Gotye
Gotye, born Wouter "Wally" De Backer on May 21, 1980, in Bruges, Belgium, is an Australian singer-songwriter known for his unique blend of musical styles and innovative approach to music production. After relocating to Australia in 1982, he developed a passion for music, learning instruments like drums and piano and eventually experimenting with electronic music during his high school years. Gotye gained recognition with his early self-released EPs and his first full-length album, *Boardface*, in 2003.
His breakthrough came with the 2011 album *Making Mirrors*, which featured the hit single "Somebody That I Used to Know," a duet with New Zealand singer Kimbra. This song achieved international acclaim and garnered multiple awards, including two Grammy Awards. Following this success, Gotye continued to explore diverse musical projects, including his work with the band The Basics and initiatives to preserve rare musical instruments. Known for his indie and electronic influences, he remains a significant figure in contemporary music, celebrated for his artistry and commitment to creative independence.
Subject Terms
Gotye
Singer-songwriter
- Born: May 21, 1980
- Birthplace: Bruges, Belgium
Contribution: Gotye is the stage name of the Belgian Australian singer-songwriter. Wouter "Wally" De Backer. His single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” a collaboration with vocalist Kimbra, won two 2012 Grammy Awards, including record of the year. The rest of his 2011 album, Making Mirrors, also won the 2012 Grammy Award for best alternative music album.
Background
Gotye was born Wouter “Wally” De Backer on May 21, 1980, in Bruges, Belgium. His father was a computer systems engineer whose job entailed extensive travel. In 1982 the De Backer family relocated to Montmorency, Victoria, Australia. It was there that the singer had his first exposure to musical instruments—primarily, drums and piano.
De Backer attended the boys’ Catholic secondary school Parade College in Bundoora, Australia, where he learned music theory. He would later credit Parade College music teacher Martin Macaulay as one of his major creative influences.
In high school, De Backer played drums in a band with classmates. The group, known as the Downstares, performed a handful of local shows until its members’ departure to separate colleges led to the band’s dissolution. The departure of his bandmates led to the songwriter’s initial experiments in sampling, drum tracks, and other staples of electronic music.
In 2001, while a still student at the University of Melbourne, De Backer recorded a series of four original songs under the name Gotye, an anglicization of his mother’s childhood nickname for him, Gauthier (French for “Walter”). Each of the recordings was accompanied by handmade packaging. The EP was entirely self-released and self-promoted to radio stations throughout Australia. Two other self-released EPs would follow.
Gotye’s first full-length album was a compilation of tracks recorded from these first three self-produced EPs. The collection, entitled Boardface, was released in 2003, before the artist’s subsequent relocation to Melbourne, where he would sign his label Samples’n’Seconds with the Australian record company Eleven. Around the same time, he and bassist Kris Schroeder formed a pop rock band called the Basics; they would later be joined by guitarist Tim Heath.
Career
Upon moving to Melbourne, De Backer supported himself with a library job and recording during evenings and weekends. In 2006 De Backer released the best of his two-year compilation of Gotye work in Melbourne, entitled Like Drawing Blood. Bolstered by his reputation as a popular underground electronic artist, the album became a commercial and critical sensation in Australia.
The release netted the young artist a bevy of Australian music awards, including an Australian Recording Industry Association (AIRA) nomination for best independent release. The AIRA awards—Australia’s most prestigious music award—brought De Backer to worldwide critical notice. He retreated to a barn on his parents’ Mornington Peninsula farm to begin work on his third release.
Making Mirrors was released in August of 2011, following the single “Eyes Wide Open,” which was a success in charts in both Australia and Belgium. With the release of its second single, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” a duet with the New Zealand vocalist Kimbra, the album would become an international phenomenon. De Backer embarked on an eighteen-month Making Mirrors tour ending in mid-2013.
The single and accompanying music video received international attention after a link to it was shared on Twitter by American actor Ashton Kutcher, who at the time had over seven million followers on the social networking site. A similar tweet by award-winning British singer-songwriter Lily Allen also bolstered the song’s popularity. The song also compelled major label Universal Republic to dispatch A&R representatives to Australia immediately to sign De Backer to a new Gotye deal.
Making Mirrors went on to win a Grammy Awards in 2012 for best alternative music album. For that album De Backer also took home the 2012 AIRA Awards for best pop release, best live act, best male artist, and album of the year. “Somebody That I Used to Know” alone earned him six AIRA Awards in 2011 and two Grammy Awards, for best pop duo/group performance and record of the year, in 2012.
Following the success of Making Mirrors, De Backer reportedly began work on a fourth Gotye album but mainly continued to play and tour with the Basics. With them, he subsequently recorded the albums Leftovers (2013), The Age of Entitlement (2015), In the Rude (2017), and Game Over (2019).
De Backer also soon found a new musical mission to preserve musical sounds. He began collecting, restoring, and repopularizing the ondioline, an early type of synthesizer, in 2013. To that end, he held a tribute concert to honor Jean-Jacques Perrey, the original proponent of the obscure instrument, in late 2016 and curated a Perrey compilation album, released on De Backer's record label Forgotten Futures in 2017. He also rebuilt another forgotten instrument, a 1930s-style Rhythmicon. De Backer's interest in unusual music also led him to help spread the didgeridoo music of Aboriginal Australian musician Djalu Gurruwiwi through the 2017 documentary Westwind: Djalu’s Legacy.
Impact
The commercial and critical success Gotye enjoyed has resulted from the artist’s personal passion for music and his commitment to having his material heard, in combination with the rewards of his art becoming an Internet phenomenon. He has eschewed advertisements on his YouTube channel and most commercial requests to use his music, while endorsing students' creative pursuits instead.
Critics worldwide tend to rely on descriptors like “anti-pop” to describe Gotye’s vast catalog, a classification that has set the young songwriter apart from more commercial artists despite his considerable financial success. As a result, he carries on the legacy of vastly creative independent artists working almost exclusively in electronic music—notably, Moby, Peter Gabriel, and Aphex Twin.
Personal Life
For several years De Backer lived on Mornington Peninsula, Australia, south of Melbourne, where he worked in a private studio located on his parents’ rural property. His father served as his business manager for a time. De Backer moved to Brooklyn, New York, after the Making Mirror tour.
Principal Works
Boardface, 2003
Like Drawing Blood, 2006
Making Mirrors, 2011
Bibliography
Ankeny, Jason. “All Music: Gotye.” AllMusic.com. Rovi Music, 2013. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
“Gotye Goes Global, Feet Firmly Planted.” Old Paradians. Old Paradians Association, 2010. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
Fortner, Stephen. “Gotye.” Keyboard Oct. 2012: 12. Print.
Jolly, Nathan. “Lily Allen Joins Gotye Praise Chorus.” Music Network. Music Network, 25 July 2011. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
Mathieson, Craig. “Man in the Mirror.” Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media, 30 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
Smirke, Richard. “Gotye’s Smash Hit Almost Didn’t Happen.” Billboard.com. Billboard, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.