Is Matty Healy and The 1975 White Girls Version of Kanye West?
A handsome, but problematic British, white man, who sings about his drug addiction and love, what more could a white girl want?
I began listening to The 1975 about a year ago. I actually heard a classmate watching one of their TikToks and singing to the song “I’m in Love with You”. I had never heard it before, but I thought it was really catchy. So, that night, after basketball practice, while waiting in the car as my mom shopped for groceries at our local Schnucks, I began my search for this song and the singer of it on TikTok. I quickly found the title, aptly name the main lyric of the song, and the singer, some guy named Matty Healy, the lead singer of a British pop band called The 1975, which I had heard of, but I thought the name was weird and pretentious, so I never listened to them. That night in a cold car in a dimly lit parking lot, my life changed. OK, that’s a bit dramatic, but I discovered what is, now, one of my favorite bands.
If you haven’t listened to the 1975, then I recommend you do to get the full experience. Anyways, after I listened to them for the first time, I began listening to more of their songs. AND I LOVED THEM!!! During that time, I was also writing my history research paper and a bigger honors English paper, so they were the perfect studying music. I listened to them no joke, everyday, for like three months. I made a playlist consisting only of their songs, but it did include “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Greenday, both of which I plan to play at my future wedding to my husband who looks like a doppleganger for either Alex Winter, Charlie Hunnam, or Alex Fitzalan (I have a major thing for guys named Alex apparently! I have a crush on Alex Fitzalan, Alex Turner of the Artcic Monkeys. I also have a cousin named Alex and my best friend is also named Alex. I also really like the name Alex and would consider naming my future child, boy or girl, it because there are a lot of good variations— Alexander, Xander, Alexandria, Alexandra, Alex, or Allie. Can you imagine if my husband is named Alex, too? My word! Anyways, I really liked their music. They were my number 1 artist on my Spotify wrapped two years running, and I am one of their top listeners. It is my dream to see them in concert, possibly in London if I choose to study abroad there, and this is my plan. I want to buy a cheap, lacy bra, write Matty’s and possibly the other band member’s names in it like Lux from “Virgin Suicides” and then throw it on stage. I think my father and brother had a spasm when I said this…
The 1975 is still sort of underground, despite their popularity. They have very, very soft rock pop music, that is pretty non-offensive. It would probably be played at an Anthropologie in your local mall or a house party for English majors. Their lyrics, while not really making a lot of sense, are in fact, quite catchy and they have good beats. Their fan base is mostly women in their teens to thirties, actually I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who’s a fan of them. And their fan base is mostly white women. Once last year, while my mom and I were listening to them on the car ride home I said, “Yeah, Matty Healy is their lead singer, and he is super problematic! I kind of think there like white girls’ version of Kanye West. Like the 1975 is the white girl equivalent to Kanye West or white boys, you know?” My mom nodded, but I don’t think she really got it. I said the same thing to my brother recently and he said, “yeah, but I feel like Kanye West is Kanye West for white women,” which yes, I agree, white women love to get down to “Golddigger,” myself included, and Kanye is super problematic, but you know who else loves Kanye? White boys, point blank period, and you know what? No hate, no shade, I get it girl or boy or person. But the 1975 and Matty Healy specifically, fulfills white women’s problematic needs. He is the object of our desire. We know how bad he is, but we’re still hooked. We still find him confusingly and scarily sexy, no, just me? Matty Healy is truly something else. He says awful and just questionable things about black people, gay people, women, etc. He has dated countless under-aged girls and just thinks it’s fine. He’s snobby, pretentious, narcissistic, and conceited, but I still like him, not personally, but musically. He is my Kanye. If I had to give you my top five songs I would say: 1. “It’s Not Living if It’s Not with You,” 2. “Me & You Together Song,” 3. “Happiness,” 4. “She’s American,” 5. “Robbers,” okay fine an extra five to make it an even top 10, 6. “I You’re Too Shy To Let Me Know,” 7. “The City,” 8. “Wintering,” 9. “Lookin’ For Somebody To Love,” 10. “Sex,”. I am a seasoned listener and connoisseur of ~some problematic~ white men.
*But I was never very good at Algebra, so who knows if I even know what I’m talking about. Someone, who is a chronic liar himself, actually accused me of being a liar, so you should take that into consideration and you probably shouldn’t trust me because I’m just such a bad girl and honestly person.