Watch alt pop star Rina Sawayama tease Korn and Limp Bizkit classics and take serious shots at The 1975's Matty Healy in her explosive Glastonbury set

By Merlin Alderslade
published

Rina Sawayama dropped some nu metal bangers and made clear her beef with 1975 frontman Healy

Rina Sawayama on stage at Glasto
(Image credit: Getty)

“I wrote this next song because I was sick and tired of micro-aggressions. So tonight, this song goes out to a white man who watches Ghetto Gaggers and mocks Asian people on a podcast. He also owns my masters. I’ve had enough.”

So says alt pop superstar in the making Rina Sawayama in a fiery video taken from her Glastonbury set on Saturday night (June 24), in which the Japanese-British singer unleashes her rage while her band tease the opening notes of Korn's classic debut album opener, Blind. Sawayama is reportedly taking aim at The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who has been in hot water over an appearance on The Adam Friedland Show earlier this year. During the appearance, Healy and the show's hosts did derogatory impressions of various Asian accents, while Healy also suggested that he watches the violent, racially-tilted porn site Ghetto Gaggers, acknowledging that the site's videos "brutalised" women.

The "masters" line is believed to be in reference to Sawayama being signed to Dirty Hit, a label at which Healy was once director (The Guardian reports that it has reached out to Dirty Hit for comment). Following Sawayama's tirade, her band kick into her nu metal-inspired track STFU!, taken from her critically acclaimed 2020 studio album, Sawayama. 

In fact, Korn aren't the only nu metal legends referenced in the video: towards the end of the song, her band also drop the bridge from Limp Bizkit anthem Break Stuff, accompanied by Sawayama's take on Fred Durst's iconic "pack a chainsaw" refrain.

It seems safe to say that Sawayama has some bones to pick, and she's certainly found the perfect soundtrack. Watch videos from both nu metal moments in her explosive Glasto set below.

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In 2021, Rina Sawayama spoke to Metal Hammer about the role metal has had in influencing her music. "My music is a blend of a lot of different genres, but I always find myself taking inspiration from metal," she explained. "Songs like STFU! and XS obviously have metal/nu metal influences, but even my earlier songs like [2017's] Afterlife do as well. I love matching pop production with crunchy guitar riffs and an epic solo."

The singer contributed a rollocking cover of Metallica's Enter Sandman for the metal legends' epic Blacklist project that same year.

Merlin Alderslade
Merlin Alderslade
Executive Editor, Louder

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.