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| Rina Sawayama |
Rina Sawayama delivered an electrifying hour-long
performance at the Glastonbury Festival on Friday, June 24. The
British-Japanese singer captivated the audience with hits from her albums,
"Sawayama" and "Hold The Girl."
However, just before launching into her well-known track
"STFU!," Sawayama made some pointed comments addressing a fellow
artist who is both her labelmate and a shareholder in her record label. While
she didn't explicitly mention his name, it appeared that she was taking aim at
Matty Healy, the vocalist of The 1975 and a shareholder at Dirty Hit Limited
since January 2023.
Sawayama's frustration stemmed from Healy's appearance on
The Adam Friedland Show podcast in February. During the podcast, Healy, along
with host Friedland and producer Nick Mullen, engaged in a discussion about
rapper Ice Spice's ethnicity while mocking Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian
accents. Healy also made inappropriate jokes about watching explicit content.
In April, Healy stepped down from his position as Director
at Dirty Hit Limited, which is the record label that both Sawayama and The 1975
are signed to.
Seizing the moment she had likely been waiting for since
February, Sawayama declared during her performance, "I wrote this next
song because I was sick and tired of these microaggressions. So tonight, this
goes out to a white man that watches Ghetto Gaggers and mocks Asian people on a
podcast. He also owns my masters. I've had enough!"
With a bold rockstar energy, Sawayama incorporated Korn's
"Blind" and Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" into her already
powerful rendition of "STFU!" The footage capturing this powerful
moment quickly circulated online.
Earlier this year, while The 1975 were on tour in New
Zealand, Healy made a public apology referencing the podcast incident. He
expressed remorse, stating, "I just feel a bit bad, and I'm kind of a bit
sorry if I've offended you. Ice Spice, I'm sorry. It's not because I'm annoyed
that me joking got misconstrued. It's because I don't want Ice Spice to think
I'm a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I'm so sorry."
In March, Sawayama released the lead single "Eye For An
Eye" for the upcoming blockbuster film "John Wick: Chapter 4."
The track, described as an "industrial-heavy, old-school action song"
by The Music, showcases Sawayama's powerful vocals against a backdrop of
grating guitars and metal-influenced soundscapes, making it a perfect fit for
the big screen.
The incident at Glastonbury has ignited a significant
conversation surrounding accountability and respect within the music industry.
Fans and observers eagerly await further developments and potential responses
from both Sawayama and Healy, hoping for a resolution and a renewed commitment
to fostering an inclusive environment in the music community.
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