"Over Matty Healy": Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama drama explored as online feud triggers fan reactions 

English singer and songwriter Charli XCX grabbed attention on the internet when she unfollowed Japanese-British singer, actress, and model Rina Sawayama on all social media platforms. The duo has previously collaborated on various music projects and was on friendly terms until the recently rumored feud.

The feud comes in the wake of Rina Sawayama publicly calling out Matty Healy, one of the label directors at Dirty Hit, to which she is signed. Rina slammed Matty for being allegedly racist during one of his podcasts. In fact, when she confronted him about it, the latter offered her an unsatisfactory response, following which she made the issue public and expressed her grievances at Matty Healy.

This stirred up an online controversy, with many dragging Matty Healy through the mud. In fact, Dirty Hit has since removed him from the role of one of the label's directors. Amidst this scandal, Charli XCX seems to have sided with Matty Healy instead of Rina Sawayama. People believe it’s because Charli XCX is currently dating Matty Healy’s band member, George Daniel.

Not only has Charli XCX decided to support Matty Healy in the controversy, but she also condemned Rina’s latest song, This Hell. She even took to Instagram to quote one of the lines of the track:

“Apparently, im going to hell.”

These further intensified speculations that the fellow musicians have fallen apart over the Matty Healy controversy. In this regard, netizens have had varied reactions. Here’s one from an X (formerly known as Twitter) user who commented under @mazzypopstar's post.

A netizen blames Matty Healy for Charli and Rina's feud. (Image via X/Ty)

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“Wasn’t on my 2023 plans”: Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama feud sparks netizen reactions

Charli XCX was on friendly terms with both fellow artist Rina Sawayama and label producer Matty Healy. While she collaborated with Sawayama on a few music projects, such as the song Beg For You (2022), Charli knows Healy as the bandmate of her drummer boyfriend, George Daniel, who are both part of the English rock pop band The 1975.

However, after a recent controversy where Matty Healy faced severe backlash from fans online following Rina Sawayama’s complaint that the former was reportedly racist not only during public appearances but also in private, Charli chose to side with Matty Healy by first unfollowing Rina on social media and later throwing shade at her new song This Hell via Instagram.

As soon as this piece of news surfaced on the internet, fans of both musicians speculated that the former friendly musicians were going through a feud, at the center of which is Matty Healy. Since then, it has garnered immense traction online, with netizens giving mixed reactions.

So far, neither Charli XCX nor Rina Sawayama have commented on the online reactions. Matty Healy has also maintained his silence on the matter.

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Who is Charli XCX?

Born Charlotte Emma Aitchison to a Scottish-origin father and Indian-origin mother, Charli XCX is a 31-year-old English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame when, in 2008, she started posting her self-made songs on MySpace, following which she was discovered by a British music promoter and began performing at parties. Two years later, she signed a contract with Asylum Records and hasn’t looked back since then.

She specializes in all kinds of pop, such as electropop, pop punk, experimental pop, rock pop, dance pop, and hyperpop, among others. In 2012, her collaboration with Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop to release the single I Love It became a global hit, following which she released her debut studio album True Romance in 2013. Some of her other notable tracks include Fancy, Boom Clap, Sucker, Break The Rules, and Doing It. She was also involved in the 2023 soundtrack of the internationally acclaimed film Barbie.

She has received two Grammy nominations so far and has collaborated with the likes of Iggy Azalea, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendez, and Rita Ora, among others. Previously, Charli XCX has been romantically involved with filmmaker Ryan Andrews and label maker Huck Kwong. However, since 2022, she has been dating The 1975 drummer and producer George Daniel. She has credited Daniel as a great influence on her music.