Regardless of whether youâre a Swifty or a The 1975 stan, you will have by now heard the buzz online over rumours that Taylor Swift is dating the bandâs frontman and resident problematic British boy Matty Healy. I know, we were surprised tooâespecially given Healyâs history with questionable comments and actions. Of course, Swift has also had her moments in the past, so maybe this actually makes total sense.
What is very surprising though, is the fact that the Grammy award-winning artist is now teaming up with gen Z icon and rapper Ice Spiceâan artist who was actively laughed at and mocked by Healy himself on a podcast earlier this year.
For those of you who might not have caught up on the recent events, in January 2023, Healy appeared on an episode of The Adam Friedland Show in which co-host Nick Mullen made racist remarks over Ice Spiceâs ethnicity, calling her an âinuit spice girlâ and a âchubby Chinese lady.â Chinese and Hawaiian accents were also reportedly mocked, all while Healy can be heard laughing along in the background. To say itâs an uncomfortable listen would be a serious understatement.
@chang3ofheart ⏠original sound - ash
The disgusting remarks thankfully saw the episode pulled from Spotify and Apple and, as reported by Rolling Stone in April, Healy issued an apology to the rapper during a concert in New Zealand. Issuing a public apology after receiving a torrent of backlash doesnât really hit the same, nor does it excuse his behaviour.
âI just feel a bit bad, and Iâm kind of a bit sorry if Iâve offended you,â The 1975 frontman told the audience, adding: âIce Spice, Iâm sorry. Itâs not because Iâm annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. Itâs because I donât want Ice Spice to think Iâm a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. Iâm so sorry.â
@arlysversion Replying to @pacciu92 **video not mine** #fyp #fypă· #fypage #fypă·ăviral #foryou #foryoupage #mattyhealy1975 #mattyhealytiktok #icematty #icespice #fyp #fypă· #fypage #fypă·ăviral #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage
⏠original sound - ALR - arlysversion
Apologies are important, but this one screams of a lack of understanding or willingness to accept responsibility over the incident. Iâm not sure he even realises how harmful the jokes were, which is even worse. Ice Spice didnât publicly respond to Healyâs half-hearted apology, but her recent collab with Swift might imply that sheâs moved on from the incident.
sweetest person ever thank u sm đđi love yuuuu đ«¶ https://t.co/FxGxpsRQRK
— ice spice â (@icespicee_) May 24, 2023
So, why is Swift partnering with Ice Spice now? Is this just industry matchmaking at its finest? Clearly, pairing âAmericaâs sweetheartâ up with one of gen Zâs hottest stars right now is a good move, but maybe the âAugustâ singer should address the elephant in the room first, aka her potentially bigoted boyfriend.
Regardless of the motivations behind this surprising collaboration, weâre glad Ice Spice is getting the recognition she deserves. We just wish Swift would be more transparent over the rumours that sheâs dating someone as problematic as Healy. If youâre going to parade him round like a Balenciaga purse, you need to just own it and be upfront with your fans.