The Dial Tone DailyExtra
Gotye
Belgian-Australian musician (born 1980)
Wouter André "Wally" De Backer, known professionally as Gotye, is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" topped the Billboard Hot 100, as well as several international charts, becoming one of the best-selling songs of 2012.
He has won five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while its parent album – Making Mirrors (2012) – won Best Alternative Music Album.
File card: Gotye
real name: Wouter André De Backer
labels: Universal Republic Records
genres: rock music, alternative rock, indie rock
influenced by: DJ Shadow, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel
awards: Echo Pop Award for the Hit of the Year, ARIA Award for Best Male Artist, ARIA Award for Single of the Year, ARIA Award for Best Pop Release, ARIA Award for Producer of the Year, ARIA Award for Album of the Year, ARIA Award for Best Pop Release, ARIA Award for Best Male Artist
plays: guitar, voice
member of: The Basics
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
The Night Owl EditionExtra
Early life and education
Born in Belgium, De Backer immigrated to Australia with his family at the age of two. They first resided in Sydney before settling in Montmorency, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. His mother nicknamed him "Gotye", based on "Gauthier", the French equivalent of his Flemish first name. His parents chose to use the English equivalent of his name, Walter, when enrolling him in school. He attended Parade College in Bundoora for his secondary schooling and served as school captain in his final year.
The Night Owl EditionExtra
2014–2019: Hiatus and preserving the Jean-Jacques Perrey legacy
In 2014, Gotye performed with Tex Perkins and Nicky Bomba in support of The Thin Green Line Foundation. He also launched Spirit Level, an independent record label with Tim Shiel, signing American band Zammuto. Later in 2014, De Backer claimed in an online newsletter that "there will be no new Gotye music," but maintained the possibility that the project could continue in the future. He remained active as a drummer and singer of The Basics, who released The Lucky Country in 2014 and The Age of Entitlement in 2015. Although the band formed a political party named "The Basics Rock 'n' Roll Party" ahead of the 2014 Victorian state election, De Backer denied reports that he intended to enter politics himself.
The Night Owl EditionExtra
Musical styles
Gotye's musical style is eclectic, incorporating indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, and trip hop.
Wouter De Backer (born 21 May, 1980, in Bruges/Brugge, Flanders), more commonly known by the stage name Gotye, is an ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter. Born in Belgium but based in the Australian city of Melbourne, Gotye describes his work as "about refiguring past things (old vinyl sounds) with my own ideas".
Previously worked as a librarian.
Also known as: Goyte
From Discogs (free to use). Their entryThe Elsewhere Gazette2011
Somebody That I Used To Know
2011 single by Gotye featuring Kimbra
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced, and performed by the Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, featuring vocals from the New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand through Eleven Music on 5 July 2011 as the second single from Gotye's third studio album, Making Mirrors (2011).
It was later released by Universal Music in December 2011 in the United Kingdom, and 20 January 2012 in Ireland and the United States.
Composition and recording
Gotye discussed writing "Somebody That I Used to Know" in an interview with Sound on Sound:
Music video
The music video for "Somebody That I Used to Know" was produced, directed and edited by Australian artist Natasha Pincus and filmed by Australian cinematographer Warwick Field. It shows Gotye and Kimbra naked throughout the clip, and as they sing, his skin is gradually painted into the backdrop via stop motion animation. The video's background is based on a 1980s artwork created by Gotye's father, Frank de Backer, who also designed the cover art for the related album, Making Mirrors. Emma Hack, an Australian artist and skin illustrator based in Adelaide, was hired by Pincus to work on the body paintings for Gotye and Kimbra. Melbourne scenic artist Howard Clark painted the backdrop. According to Hack, it took more than 23 hours to paint...
Reception
At the 2025 ARIA Music Awards, the song was nominated for ARIA Award for Song of the Year.
