- 1.9 million for a man's kiss?
It was a kiss of protest: The frontman of indie-rock band The 1975, Matty Healy (35), kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald (35) on stage at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur in July 2023. Now, the organizers are suing the musicians for 1.9 million pounds (around 2.2 million euros) in damages for breach of contract, according to the BBC.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Malaysia and can be punished with 20 years in prison. This made Healy very angry at the time: "I don't see the point in inviting The 1975 to a country where we're told who we can have sex with. Unfortunately, you won't get a set with many encouraging songs because I'm fucking angry," said the ex-boyfriend of pop sensation Taylor Swift (34), who recently thrilled thousands of fans in Germany as part of her "The Eras" world tour.
The singer continued his on-stage speech: "That's not fair to you. Because you're not representative of your government. You're young people, and I'm sure many of you are gay and progressive and cool."
Million-dollar compensation
He then kissed his bassist and their gig was soon cut short. "We've just been banned from Kuala Lumpur," Healy explained his exit. The next day, the festival was stopped. The organizers are now seeking 1.9 million pounds in compensation from the band for the loss of earnings due to the breach of performance rules.
A festival official, Wan Alman, told global media in 2023 that The 1975's management had assured him that the band would comply with the conservative country's regulations and the event's guidelines. The festival also does not permit discussion of politics and religion, swearing, smoking, or drinking alcohol on stage.
The LGBT community is upset
Healy's protest performance was even criticized by members of the local LGBT community, who said his provocative activism made their lives more difficult. He later defended himself publicly: "It (the kiss, Ed.) was part of The 1975's stage show, which had been performed many times before."
Additionally, the band is facing a separate class-action lawsuit from several musicians and exhibitors who claim they suffered lost earnings due to the cancellation of the second and third days of the festival.
The BBC reported that the organizers of the Good Vibes Festival are suing The 1975 for 1.9 million pounds due to the band's breach of contract, following Matty Healy's protest kiss with bandmate Ross MacDonald. Despite the backlash and legal issues, Healy expressed his support for the LGBT community, stating that the band's stage show, including the controversial kiss, had been performed numerous times before.
