The 1975’s Matty Healy says he used to find relationships while in the band ‘difficult’

‘I don’t want to gatekeep trauma, but I was really traumatised,’ singer said

Matty Healy has opened up about how his early sexual experiences meant he struggled with relationships when The 1975 became famous.

The band, who formed in 2002, found fame in 2013 with their singles “Sex” and “Chocolate”.

In a new interview with The Guardian, singer Healy said that he was already struggling with his mental health before the band began.

“F*** it, I’ve never said this before, but I’ll be totally honest with you,” he said. “I’m not going to be specific, but I had some early sexual experiences that, as I got older, were really, really difficult to deal with. It wasn’t to do with anything that happened in my family or at home, it was these… different things that happened.

“So my mental health had come through the negotiation of sex as a teenager and a young man, and romantic relationships.”

As a result, Healy says he struggled with being “sexualised” when the band got famous.

“I think [I had] an inner dialogue where I just hadn’t dealt with things, I probably hadn’t done the right amount of therapy,” he continued.

“It’s hard to have romantic relationships with people when you’re on tour, so the one part of my life that I found difficult got really hard, and I would focus on it, so I would never be in the moment. I’d be on the side of the stage in Madison Square Garden, thinking about this one thing that I’d done in a relationship or something like that.”

Healy on stage in 2020 (Getty Images)

Healy added that his experiences had made him defensive of the word “trauma”, adding: “I don’t want to gatekeep trauma, but… I was really traumatised.”

Last month, the band stepped in at the last minute as a replacement for Rage Against The Machine at Reading Festival.

This was despite Healy previously saying that the band would no longer perform at gender-imbalanced festivals.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.