The 1975's Matt Healy Has Some Harsh Thoughts On 5 Seconds Of Summer
By James Dinh
June 23, 2016
The 1975's Matt Healy doesn't want you mistake his band for some manufactured act, or even this generation's version of the Backstreet Boys. That's a perception he believes might be far more suitable for a band like 5 Seconds of Summer.
During MTV News' recent profile on The 1975, the frontman spoke highly about the space that the band has created in the alt-pop landscape, referring to his group as "a gateway band." "Gateway bands used to exist, but they were normally sh**ty — you know, bands that straddled between the truly alternative scene and the mainstream market. A soft, easy band for the kids to transition from the Backstreet Boys to f**ckin’ Cannibal Corpse or whatever it may be,” he said.
It's all a fairly just take on the transitions certain audiences venture into, but here comes his big blow. Healy went on to explain that his band's fanbase will eventually grow to include "a lot of kids" who are probably into the 5SOS fandom right now and that's when lightbulbs will go off.
"And then they get inside and they realize: I can stay here. I can grow with this band. This isn’t a faddy thing. This isn’t the Backstreet Boys. You’re not being told to like us."It leads into a much bigger discussion about the pop scene and it's one that Healy says "is tarnished with a lack of credibility, or a sense of that." "Because, fair enough, there’s a lot of sh*t, and people don’t know what they’re allowed to like," he said. "It’s really difficult to see in pop music what’s a genuine expression and what’s just something that’s a commercial statement. The thing with pop music, with me, the only question I allow myself is: Well, do you believe it?'"
Photo: Getty Images