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Gotye
Gotye
Background information
Birth name Wouter De Backer
Also known as Wally
Born 21 May 1980 (age 31)
Origin Melbourne, Australia
Genre(s) Indie Rock
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer
Years active 2001 - Present
Label(s) Independent, Samples 'n' Seconds, Inertia, Lucky Number, Eleven
Associated
acts
The Basics, Kimbra
Website gotye.com
Lyrics Gotye on the Lyric Wiki

Wouter "Wally" De Backer, also known professionally by his stage name Gotye (pronounced like Jean-Paul Gaultier), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. He has released three studio albums independently and one album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. He's also one-third of Melbourne indie-pop trio The Basics, who have independently released three studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002. His 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian artist to have this honor and the second Belgian-born (after Soeur Sourire in 1963).

Contents

Beginnings

Born in Bruges, Belgium, in 1980, De Backer moved to Melbourne, Australia, with his family when he was two years old. His parents chose to use the English variation of his name, Walter, when enrolling him in school (hence his preferred name, "Wally"). From early on, De Backer displayed a passion for music, learning various instruments, most notably piano and drums. In his teens, De Backer formed the band Downstares with three of his high school friends, including Lucas Taranto who still plays in his Gotye live shows today.

After high school, the members of Downstares went their separate ways, leaving De Backer with no musical outlet. In 2001, De Backer's parents moved into a new home, leaving their old family house in Montmorency, Victoria, so he could continue his studies. Two friends moved in with him in the original house and it became affectionately known as "The Frat House", where friends would regularly drop by and hang out. The first seeds of Gotye were planted when De Backer was given a large collection of old records by an elderly neighbour whose wife had died. The neighbor had heard Downstares rehearsing over the years and gave his late wife's LP collection to De Backer.

Discography

Music Videos

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (featGotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) - official video(04:04)
13 views

Somebody That I Used to Know
Gotye - Easy Way Out - official video(02:13)
8 views

Easy Way Out
Gotye - Eyes Wide Open - official film clip(03:18)
7 views

Eyes Wide Open
Gotye - Bronte - official film clip (HD)(03:14)
1 view

Bronte
Gotye 'Hearts a Mess' By Gotye(04:50)
5 views

Hearts a Mess
Gotye - State Of The Art - official film clip (HD)(05:24)
1 view

State of the Art
Gotye - Coming Back(04:04)
3 views

Coming Back
Gotye - Thanks For Your Time(04:19)
1 view

Thanks For Your Time
Gotye - Learnalilgivinanlovin(02:52)
1 view

Learnalilgivinanlovin

Live Performances

GOTYE - Somebody That I Used To Know (FeatGOTYE - Somebody That I Used To Know (Feat. Kimbra) - Live at the 2011 ARIA's(03:57)
1 view

S.T.I.U.T.K. Live at 2012 ARIA Music Awards
Gotye - Eyes Wide Open (live @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne)(05:26)
1 view

Eyes Wide Open Live in Melbourne

Other Videos

Gotye - Making Making Mirrors - a short documentary(10:05)
10 views

Making Making Mirrors - Short Documentary
Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth (Gotye - Cover)(04:25)
1 view

Viral Gotye Cover by Walk Off the Earth

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