It has been reported that Matty Healy is “uncomfortable” with the attention from Taylor Swift‘s latest album, but “relieved” it wasn’t worse.
READ MORE: Taylor Swift – ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ review: a rare misstep
Fans have speculated that the majority of Swift’s recently released 11th LP ‘The Tortured Poets Department‘ was inspired by her short-lived romance with The 1975 frontman, namely its title track, ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ and ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ among others.
Last month, after being approached by paparazzi in Los Angeles, Healy was asked how he felt about his “Taylor diss track”. While it’s unclear which exact song the paparazzo was referring to, the ‘About You’ singer replied: “My diss track? Oh! I haven’t really listened to that much of it, but I’m sure it’s good.”
Now, an insider told US Weekly that Healy is not a fan of the new unwanted attention after the album’s release. “Matty’s uncomfortable with the renewed attention on his relationship [with Taylor] — especially because he’s [with someone] new,” the insider told the outlet.
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy seen leaving ‘The Electric Lady’ studio in Manhattan on May 16, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images)
A second insider added that “Matty still thinks very highly of Taylor but we were all nervous about what she might have said on the album,” and noted that Healy “couldn’t be happier” about how ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ turned out.
According to that same insider, Healy’s family was “worried” that the songs would “rip him apart,” adding, “Matty has struggled with life in the public eye, and he’s been doing really well, but the last thing that he needs is for every Swiftie in the world to think he’s a villain.”
Denise Welch, Healy’s mother also shared a response after being asked about the album. Welch – who has previously said that she is seen as “the Virgin Mary” among The 1975‘s fanbase – has shared her thoughts after being asked about the album during an episode of Loose Women.
“I wasn’t aware she had an album out at all, I haven’t heard anything to do with it,” she joked before the live audience broke into laughter and guest Dermot O’Leary added, “It’s suddenly all become very awkward.”
She continued, shutting down the conversation by saying: “I wish her all the best”.
Back in 2016, Healy suggested that dating Swift would have been “emasculating” for him because of her huge global fame.
The two musicians were briefly linked that year, a connection he described as a “flirtation”. “I don’t do anything else, right, so it doesn’t leave a lot of room for me going out, or shagging someone,” he told Q. “So the one time I did have a flirtation with a girl it ends up going everywhere…. I mean, I got on E! News and people were like, ‘Who’s Matt Healy?’ so that was cool.”
“But I didn’t make a big deal out of it myself,” Healy continued. “It’s not really anything to talk about, because if she wasn’t Taylor Swift we wouldn’t be talking about her. She wasn’t a big impact on my life. It’s just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift.”
In a three-star review of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, NME said: “Swift seems to be in tireless pursuit for superstardom, yet the negative public opinion it can come with irks her, and it’s a tired theme now plaguing her discography and leaving little room for the poignant lyrical observations she excels at.
“It’s why the pitfalls that mire her 11th studio album are all the more disappointing — she’s proven time and time again she can do better. To a Melbourne audience of her ‘Eras Tour’, Swift said that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ came from a “need” to write. It’s just that maybe we didn’t need to hear it.”
In other news, Emily Blunt recently opened up about the time she met Swift, and shared the compliment the singer gave to her daughter.
The post The 1975’s Matty Healy reportedly “uncomfortable” with attention from new Taylor Swift album, but “relieved” it wasn’t worse appeared first on NME.