Gotye

Gotye
Gotye at the 2012 APRA Music Awards
Background information
Birth name	Wouter De Backer
Born	(1980-05-21) 21 May 1980 (age 36) Bruges, Belgium
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, trip hop
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Fairfax, Universal Republic, Independent, Samples 'n' Seconds, Inertia, Lucky Number, Eleven, Creative Vibes
Associated acts	The Basics, Kimbra, Spender
Website	gotye.com

Wouter "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known as Gotye (pronounced /ˈɡoʊti.eɪ/ GO-tee-ay), is an Australian-Belgian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognate of Gotye's given Dutch name "Wouter" (English "Walter", hence the nickname "Wally").

Gotye has released three studio albums independently and one album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. He is a founding member of the Melbourne indie-pop trio The Basics, who have independently released four studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002. His voice has been compared to those of Peter Gabriel and Sting. Gotye's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian-based artist to do so and 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 Pacific Act. On 10 February 2013, he won three Grammy Awards at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards Show: Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Somebody That I Used to Know" and Best Alternative Music Album for Making Mirrors. Gotye has said he sometimes feels "less of a musician, more of a tinkerer."