Travis' Fran Healy is a huge fan of Rihanna.
Travis' Fran Healy
The 'Flowers in the Window' hitmaker feels there are only a "slew" of pop stars nowadays who are able to perform live without using a backing track and technology, and the 'Work' hitmaker is one of them.
He also thinks that because not many artists sing live that has given Travis - who returned with new LP 'Everything At Once' in April - an advantage as it makes them seem like a entirely different band.
Fran, 43, explained: "Every live show and festival is all backing tracks. It's all karaoke and nobody's actually playing, so that makes us feel like we're a new band.
"Everyone mimes, but people don't care as that's not what music is about now. You don't have to be able to sing as it's all button-pressing.
"It's all technology-driven, but music has always been driven by technology."
Fran says the 28-year-old R&B superstar is just like Travis were back in the 90s when they arrived on the scene sounding like no one else and years later everyone else in that genre ended up copying their style.
He added to the Daily Star newspaper: "Personally, I really want to see great singers and Rihanna is a great singer.
"Rihanna has her own voice, and there are a slew of people that don't.
"When Travis came through in the 90s, nobody sounded like our band. Then, two years later, every one sounded like our band!
"That's the way the business goes and it's why I look for originality.
"Rihanna has that originality, that extra something, and everyone else is copying it."
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