WE have all heard by now of the recent shenanigans by British pop rock band The 1975 that contributed to the recent swift cancellation of this year’s Good Vibes Festival after their frontman, Matty Healy, criticised Malaysia’s laws on the LGBTQ+ community and kissed his band member, Ross McDaniel during their set.
The band’s actions also prompted the government to ban them from performing in Malaysia.
All of that said and done, many people gave their two cents online regarding the issue, mainly expressing outrage and disappointment toward The 1975 and calling for the British band to take accountability for their actions that lead to the music festival’s cancellation which have negatively affected the organisers, festival-goers and business vendors.
However, this incident has also brought out disgraced comedian, Jocelyn Chia, out of the woodworks after her recent scandal regarding her tasteless MH370 joke.
In an Instagram post, Jocelyn decided to point out that Malaysia had a special formula for making international headlines.
She claimed that the nation’s “massive overreaction to foreign acts” combined with the government’s involvement equated to many international news outlets sharing the stories together with the power of social media platforms.
“I was catapulted to the front page of CNN and the BBC when the Malaysian police requested Interpol for assistance in locating me (also on CBS, FOX etc. Television Interviews by ABC, TMZ) and now Malaysia has made news again for canceling an entire music festival because of one singer.
“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”),” the Singapore-raised comedian said.
She added jokingly that the band’s frontman, Matty Healy, probably decided to pull that stunt after seeing her make the front page on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news site.
Malaysians in her comments section criticised her post, calling her out for belittling the country’s laws and sensitivites while others were supportive and agreed with her post.
