese restaurant and developed a precocious cocaine problem.

There's this elite thing, where everybody's terrified of reaching lots of people - but that's what excites me

From the beginning, Healy felt the 1975 were different from most bands that originated from the north-west. While groups such as Oasis and the Happy Mondays prided themselves on their working-class roots, the 1975 were defiantly middle class, with a love of middle-of-the road music ( Phil Collins and Dire Straits, for example). "I liked my story," Healy says. "The whole thing of bedroom culture, making records, being stoner kids from the middle of nowhere [Wilmslow is just outside Manchester], middle-class boredom. We don't have parents to fight against, we don't have the police to fight against. It became the celebration of the mundane."

But Healy's background is more exciting than he makes out. His parents, now divorced, are both successful actors: Tim Healy (best known for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) and Denise Welch ( Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, and then Loose Women). And they were hardly traditional middle class: Tim Healy started out as a welder, while Welch's father worked as a drag queen in bars and clubs; Welch has talked about her alcoholism and cocaine addiction.

Healy talks about a privileged childhood, but family life sounded pretty chaotic, I say. He smiles. "Mental family. Completely mental. We love each other so much. We're so close, so tactile, and we kick the shit out of each other. And we throw things at each other, and my parents drank for years. I grew up in a very different house from what my [15-year-old] brother is growing up in now. My mother's been sober for five years. My dad's been sober for a while. But I grew up in a party house in the 90s. It wasn't distressing. It was exciting."

From the age of four, he played drums with his father. His parents were friendly with any number of musicians, who would encourage young Matty. "My dad's mates were in bands. Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Rick Wakeman, Mark Knopfler and Jeff Lynne, who's an absolute genius. I've got a funny story about him. My mum and I went to his house with a friend called Phil Collinson, who's a producer. We introduced Phil to Jeff, and he kept asking him, 'How's your dad doing?' and Phil kept saying, 'Yeah, he's fine.' 'Is he still living in Switzerland?' 'No, he still lives in Coventry.' And Jeff Lynne took me over to the side and he said, 'Is he Phil Collins' son?' I said, 'No, his name's Phil Collinson.' Then he said, 'Thank fuck, because I hate Phil Collins!'"

Healy grew up surrounded by music. "Black music, really. Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack. Gospel music was incorporated a lot on the last record, and this is something my dad introduced me to when I was young. It sounds a weird thing to say, but that was my God when I was growing up. My pantheon was Michael Jackson and Prince and James Brown."

As a young boy, Healy felt a bond with outsiders. "My dad had his bohemian actor mates, but he'd also have his welder mates. I remember watching a video of Michael Jackson, and all of my dad's mates expressing how alien it was and how he's from a different planet, and me standing there thinking, 'I'm a lot more like him than you.'"

It wasn't until 2012, 10 years after they formed, that the band released their first EP. By then, their manager, Jamie Oborne, had decided to take matters into his own hands. "I'd been managing them for seven years, and for reasons I couldn't really understand, nobody wanted to sign them," Oborne says. "So I set up my own label, Dirty Hit, for them, because I really believed in them. We've now created this model where it's more about artist partnerships than conventional record deals. As people's way of consuming music has changed, I've felt that royalty-based deals have become obsolete and are not really fair." So Dirty Hit licenses the 1975 out to Universal, and the band have more control over their music.

This is a subject Healy returns to repeatedly. "I create in the same way I consume," he says. "There is no filter, no linear consumption of anything any more, because of the internet. I want to be an ambassador for this generation, where you're supposed to have Carole King and Kendrick Lamar on your iPhone. Guilty pleasures don't really exist any more."

He is extremely canny, not least in controlling the image of the band. When they were invited to play the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury, they opted for the smaller Other Stage. Similarly, at the Reading festival, they were offered the main stage and went for the less illustrious NME/Radio 1 stage. "I said no way am I going on the main stage. I don't want people saying the 1975 were great at Reading, I want people saying I couldn't get in to see the 1975 at Reading. That's how we're going to move forward."

Taylor Swift? We hung out, fancied each other, but we couldn't go any further - it'd be like going out with Barack Obama

After the success of the first album, the band had an existential crisis: they didn't know whether they could repeat their success, or whether they even wanted to. It was the traditional rock'n'roll cocktail: bad behaviour, drugs and rampant egomania, twinned with paralysing paranoia. Healy started to tell the world that he was a Messiah figure, and that it wasn't easy having all the world's beautiful women adore him; he didn't want to abuse his position. When one woman shouted out at a concert that she loved him, he snapped back, "You don't have the right to love me." On another occasion, he was filmed, rather endearingly, smoking a bong with fans, high as a kite. Then there were the rumours that he and Taylor Swift were an item. His response led to accusations of misogyny ("If I had gone out with Taylor Swift, I would've been, 'Fucking hell, I am not being Taylor Swift's boyfriend!' You know, 'Fuck. That.' That's also a man thing, an emasculating thing").

I tell him I want to ask the one thing everybody wants to know about him. "Taylor Swift?" he answers immediately. Yes, I say, did you go out with her or not? "No, did I fuck."

Did he have any relationship with her, I ask in my best Ken Starr voice. "No." Sex? "No." Did you kiss? "No." So why the huge hoo-ha? "She came to a show and we hung out. We fancied each other, but then we couldn't have it go any further, because it would be like going out with Barack Obama." He says there was nothing misogynistic about his comments, he was simply being honest: he didn't like the prospect of two giant egos clashing and him coming off second best.

What did he mean when he said he was the Messiah? He looks confused and says he's not sure. "It was maybe about the search for God or my envy of the faithful." So the quote was taken out of context? Oh no, he says: "There is an element of feeling a bit like the Messiah. Well, not somebody who's here to save humanity, but somebody for whom the world does truly revolve around them." Healy has an ego that would fill the Royal Albert Hall; by rights, he should be obnoxious, yet there is something vulnerable, open and likable about him.

In the end, the band decided the way out of their crisis was to up the ante for the second album: ridiculous title, 17 songs, every musical style. This time, the critics loved it. They were even willing to forgive Healy his bombast. In this paper, Alexis Petridis described it as "an album that fancies itself as a challenging work of art, but turns out to be a collection of fantastic pop songs full of interesting, smart lyrics".

It is Healy's lyrics that distinguish the 1975. At his best, he is observant and refreshingly self-knowing - a prose poet in the style of the Streets' Mike Skinner. So, rather than describing his druggy phase in highfalutin terms on A Change Of Heart, he recounts a conversation with his ex: "And she said, 'I've been so worried about you lately/You look shit and smell a bit.'" On She Lays Down, he writes tenderly about his mother's postnatal depression ("My hair is brown, she's scared to touch/And she just wants to feel something/And I don't think that's asking for too much/And when I go to sleep it's when she begins to weep"). On Loving Someone, he shows he can laugh at himself, quoting French Marxist situationist Guy Debord and in the same sentence singing, "I'm the Greek economy of cashing intellectual cheques."

At times, it sounds as if Healy has swallowed a primer on cultural studies. Did he read loads as a child? "No." Does he read now because he didn't then? He nods. "That's exactly it. I feel stupid a lot of the time, so my life now is about educating myself. They say learn like you're going to live for ever, and live like you're going to die tomorrow."

He lights another fag, swigs his tea and starts talking 10 to the dozen about any number of unrelated things. There's his synaesthesia ("When I'm writing a song, there's a colour there"); the guilt he feels at plundering his life for his lyrics (in one song, he wrote about driving to see his dying nan by himself, rather than with the family, just so he could get stoned on the way); how the music press patronises his 17-year-old fans by assuming they won't understand his lyrics, when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at exactly the same age (give or take four years); how you're never going to get rid of the N word in rap, because "phonetically, it's perfect... a great sound." He stops. "Sorry. That was a bit of a digression."

I ask if he was ever diagnosed with ADHD. He smiles. "I've never been to the doctor about it, but probably only because you wouldn't be able to get me in the chair long enough to be diagnosed."

Has he ever taken Ritalin? " Yeaaaah!" he says enthusiastically. "Only recreationally. One time, we did 15 shows in five days and I asked a friend if he had anything that could keep me awake. I thought he was going to give me a ProPlus. He gave me three Adderall. You're supposed to take a half. Imagine me on Adderall. It's like a super Ritalin." Doesn't Ritalin calm you down? "Not with me. I was bouncing off the fucking walls."

He does have some quiet moments. "Yeah, I have a complete polarity. I'm either like this or introspective, in my own world." Is he prone to depression? "Yes, that runs in my family. I do suffer from depression, but I don't like talking about it, because it is trendy. I see artists romanticising it. It's so much sexier if artists are in pain, but it can be really, really destructive."

He says neither he nor his band are in pain at the moment. Why would they be, with things going so well? As for belatedly gaining the approval of a bunch of music writers, "crusty old lefty liberals from north London", he says he can take it or leave it. What matters is that the fans love them. "If you play 240 shows a year in front of 10,000 screaming young people who adore you, as opposed to people standing there thinking, 'Impress me', I can tell you which one you're going to choose every single night." Now he's talking faster and louder. "You know, if you hate our band, you hate our band, but I challenge anybody with a preconception to come and see us live and not enjoy it a bit. We're a fucking good band, and we're proper players. And we've got an award-winning light show." Do all these haters actually exist, or are they in his head? "I think it's something in my head, maybe." He laughs.

A couple of nights later, the 1975 play live at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. They've performed in front of much bigger crowds before, but Healy says this is the most important gig of his career: they are playing with the BBC Philharmonic, and it is being broadcast live. He introduces me to the man responsible for the show's lighting ("He was my best friend when I was 12") and the guy in charge of merchandise ("He used to sit next to me in maths").

Unusually, Healy is not swigging from a bottle of wine tonight. Nor is he topless. He is wearing Rupert Bear trousers, swotty spectacles and a Sideshow Bob haircut. "Good evening, everybody, we're incredibly nervous," he says, and he sounds it. But not for long. The night starts with the band playing keyboards in a line, à la Kraftwerk. A few minutes later, Healy is singing Sorry by Justin Bieber, and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. He's right about the levels of adoration, and he's right that they put on a good show.

After the gig, we scramble up to the dressing room, which smells of beer, sweat and spliff. Family members jostle for space as the band change and chat about how it went. Denise Welch tells me how proud she is. "I had no idea when they were practising at our house all those years ago, that one day they would be playing with the BBC Philharmonic."

Tim Healy is sitting in a chair, quietly taking everything in. "I used to tell Matty he was John Lennon," he says. Not Paul McCartney? "No! When I saw the passion, I definitely said John Lennon."

Healy and Daniel tell me that what they really want to do is sit down with Allen Ginsberg and watch the show on iPlayer. Then they'll know how they've done. But Healy can't hide his relief or delight. "The head percussionist came over and said, 'Do you remember me?' and I said no. She said, 'I was your drum teacher when you were at primary school.' To hear something you've written played on that scale by those musicians makes you feel like John Williams. It was such a powerful experience."

Healy has been thinking about what he said the other day about the critics, how he didn't give two hoots what they thought. It's not true, he says. "If we hadn't been praised, I don't know how I would have taken it."

The music media's approval is sealed a few weeks after we meet, when the band win best album at the Q awards. They were still on tour, but Healy sent a speech filmed while crowdsurfing a wave of screaming girls. "We are the best band with the best album. Isn't that right, everybody? We should have won best band also. Thank you. Good night."

Back at the Blackpool Ballroom, he's smoking, winding down, giving me a tour of his tattoos. There's the massive tribute to his grandmother on his chest ("She hated my tattoos, so I said, 'When you die, I'm going to get a tattoo' and she said, 'You better not', so I did"), Newcastle United, a David Shrigley cartoon, a homage to the William Burroughs novel Queer; on the inside of his lips, it says Wabi-Sabi. "It's a Japanese aesthetic paradigm about the impermanence of beauty."

He grins. "I know I am pretentious, but I'd be the first person to tell you that. And I'm not apologising, because I'm bored of indie bands that are terrified of doing anything that could be perceived as aspirational, so they don't affect the status quo of their little cliquey band world; where everyone has to think that each band is as cool as the other band, and you're not allowed to play to a show of over 30 people, and everyone has to be a fucking lesbian. It's way more pretentious to pretend you don't care about something."

And now he's on a roll. "There's this elite thing, where everybody's petrified of the idea that you could want your music to reach lots of people, but that's what excites me. The idea of starting in a room and then bleeding out across humanity, the idea of one of my songs being on in a car while people are having an argument that really matters to them, or a song being on when somebody has that moment when they feel really alive. I want that. I don't want unaspirational bullshit. There is no time for it in art. I come on stage and go: 'This is what I do and I'm proud of it.'"

The 1975 UK arena tour starts on 13 December.

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The 1975's Matt Healy: 'I am pretentious. And I'm not apologising'

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Slated, then feted, pop magpies the 1975 are riding high. Their frontman talks about ignoring critics, his Messiah complex and what really happened with Taylor Swift

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The 1975's manager, Jamie Oborne, set up his own independent record label, Dirty Hit, so he could sign the band after previous failure to do so with other labels. Dirty Hit has become a huge indie pop-rock label, featuring artists such as Wolf Alice, Beabadoobee and The Japanese House. The 1975's fandom appears to extend across Dirty Hit's artists, creating not just a record label, but a body of fan activity.

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Healy was not motivated by school, and was kicked out of private school and later dropped out of music college while his other bandmates attended university. There is an authenticity to his rebellious, individualist character.

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[Interview] Matt Healy of The 1975 talks influences, origins and headlining Glastonbury : some kind of awesome

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The 1975 started out in a very mysterious way. Music appeared online last year but we didn’t really knew much about them and who they were. It’s safe to say that’s changed now and the Manchester band are making ever growing waves now. Their recent single “Chocolate” can be heard on the ra

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Matty's star image quickly indicates a 'rebellious, bad-boy' type, as he climbs up the stage during a performance at Leeds Festival in 2013.

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Matt Healy (The 1975) climbing stage Leeds fest 2013

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Loose fitting shirts, long curly hair, chest tattoos and a cigaratte and glass of red wine in hand are all signature components of Matty's melancholic 'bad-boy' look. Healy's hearthrob image can be compared to other boy-band celebrities of the time such as Harry Styles.

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Adoring fans have created romantic imagined scenarios starring an idealised Matty, whose heartthrob image makes him the perfect candidate for fanfiction.

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Read the most popular mattyhealy stories on Wattpad, the world’s largest social storytelling platform.

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I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

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I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

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The 1975 release their second album, 'I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' in 2016. This album is a complete shift from their former monochromatic, grungey image. The band's marketing style bursts into a world of neon pink and synth-pop, while their lyrics become radical and fun.

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I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

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In a pivotal rearrangement of his sound and image following the second album release, Matty introduces himself as a bold, hyperbolic pop-star version of his former self. The song itself is an ironic commentary on the superficiality of fame, as he surrounds himself with cardboard cutouts of pop-culture icons. With a funky guitar riff, Matty's androgynous new persona is undoubtedly infused with 80s influences of David Bowie and Michael Jackson This exudes an authenticity in the way Matty reveals his opinions and humour through his music. To add to this, he wears makeup and leather pants in a plastic, neon pink set. Matty presents to us an unashamed femininity in his character which becomes prevalent throughout his career.

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NME publish an overall positive track-by-track review of the album, shifting from their criticism of the band three years prior. They are surprised to reveal that "it challenged all preconceptions about the band led by Matty Healy". It can be inferred that Matty's switch in persona to this playful, erratic pop-star image has improved his likability and connected with a broader audience, due to drawing from nostalgic 80s influences.

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The 1975’s Mad ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’ – A Track-By-Track Dissection

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Take a look inside the most ludicrously titled album of 2016 so far…

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Live performance of 'Loving Someone' champions LGBTQ+ rights

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Live performance of 'Loving Someone' champions LGBTQ+ rights

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'Loving Someone' from their second album is a socio-political song criticising the media and enforced heteronormativity on the youth. During live performances of this track, they display a rainbow flag across their set. Matty is vocal about the LGBTQ+ community in his music and on social media, and this comes at a critical time in 2016 as far-right politics in the USA threaten LGBTQ+ rights. This not only builds a safe space for queer fans but positions Matty as radical, supportive and connected to his fanbase.

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The 1975 - Loving Someone - (Vevo Presents: Live at The O2, London)

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Labelled by fans as 'heartbreaking', their performance at TRNSMT in 2017 is one of their last shows before Healy goes to rehab. Matty appears to be struggling throughout this show, however some fans argued that this was all part of his on-stage erratic star persona.

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TW: Easily one of thier most heartbreaking performances ever #the1975 #the1975live #trnsmt #festival #glasgow #mattyhealy1975 #mattyhealyedit #you #2017 #trnsmtfestival #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #fyp #foryou #fy 

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@cheaper_than_therapyy
TW: Easily one of thier most heartbreaking performances ever #the1975 #the1975live #trnsmt #festival #glasgow #mattyhealy1975 #mattyhealyedit #you #2017 #trnsmtfestival #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #fyp #foryou #fy
♬ original sound - Cheaper Than Therapy

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The band return to headline TRNSMT festival 6 years later, and Matty opens up about his previous performance and this "weird time" struggling with addiction. He gestures that he has overcome this obstacle and that they are very happy to be back.

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From the the1975 community on Reddit: Matty at TRNSMT talking about his notorious performance there in 2017

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Explore this post and more from the the1975 community

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In returning to the public light after rehab, Matty opens up about his heroin addiction and experiences while in recovery. He prides himself on being vocal and candid in interviews in order to maintain the honesty and authenticity of his public image, while also raising awareness, particularly to fans, of the dangers of drugs.

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The 1975's Matty Healy on getting clean with horse therapy | SVT/TV 2/Skavlan

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Denise on Matty's struggle with addiction

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Denise on Matty's struggle with addiction

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An article from 2018 reports on Denise's feelings of guilt surrounding her son Matty's addiction. She shares on Loose Women that "she felt shame because the talented songwriter's issues reflected her past battles with depression, alcohol and substance abuse". Like Matty, Denise has also been vocal about her own battles with addiction and mental health, which reflects a familial pattern of authenticity.

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Denise Welch gives insight into son Matt Healy’s struggle with drugs

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Denise admits she was thrilled after Matt voluntarily admitted himself top the Caribbean retreat following an extensive tour with The 1975.

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On his second album, Matty writes 'She Lays Down', which opens up about Denise's post-natal depression and substance abuse. He claims that he and his mother are very close and this album dives into intimate themes about his family and personal life. This insight fosters a parasocial relationship with his fan community.

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The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has opened up about the song that means the most to him - revealing that he wrote the track 'She Lays Down' about his mother Denise Welch's battle with post-natal depression. Watch our video interview with Healy above.

Speaking to NME after we named The 1975's acclaimed second album 'I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It' our album of the year, Healy told us about the song from the record that means the most to him.

"'She Lays Down' is about my mum," Healy told NME. "It doesn't get much more personal than that. I'm sure my mum won't mind me saying this, but she told me a story when I was about 17, she was so gripped by post-natal depression that she was coming into my room when I was a couple of months old, lying on the floor and actively trying to love me.
READ MORE: The full 1975 NME interview
"How fucking brutal is that? That is brutal - especially considering how close me and my mum are. We are like, insanely close. That resonated with me so much, I think that writing music for me is such a catharsis, and such a personal thing, I think that had to come out. "

Speaking of the rest of the album, Healy said: "There are songs on there about my nana, the whole record is completely personal. That's the only reason that gives it purpose for me. It doesn't matter otherwise. I don't care if I'm not like 'figuring something out'. There's no point."

Manchester, Arena (December 13)
London, The O2 (December 15, 16)
Newcastle, Arena (December 17)
Glasgow, Hydro (December 19)
Bournemouth, International Centre (December 21)
Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena (December 22)

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The 1975's Matty Healy opens up on a song he wrote about his mother's post-natal depression

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The 1975 frontman Matt Healy on how the song 'She Lays Down' is about his mother Denise Welch's battle with post-natal depression.

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A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships

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A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships

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Their third album release becomes their most successful yet. Matty speaks for an entire generation through socio-political themes and heavy criticism of technology and modernity. He also dives into personal themes about his struggle with opiate addiction through a juxtaposition of upbeat pop songs. Much like the previous two albums, we see an authenticity to Matty's star image which presents itself through his lyrics and sound.

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A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships

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Described as a "generational mouthpiece" by Pitchfork, the band is praised for their "eclectic" third album, taking inspiration in their sound from Mancunian influences such as Joy Division and Oasis. While Matty firmly establishes his star persona as one belonging to the 21st century, he isn't afraid to use punk, synth-pop and motown genres to summarise the type of influences that shaped his star image.

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The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

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The British band’s outrageous and eclectic third album attests to the worth of putting in an honest effort in the face of near-constant gloom.

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A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships wins the British Album of the Year award at the Brit Awards 2019.

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The 1975 win Mastercard British Album of the Year | The BRIT Awards 2019

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The 1975 win Worst Band award at NME Awards 2014

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The 1975 win Worst Band award at NME Awards 2014

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NME, who started out with a distaste for The 1975, nominate them for the 'Worst Band' award in 2014 and they win. Matty claims he does not care, and that his image is the 'antithesis' of NME and what they value in music so this award is more of a validation for him. Matty establishes himself as an 'outsider' or 'misfit', further categorising him into this rebel persona that he often embodies.

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The 1975 take the award for Best British Group at the Brit Awards in both 2017 and 2019. This exemplifies Matty's popularity during this time as the attractive, charismatic frontman of a boy-band.

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The 1975 win British Group | The BRITs 2017

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Matty reportedly dated Australian model Gabriella Brooks from 2015 until their breakup in 2019. It is speculated in the tabloid press that she could no longer tolerate his "party lifestyle". This news comes following from his recent, publicised struggles with addiction. Matty is framed by the media to be a messy, drunken pop-star, therefore tainting his public image.

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The 1975’s Matt Healy ‘dumped by his girlfriend for partying too hard’

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A brief enquiry into ending relationships.

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At this point in The 1975's career, NME have completely shifted their opinion on Matty and compare their new album to the likes of 'OK Computer' by Radiohead. This amplifies Matty's success in his star persona.

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Matty Healy always said the first three 1975 albums would tell a story: his own, from teen dreamer living in an affluent hinterland of Manchester (2013's self-titled debut) to pop star in the first flushes of fame (2016's 'I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It') and the Ziggy-ish conclusion to come.

Instead, The 1975 took to the studio to produce not one but two albums, the first of which is 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relations', with the second, 'Notes On A Conditional Form', to come next year. And this third album doesn't just tell the story of Matty's maturation as promised, it touches on modern politics, our relationship with technology and the entire Millennial experience, too. In doing so, it alights on bubblegum pop ('TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME'), glitchy electronica ('How To Draw / Petrichor'), balladry ('Be My Mistake'), neo-jazz ('Sincerity Is Scary'), trad jazz ('Mine') and all points in between.

If this is the continuing story of Matty Healy, things have either been going right on course or falling apart, depending on your preferred flavour of rock star. This is the album on which Matty's self-destructive tendencies have taken hold, the cocaine psychosis of 2016's 'UGH!' swapped for the rock clichés of heroin addiction, rehab, therapy, windswept solitude in a Northants residential studio and sun-drenched isolation in LA.

It's a rich run of life experience that informs the album in surprising ways, not least 'It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)', a 'Pretty In Pink'-style power-pop banger that sings dreamily about heroin as if it were a great lost love (" All I do is sit and think about you / If I knew what you'd do / Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes / It's not living if it's not with you "). It's funny, clever and refreshingly honest, and it's not even the most confessional thing here - that would be a toss-up between 'Be My Mistake', a heart-wrenching, guilt-sodden song about on-tour loneliness and infidelity, or 'I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)', the massive closing track, which is so personal and intense it might just leave you in tears.

So on the one hand it is a personal album about Matty's experience, but it's also an album about love in all its forms (even for delicious opiates), love being the thread that links its genre-hopping tracks. And there's a macro scale to the album, too, one that holds a mirror up to society as well as to Matty's pretty fizog. The towering 'Love It If We Made It' stands and points, aghast, at real-world horrors that have somehow been normalised, most jarringly " a beach of drowning three-year-olds" and the words of the President Of The United States Of America, repeated verbatim, " I moved on her like a bitch ", casting no particular opinion and asking the listener to draw conclusions instead.
MORE: The Big Read: A Brief Inquiry Into The 1975
As the album's intermission, 'The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme' is a poem narrated by Siri (yes, the one that lives in your pocket), a Vonnegut-like allegory about loneliness, data, social media and internet addiction, concerning a man, SnowflakeSmasher86, and his friend, The Internet. " When the man got sad, his friend had so many clever ways to make him feel better / He would get him cooked animals and show him the people having sex again / And he would always always agree with him, " it goes.

It's easy to see 'The Man Who Married A Robot' as the album's 'Fitter, Happier', and it's not the only moment in which 'A Brief Inquiry' begs comparison to Radiohead's 1997 masterpiece 'OK Computer'. That record, also the band's third, took a gloomy view of modern life when the internet was a luxury few had access to. Two decades later, The 1975's album, written from the perspective of four digital natives, doesn't so much condemn the march of technology, information and social media so much as accept it and debate it. It's a nuanced record for a time when life's shades of grey are darker and closer in contrast than they may have previously been, and it's no less powerful as a result.

And from those greys, colour. Electronic flourishes to revel in. Gospel choirs to lift the soul. Every song offers an unexpected treat: the lovely 'Surrounded By Heads And Bodies' skips into a time-shifting drum beat where a chorus would normally sit; 'I Like America & America Likes Me' is Kanye-level in its virtuosic use of autotune; 'Inside Your Mind' blends '90s post-rock with torch-song balladry and 'I Couldn't Be More In Love' is a pitch-perfect 1980s wedding song pastiche, one of a handful of numbers that are so wilfully big, bold and emotional you expect upcoming tours may require six encores to bash each of them out with the appropriate gravity. Perhaps the biggest surprise comes in the form of 'Mine', a Cole Porter-influenced jazz number that evokes golden era Hollywood, Disney soundtracks and finger-clicking crooners while reflecting wryly on modern life (" I fight crime online sometimes / I write rhymes I hide behind,"), a jarring dissonance that feels like hearing a song you've known your whole life for the very first time.

'Mine' is a breathtaking piece of work, and one of many here that proves that The 1975's core songwriting team of Matty Healy and George Daniel are not just the most accomplished and creative duo working in pop right now but the closest thing we have to a present-day Lennon and McCartney, a pair whose golden touch makes them near-enough unassailable. Clever and profound, funny and light, serious and heartbreaking, painfully modern and classic-sounding all at the same time, 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' is a game-changing album, one that challenges The 1975's peers - if, indeed, there are any - to raise their game.

So Healy had set out to describe his own experience, but in doing so has produced an artefact that sums up millennial life, a magpie pop masterpiece that could only be made right now and right here. And for every stupid joke you've heard about avocados and house prices and safe spaces and jazz hands, this is a piece of art that shows another side to a generation, one of achievement, wit and humanity in the most confusing of times. Clever boys.

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The 1975 - 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' review

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The 1975's third studio album 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' is a game-changing moment. Read the NME review

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Love It If We Made It - political messaging

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Love It If We Made It - political messaging

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Healy challenges the norms of a pop-artist in this song through its defiant political lyricism which calls for action and revolt. This perpetuates Matty's image as an activist. In this music video, there are inherently raw, political images displayed such as police brutality, anti-gay protests, climate change and immigration. He even takes the infamous direct quote from Donald Trump "I moved on her like a b*tch". Healy's political messaging creates a powerful connection with listeners, who in turn are encouraged to think critically about the current political environment.

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The 1975 - Love It If We Made It (Official Video)

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When performing 'Sincerity is Scary', Matty wears this hat and a backpack to replicate the music video. This is a costume that has become iconic amongst fans, with the hat being available as part of The 1975's merchandise and with many fans trying to recreate it themselves. Through costume, Matty can almost be seen as a character that fans want to embody.

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Screengrab from 'Sincerity is Scary' Music Video 

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Screengrab from 'Sincerity is Scary' Music Video 

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Handmade Crochet Sincerity is Scary Hat, The 1975, Matty Healy

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Fan-made hat inspired by Matty's costume

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Fan-made hat inspired by Matty's costume

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Handmade Crochet Sincerity is Scary Hat, The 1975, Matty Healy, Bunny Ear Hat, Bunny Beanie, Rabbit Hat in Beige and Black Replica Sincerity is Scary Hat in Handmade Crocheted Bunny Ears in Biege and Black  This is my take on the hat worn by Matty Healy in the video for The 1975s hit "Sincerity is Scary". Its a cat hat with bunny ears, the colours match those of the hat Matt Healy wears in the video. Show your love for the 1975! 🧶 crochet hat in super soft yarn in biege with giant bunny ears in biege and black stripes! 🧶 Same design as the beanie worn by Matt Healy in the music video "Sincerity Is Scary". 🧶 Pair of 1975 themed pin badges included. 🧶 24-25cm across at the brim, 17-18cm from peak to edge, 23cm x 8cm ears (All dimensions taken when flat, they are approx. and crochet stretches. The dimensions included here are an example of one of these hats, yours will vary slightly from this) https://pangolinathome.etsy.com/uk/listing/1478350886/handmade-crochet-sincerity-is-scary-hat

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@pangolinathome
Handmade Crochet Sincerity is Scary Hat, The 1975, Matty Healy, Bunny Ear Hat, Bunny Beanie, Rabbit Hat in Beige and Black Replica Sincerity is Scary Hat in Handmade Crocheted Bunny Ears in Biege and Black This is my take on the hat worn by Matty Healy in the video for The 1975s hit "Sincerity is Scary". Its a cat hat with bunny ears, the colours match those of the hat Matt Healy wears in the video. Show your love for the 1975! 🧶 crochet hat in super soft yarn in biege with giant bunny ears in biege and black stripes! 🧶 Same design as the beanie worn by Matt Healy in the music video "Sincerity Is Scary". 🧶 Pair of 1975 themed pin badges included. 🧶 24-25cm across at the brim, 17-18cm from peak to edge, 23cm x 8cm ears (All dimensions taken when flat, they are approx. and crochet stretches. The dimensions included here are an example of one of these hats, yours will vary slightly from this) https://pangolinathome.etsy.com/uk/listing/1478350886/handmade-crochet-sincerity-is-scary-hat
♬ Sincerity Is Scary - The 1975

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Storytelling in the 'It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)' Music Video

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Storytelling in the 'It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)' Music Video

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This music video is a theatrical rendition of Matty's experience with handling both addiction and stardom. It adds a visual storytelling element to the topics that Matty had recently opened up about, which is more effective in connecting and engaging with fans. Matty uses an intertextual reference to another music video, 'Sincerity is Scary', which provides an exciting easter egg for fans to discuss. Essentially, Matty constructs his own cinematic, musical world, all based around his persona, which he invites fans to indulge in too.

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The 1975 - It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)

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Matty's charismatic on-stage character and creative stage set designs inspire fan-art. Healy's performance character exudes confidence and mischief, which entices fans who wish to recreate these qualities in their own work, in a method of textual poaching.

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Paint the 1975. ( this video is so short since tiktok took an L and deleted the last half 🙃) #the1975 #painting #mattyhealy #art #drawing #fyp

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@jaswallis
Paint the 1975. ( this video is so short since tiktok took an L and deleted the last half 🙃) #the1975 #painting #mattyhealy #art #drawing #fyp
♬ Shibuya Feat. Frank Ocean by L.Dre - jessica

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As a secondary part to their previous album, The 1975 release their fourth album in 2020 called Notes on a Conditional Form. Driven by themes explored in their last album, Matty continues in his activism, which is exemplified in his collaboration with climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as environmentally sustainable packaging for their merchandise.

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Greta Thunberg calls for climate action in a speech featured on the first track of the album. This goes on to be played at the beginning of their live shows, highlighting the final phrase "it is time to rebel" which becomes an iconic slogan representative of the band. Ultimately, this association paired with Matty's new political image distracts from tabloid press which shadowed his professionalism after Healy revealed his drug addiction years earlier. Matty returns alongside this album with a more powerful presence.

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The 1975: Greta Thunberg writes climate essay for new album

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The Swedish activist has recorded a spoken-word essay for the opening track on the band’s new album.

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'Guys' is essentially a loveletter to Matty's bandmates and their lasting friendships, yet it is also a loveletter to their dedicated fans who have followed them from the start. The video features archival material from their early days starting the band and onwards. The song also symbols Matty's progress from his struggles with addiction a couple years prior. This heartwearming and gratuitous tribute highlights Matty's sincerity and willingness to deconstruct hypermasculinity.

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MATTY HEALY (The 1975) | CHICKEN SHOP DATE, 2022

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Matty's appearance on popular YouTube series 'Chicken Shop Date' with Amelia Dimoldenberg maintained a consistency with his 'bad-boy', heartthrob image. His typical cynical character is humorous and entertaining to watch.

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MATTY HEALY (The 1975) | CHICKEN SHOP DATE

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During his 2022-2023 tours, Matty consumes a raw steak on stage as part of his elaborate, theatrical set. Healy confuses fans, yet the act is a commentary on toxic masculinity and all part of his on-stage character. This is not the first time we see Matty immerse himself in a character, however it aligns with Matty's unpredictable public image.

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#MattyHealy eats raw steak on stage at #The1975 concert

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In 2023, the band played at the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia, where Matty criticises Malaysia's anti-queer laws and proceeds to kiss his bandmate on stage. This leads to The 1975 being banned, and the remainder of the festival cancelled. Whilst Healy may have held good intentions, his actions were yielded insensitive and thoughtless. He was accused of selfish, performative activism from the standpoint of a privileged white celebrity, as well as fuelling anti-LGBTQ+ discourse and limiting the opportunities for queer artists in Malaysia due to tighter restrictions. This is one of many times that Matty's star image has been polluted by his inconsiderate public actions.

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At Hangout Music Festival in 2019, Matty angrily speaks up about the US government and Alabama passing an anti-abortion bill. He has been vocal about womens rights throughout his career, including speaking about misogyny in the music industry at the Brit Awards in 2019.

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Matty Healy (The 1975) - Talking About The US Government - 2019 (Pro Audio)

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The 1975 helped to fund a LGBTQ+ community centre in London in 2018, as Matty emphasises its importance. Additionally, Matty won 'Ally of the Year' at the Diva Awards 2019 for utilising his platform to champion LGBTQ+ rights. Their song 'Loving Someone' became a queer anthem for fans, as Matty constructs a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community using his personal brand.

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A recent controversy in 2023 catapulted Matty into social media discourse due to his involvement in a conversation directing racist remarks towards rapper Ice Spice on The Adam Friedland Show. Healy laughed at these comments made by the host. He has since apologised, however it does not shift his star image as the problematic celebrity.

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The 1975’s Matty Healy Says Controversy Surrounding Podcast Comments About Ice Spice “Doesn’t Actually Matter” - IMDb

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IMDb, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content.

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Matty is well-known for being outspoken and provocative on social media. In recent years, he has been accused of appropriating the Black Lives Matter movement to promote his music, has violently threatened to slap female rapper Azaelia Banks, and has used ableist terms as a joke. This has led him to deactivate his social media on numerous occasions, due to making headlines for the wrong reasons. Matty's star image has certainly been one that is solidified as the 'problematic celebrity'.

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From the Fauxmoi community on Reddit: Matty Healy’s most recent tweet on his burner account

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Explore this post and more from the Fauxmoi community

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Matt Healy hates paid artist meet-and-greets: "It's disgraceful" 13th October 2022

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Matty has frequently been vocal about his distaste for paid meet and greets, calling them "disgraceful" for unfairly exploiting fans in an interview with Zane Lowe in 2022. He appears to prioritise authentic engagement with fans, always making time for photographs and autographs, which he wants fans to be aware of. With these statement and in-person interactions, Matty's connection with his fans surpasses parasociality.

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Matt Healy hates paid artist meet-and-greets: "It's disgraceful"

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Matt Healy is not a fan of paid meet-and-greets, and the artists who do them, calling the practice "disgraceful".

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Taylor Swift and Matty Healy’s Full Relationship Timeline, 25th July 2025

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Sweeping the headlines in 2023 were rumours of a relationship between Matty Healy and Taylor Swift, a long-awaited celebrity couple which fans speculated about since their first meeting in 2014. While the romance seemed to only last a couple of months, they were spotted working on music together, and Taylor even had a guest star appearance at The 1975's show in London in 2023. Taylor's worldwide fame amplifies Matty's star image. On a professional basis, working with her in the studio cements Matty, too, as a global music star.

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Matty Healy’s Mom Recalls His “Tricky” Romance With Taylor Swift

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“Being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost”

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Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero (Live Debut on The 1975's At Their Very Best Tour) 12th January 2023

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Taylor Swift debuts 'Anti-Hero' at 1975 concert

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Taylor Swift debuts 'Anti-Hero' at 1975 concert

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Exciting guest star appearance during the 2022-2023 tour for 'Being Funny in a Foreign Language' saw The 1975 partnered with Taylor Swift, who has the biggest cultural impact of any star today. They also had other guest stars such as Lewis Capaldi and Charli XCX. Fans were starstruck at Healy's "crossovers" with such renowned artists, emphasising his own success in the music industry.

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Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero (Live Debut on The 1975's At Their Very Best Tour)

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The 1975 release their fifth and most recent album, 'Being Funny in a Foreign Language' in 2022, which debuted at number one on the UK album charts. Matty displays a vulnerability in this album, maintaining a beacon of honesty and openness that is consistently associated with his star image.

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Who Is Matty Healy’s Fiancée? All About Gabbriette Bechtel, 12th June 2024

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Matty and Gabriette have reportedly been dating since 2023. They announced their engagement in June 2024, and have made numerous public and online appearances together such as at New York Fashion Week in late 2023. Gabriette embodies a 90s grunge inspired style, which pairs with Matty's 'party lifestyle' image. The 1975's drummer, George Daniel, has recently been married to singer Charli XCX, whose entire star branding centres around a party-girl lifestyle. Together, they present a glamourous, exclusive and unattainable star image commonly seen of pop-stars and models. This contradicts Matty's genuine and relatable persona he previously presented to fans.

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Who Is Matty Healy’s Fiancée? All About Gabbriette Bechtel

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Matty Healy and Gabbriette Bechtel first stepped out as a couple in September 2023. Here’s everything to know about Matty Healy’s fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel.

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Are FKA Twigs and Matty Healy Dating? 13th February 2020

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Between 2019 and 2022, Matty was rumoured to be dating FKA Twigs, a music artist and actress known for her avante garde style. Their relationship is photographed as cool, fashionable and iconic. Matty's romantic life remains in the limelight, centralising his unwavering 'heartthrob' image.

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The 1975 - About You (Glastonbury 29th June 2025)

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The 1975 headline Glastonbury for the first time in 2025, a dream that Matty has often spoken about. He claims on stage that he is nervous, which humanises Matty and draws fans in to share this achievement along with the band. This is a substantial moment for The 1975, and one that cements Healy in rock-star history. Matty personifies a collage of his performance-art character from over the years, smoking cigarettes through the set and making egotistical jokes about his own stardom.

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Matty Healy divides Glastonbury fans with ‘insufferable’ show, 29th June 2025

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Divisive reviews on Glastonbury performance

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Divisive reviews on Glastonbury performance

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Matty's usual over the top antics were met with mixed reviews following from The 1975's headline show at Glastonbury. While some viewers praised the quality of the set, many were let down by Healy's "insufferable" character. Audiences were irritated by his concieted on-stage persona, claiming that it is not an act. These opinions may be a product of Healy's recent controversies, which overshadow his success. Healy also mentions on stage that he does not want the bands' legacy to be one of politics, which juxtaposes the activist star image that he had been constructing for himself over the last several years.

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Matty Healy divides Glastonbury fans with ‘insufferable’ show

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“Matty Healy trolls on stage at Glastonbury”

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Over the past year, Matty has been inactive on social media, including X and Instagram, with his last Instagram post from 24th November 2024. This has momentarily calmed his erratic public image. On the other hand, Healy could be building mystery surrounding his next steps in his career.

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Giles, DC (2018), Twenty-First Century Celebrity : Fame in Digital Culture, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley. 

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David Giles 'Twenty-First Century Celebrity: Fame in Digital Culture' (2018)

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David Giles 'Twenty-First Century Celebrity: Fame in Digital Culture' (2018)

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Giles emphasises that in the digital age, celebrity social media content can quickly become mainstream news. He argues that while platforms such as X "promise greater authenticity" (p. 83) and control of their voice for celebrities, they also make space for unpredictable audience reactions which must be carefully considered by stars in order to maintain their public image. This reflects Matty's incessant negative publicity for what he flippantly shares online, which is met poorly by fans and other observers. In return, Giles says that audiences must critically evaluate the authenticity of a celebrity's online persona, due to the deceptive nature of social media identities. This is when it becomes difficult for fans to separate Matty's cheeky on-stage persona with who he truly is behind the screen.

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Craig, G. (2019). Celebrities and Environmental Activism. In: Media, Sustainability and Everyday Life. Palgrave Studies in Media and Environmental Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, London

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Celebrities and Environmental Activism by Geoffrey Craig (2019)

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Celebrities and Environmental Activism by Geoffrey Craig (2019)

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Geoffrey Craig discusses celebrity power, specifically in relation to supporting and advocating for environmental activism. Celebrity's have the capacity to contribute to increased awareness of environmental issues, which is exemplified in Matty's environmental campaign with Greta Thunberg fuelled through his music. However, Craig goes on to explain that many stars find it necessary for their brand image to support such causes. The celebrity's association then lessens the political importance of the topic, and, ultimately, becomes another means of commodification for the celebrity. Arguably, Matty has blended activism with commercial interests by utilising his environmental campaign to promote the release of his album. Especially given the fact, in recent years, he has been silent about environmental issues.

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This chapter explores the roles of celebrities in environmental activism. It discusses the cultural power of celebrities, highlighting both their implication in the capitalist promotional economy and their representational function in public formations, aesthetic…

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Shingler, M (2012) Star Studies : A Critical Guide. London: British Film Institute.

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Shingler discusses the complex construction of star image and persona, which are distinguished through the star persona being shaped by the celebrity's own presentation of self, while image is an identity that the star has less control over, due to media publicity and audience reaction. Shingler suggests that persona can "operate as a mask to ensure consistency [...] but it can also be used as an element of performance" (p. 125). In terms of Matty's star persona, he is chaotic and rebellious, yet authentic. This makes him alluring as a celebrity, as fans derive from this a promise of entertainment and familiarity.

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