Gotye

Artist Image: Gotye
Attribution
Image Credit: Eva Rinaldi (Gotye), CC BY-SA 2.0

Biography

Wouter "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980, also known professionally by his stage name Gotye (pronounced /ˈɡɒti.eɪ/), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is derived from "Gauthier", the French equivalent of "Walter" or "Wouter". His voice has been compared to those of Sting and Peter Gabriel. Gotye has released three studio albums independently and one album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. He is a member of the Melbourne indie-pop trio The Basics, who have independently released three studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002. Gotye's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian artist to do so and the second Belgian (after Soeur Sourire in 1963). He has won five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act. Gotye described himself as "less of a musician, more of a tinkerer."

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 2001
Number of Albums 7
Record Label Creative Vibes
Website www.gotye.com
Wikipedia Gotye on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What was Gotye's birth name?

Wouter De Backer

...Childhood & Early Life Gotye was born as Wouter De Backer on 21 May 1980 in Bruges, Belgium. When he was two, his family immigrated to Australia. As a...
When was Gotyer born?

Bruges, Belgium

...d & Early Life Gotye was born as Wouter De Backer on 21 May 1980 in Bruges, Belgium . When he was two, his family immigrated to Australia. As a youth, ...
Where did Gotyer's family immigrate to when he was two?

Australia

...May 1980 in Bruges, Belgium. When he was two, his family immigrated to Australia . As a youth, he developed a passion for music and began learning pian...
What did he form while studying at Parade College?

Downstares

...piano and drums. While studying at Parade College, he formed the band Downstares with some of his high school friends. After a while, the band members...
How many copies of Gotye's first collection of songs did he make?

50

..., Gotye started recording his initial tracks using samples. He made about 50 copies of his first collection and sent the CDs out to almost every radio...
How many radio stations received the CDs?

almost every

...made about 50 copies of his first collection and sent the CDs out to almost every radio station. Feedback was mainly positive with youth orientated ra...
Who did Gotye meet at a party?

singer Kris Schroeder

...onfidence to continue with his samplebased recordings. Gotye met singer Kris Schroeder at a party and the duo started performing under the name The Ba...
Who was the name of the duo that gotye together?

The Basics

...is Schroeder at a party and the duo started performing under the name The Basics . The two became regulars on the live music scene and went on to relea...
The Basics released how many studio albums between 2004 and 2010?

four

...performing under the name The Basics. The two became regulars on the live music scene and went on to release four studio albums between 2004 and 2010....
Where did his family initially live before they settled in Melbourne, Victoria?

Sydney, NSW

...ith his family when he was two years old, and they initially lived in Sydney, NSW before settling in Melbourne, Victoria. By the time he was of school...
What instrument did Gotye first learn as a child?

piano

...nt of his first name. He showed musical talent as a child and was taught piano . Later he also taught himself to play the drums and became fascinated b...
What did he later learn to play?

drums

...s a child and was taught piano. Later he also taught himself to play the drums and became fascinated by a variety of instruments. Education After high...
At what university was he able to obtain a BA?

University of Melbourne

...instruments. Education After high school, Gotye enrolled at the University of Melbourne and obtained a BA. Rise to Fame During his high school years, ...
How did the band Rise to Fame disband?

graduation

...rs, Gotye formed a group with school friends, but they disbanded when graduation . He recorded his first CD under the project name Gotye and began send...
What year was the album Boardface released?

2003

...acker continued with his Gotye project and produced several tracks which received airtime on Triple J radio. The album Boardface was released in 2003 ....
What did his parents change his name to?

Walter

...Later, his parents changed his name to Walter as the English variation. It was during his teen years that he developed his music style by learning to ...
How many friends did Goyte form his band with?

three

...ayed with in my own time, he said. Goyte formed the band Downstares with three of his friends, one of them is Lucas Taranto who still backs him up dur...
Who still backs him up during live shows?

Lucas Taranto

...formed the band Downstares with three of his friends, one of them is Lucas Taranto who still backs him up during live shows. As a band, Downstares man...
Downstares managed to score shows in what suburb of Melbourne?

Northern Easter

... during live shows. As a band, Downstares managed to score shows in Northern Easter suburbs of Melbourne. Downstares disbanded after high school and G...
When did Downstares disband?

after high school

...hows in Northern Easter suburbs of Melbourne. Downstares disbanded after high school and Goyte went on as a solo. In 2001, he recorded his first track...
What was the name of the song that gotye earned a global audience in 2011?

Someone I Used to Know

...ter De Backer) earned a global audience in 2011 when his single Someone I Used to Know became a major international success. The De Backer family left...
How old was Wouter when his family left Belgium for Australia?

two years old

...ess. The De Backer family left Belgium for Australia when Wouter was two years old , finding a home in Sydney before relocating to the Melbourne suburb...
Wouter used an Anglicized variation of his name, what did he reveal he had a talent for?

music

...ion of his name, Walter, and before long he revealed he had a talent for music . Becoming proficient on keyboards and drums, De Backer was a teenager w...
When did De Backer release Out Here in the Cold?

2001

...iversity of Melbourne, he began experimenting with samplebased music. In 2001 , De Backer released a limitededition EP, Out Here in the Cold, which he ...
What was the name of the limited-edition EP released in 2001?

Out Here in the Cold

...plebased music. In 2001, De Backer released a limitededition EP, Out Here in the Cold , which he credited to Gotye; the name was a simple phonetic spel...
What is the French equivalent of Wouter?

Gaultier

...which he credited to Gotye; the name was a simple phonetic spelling of Gaultier , the French equivalent of Wouter. The EP earned some airplay on Triple...
What radio station did the EP get some airplay on?

Triple J

...ultier, the French equivalent of Wouter. The EP earned some airplay on Triple J , a noted Australian radio outlet, and De Backer was encouraged to cont...
What was the name of Gotye's second album?

Like Drawing Blood

...tyle was reflected in the sound of the second Gotye album, 2006's Like Drawing Blood , which was a critical and commercial success in Australia, voted ...
What is the French cognate of Gotye's Dutch given name?

Gauthier

...The name Gotye is a pronunciation respelling of Gauthier , the French cognate of his Dutch given name Wouter. Gotye has released three studio albums in...
What was the name of the 2011 single that gotye a breakout success?

Somebody That I Used to Know

... Sting. Gotye achieved breakout success with his 2011 single Somebody That I Used to Know , reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming t...
What year did Somebody That I Used to Know reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

2012

...number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the bestselling song of 2012 . This made him the fifth Australianbased artist to top the chart and the...
How many ARIA Awards has he won?

five

...d the second born in Belgium (after The Singing Nun in 1963). He has won five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and P...
In what year was De Backer born?

1980

...metimes feels less of a musician, more of a tinkerer. Early life Born in 1980 , in Bruges, Belgium, De Backer immigrated to Australia with his family t...
What is Gotye's nickname?

Wally

...riter and sampler, christened Wouter De Backer, (but known to friends as Wally ). His debut Australian album, Boardface, came out independently in 2004...
When did the album Boardface come out?

2004

...Wally). His debut Australian album, Boardface, came out independently in 2004 with Wally acting as his own record label. Thanks to Wallys own hard gra...
How many media did I mail out to?

500

...plains, I did the artwork and packaging. I pressed up 1000 CDs and mailed 500 out to media. Then the nations judging panels began to pay attention. Li...
What award did Gotye win for outstanding potential?

Australian Music Prize

...ependent Records, Album of the Year. Whilst Gotye picked up the Australian Music Prize award for outstanding potential and, in September 2007, he won ...
In what month and year did he win the ARIA?

September 2007

... the Australian Music Prize award for outstanding potential and, in September 2007 , he won the Australian Recording Industry Award (ARIA) for Best Mal...
What was the name of the singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist who was born in Bruges?

Wouter Wally De Backer

... Wouter Wally De Backer (born 21 May 1980 in Bruges, Belgium), better known by the stage name Gotye, is an indie pop singersongwriter and multiinstrume...
What year did Gotye win the ARIA for best male artist?

2007

...Hottest 100 for 2006. Like Drawing Blood has been certified Platinum. In 2007 , Gotye won the ARIA for best male artist. As a result of the publicity o...
When did Like Drawing Blood re-enter the ARIA charts?

mid 2011

...ublic. Amidst the leadup to Gotye's third album, Like Drawing Blood reentered the ARIA charts in mid 2011 , peaking at its highest ever position of 13....
What was the highest ever position for Like drawing blood?

13

...ublic. Amidst the leadup to Gotye's third album, Like Drawing Blood reentered the ARIA charts in mid 2011, peaking at its highest ever position of 13 ....
Wouter Wally De Backer was born on what date?

21 May 1980

...Wouter Wally De Backer (born 21 May 1980 ), known professionally as Gotye (ˈɡoʊtieɪ GOHteeay), is a Belgianborn Australian multiinstrumentalist and sin...
What number did Goty's 2011 single Somebody That I Used to Know reach on the Billboard Hot 100?

one

...nd Sting. Gotye's 2011 single Somebody That I Used to Know reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australianbased artist to...
What was he nominated for an MTV EMA for?

Best Asia and Pacific Act

... five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act . On 10 February 2013, he won three Grammy Awards at the 55th ...