The past two days has been nothing but disappointment for Malaysian concertgoers, where the Good Vibes Festival 2023 was unceremoniously cancelled following a drunken rant and kiss on fellow bandmate by Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975.
Now, it seems that another figure who has experienced firsthand the backlash that comes with such controversy decided to weigh in on the matter, and it was none other than Jocelyn Chia.
Jocelyn Chia mocks ‘overreaction’ over The 1975 incident
In an Instagram post uploaded today, Chia sarcastically remarked that Malaysia had finally “figured out the formula” to put itself on world headlines.
Massively overreact to foreign acts + minister level criticism = (BBC + CNN +ABC + CBS) to the power of IG(Twitter)(threads)(Facebook),” she quipped.
Citing her now-infamous MH370 joke which made her a hated figure among Malaysians, Chia said she found herself basking in newfound fame on CNN and BBC after the police requested Interpol’s help in tracking her whereabouts.
She also pointed out that Malaysia had unwittingly revealed the ‘formula’ for obscure artists to garner more attention, just like what the government did with The 1975.
“Ironically, they are also offering a formula for artists to get more fame (I’ve not heard of this singer or the band until now, and neither had my new found fans heard of me until Malaysia kicked up a fuss).
“So if Malaysia wants to stop making artists they disapprove of more famous, they actually need to chill (or as they say in Malaysia “relak lah bro”),” she wrote.
Summary of The 1975 incident
On Friday (July 21), The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy caused a stir after he was filmed getting intoxicated on stage while lashing out against Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws and proceeded to passionately kiss the bassist.
Shortly after the incident, the band found themselves banned from stepping in Malaysia again and Good Vibes Festival was subsequently cancelled.
The band is now facing a class action lawsuit by local vendors and artists who were affected by the cancellation, where a group of lawyers will be representing them for free.
