Gotye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gotye
Gotye at the 2012 APRA Music Awards
Background information
Birth name	Wouter André De Backer
Also known as	Wally De Backer
Born	(1980-05-21) 21 May 1980 (age 45) Bruges, Flanders, Belgium
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Indie rock alternative rock indie pop trip hop
Occupation(s)	Musician singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals drums percussion keyboards guitar ondioline
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Fairfax Universal Republic Independent Samples 'n' Seconds Inertia Lucky Number Eleven Creative Vibes
Associated acts	The Basics Kimbra Jean-Jacques Perrey

Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), known as Gotye, is a singer, songwriter, and musician from Belgium and Australia. He is famous for his 2011 song "Somebody That I Used to Know". This song, which featured New Zealand musician Kimbra, became a huge hit. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. It was also the best-selling song of 2012.

Gotye has won many awards for his music. He has won five ARIA Music Awards in Australia. In 2013, he won three Grammy Awards. These included Record of the Year for "Somebody That I Used to Know". He also won Best Alternative Music Album for Making Mirrors. Gotye has released three studio albums on his own. He is also a member of the indie-pop band The Basics.

Early Life and Music Start

Wouter De Backer was born in Belgium. When he was two years old, his family moved to Australia. They first lived in Sydney and then settled in Montmorency, near Melbourne. His mother gave him the nickname "Gotye." This name comes from "Gauthier," a French version of his first name.

From a young age, Gotye loved music. He learned to play many instruments, especially the piano and drums. As a teenager, he was very inspired by the band Depeche Mode. He formed a band called Downstares with his high school friends. After high school, he continued making music on his own.

In 2001, Gotye's parents moved, leaving their old house. Gotye stayed there to study at the University of Melbourne. He found a large collection of old records from a neighbor. These records gave him ideas for his first music project, which he called Gotye.

Music Career Beginnings

2001–2004: Boardface

In 2001, Gotye started recording his first songs. He mostly used samples from other music. He made about 50 copies of his first CD. He wrote the song list by hand and colored the cover himself. He sent these CDs to radio stations and music companies. People liked his music, especially the radio station Triple J. This encouraged him to keep making music.

Around this time, Gotye met Kris Schroeder. They started a band called The Basics. They played live music often and released four albums. Gotye continued to make his own music too. He released two more collections of songs. These also got good reviews and were played on Triple J.

Gotye's music became more popular. A company called Creative Vibes offered to release an album for him. This album, called Boardface, was a collection of his earlier songs. It came out in late 2003.

2006–2009: Like Drawing Blood

In 2004, Gotye moved to a new shared house in Melbourne. He worked at a library and kept making music. He moved several times, setting up his recording studio in different places. This led to his second album, Like Drawing Blood. He named it this because it was hard to record music in changing environments.

Gotye at the Golden Plains Festival 2007

Like Drawing Blood was very popular. It was voted the best album of 2006 by listeners of Triple J. Two songs from the album, "Learnalilgivinanlovin" and "Hearts a Mess", were also very successful. The album sold over 70,000 copies in Australia.

In 2006, Gotye was nominated for an ARIA Award. He also won 'Most Outstanding New Independent Artist' at the first Australian Independent Record (AIR) Chart Awards. In 2007, he won the ARIA for best male artist. His album Like Drawing Blood became even more popular after this. In 2008, it won iTunes album of the year in the UK.

"Hearts a Mess" was voted one of the top 100 Australian songs of all time in 2009. Gotye's music also started to become known in Europe.

2010–2013: Making Mirrors and Global Success

After the success of Like Drawing Blood, Gotye set up a permanent recording studio. It was in a barn at his parents' farm in Melbourne. In 2010, he released a new song called "Eyes Wide Open". It was well-received and nominated for an APRA Music Award.

In March 2011, Gotye announced his third album would be called Making Mirrors. The album cover was a painting by his father. Gotye said the title was about self-reflection. The album was released on 19 August 2011.

He also released the song "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Kimbra. This song quickly became a global hit. Famous people like Ashton Kutcher and Lily Allen shared it on Twitter. The song reached number one in 18 countries, including the US and UK. It sold millions of copies worldwide.

Gotye in Montreal on 30 March 2012

On 5 July 2011, Gotye released the music video for "Somebody That I Used to Know". The video has been watched over 2 billion times. In its first week, Making Mirrors was the number one album in Australia. It also became a top 10 album in 17 other countries.

In October 2011, Gotye received seven ARIA Awards nominations for "Somebody That I Used to Know". He won three ARIA Awards: Best Male Artist, Best Pop Release, and Single of the Year.

Gotye in front of Fractured Heart (2013)

In 2012, Gotye performed on US television shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Saturday Night Live. These performances helped "Somebody That I Used to Know" reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In April 2012, the song broke a 47-year-old record in the Netherlands. It became the most successful song in Dutch chart history.

In 2013, Gotye launched Fractured Heart. This was an interactive sound and light sculpture. He also showed a special screening of music videos by his favorite animators.

2014–Present: Other Projects and New Music

After 2013, Gotye took a break from releasing new music under his own name. He continued to play drums and sing with The Basics. They released new albums in 2014 and 2015. Gotye also started his own record label called Spirit Level.

Perrey playing an Ondioline and Countryman playing a Roland synthesizer

Gotye also worked on other musical projects. He sang on songs for other artists like Bibio and The Night Game. He chose not to allow ads on his music videos, even for "Somebody That I Used to Know." This meant he gave up millions of dollars in advertising money.

In 2016, Gotye started a group called Ondioline Orchestra. This group paid tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey, a musician who played a special electronic instrument called the Ondioline. Gotye launched a new record label called Forgotten Futures. Its first release was a collection of rare recordings by Jean-Jacques Perrey. Gotye has said that the ondioline can make many unique sounds.

In 2018, Gotye worked on an album with Les Campbell. He also helped write a song for the band Broods. In 2019, The Basics released their fifth album. In 2020, Gotye released a live album. He has also said he plans to release a fourth studio album of his own music. In 2024, Gotye and Kimbra released a new remix of "Somebody That I Used to Know."

Musical Styles

Gotye's music mixes different styles. These include indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, and trip hop. People have compared his singing voice to famous artists like Peter Gabriel and Sting.

Discography

• Boardface (2003)
• Like Drawing Blood (2006)
• Making Mirrors (2011)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Gotye para niños