Born Name
Wouter De Backer
Nick Name
Wally, Gotye, Gaultier
Sun Sign
Gemini
Born Place
Bruges, Belgium
Nationality
Belgian, Australian
Education
Gotye got his school education from Parade College, which is an all-boys school in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
After completion of his school education, he got enrolled at the University of Melbourne and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
Occupation
Musician, singer, songwriter
Family
- Father – Unknown
- Mother – Unknown
- Siblings – Unknown
Manager
Gotye is managed by –
- Lunatic Entertainment
- Eleven: A Management Company Pty Ltd
Genre
Indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, trip hop
Instruments
Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, synthesizer
Labels
Fairfax, Universal Republic Records, Independent, Samples ‘n’ Seconds, Inertia, Lucky Number, Eleven: A Music Company, Creative Vibes
Build
Slim
Height
6 ft 3½ in or 192 cm
Weight
84 kg or 185 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Gotye has dated
- Tash Parker (2007-Present) – De Backer first met Tash Parker in 2006 at a local pub in Kununurra. Her parents owned banana and mango plantation in the town, and they had come to the city to watch a touring girl group. However, it turned out that Gotye and his band The Basics were playing. They became friends and fell in love at the Tamworth Country Music Festival held in 2007, about a year after their first meeting. About six months later, he convinced her to move in with him in Melbourne. They have been in a steady relationship since then. However, as Parker is not fond of the public spotlight, she rarely attends red carpet events with her partner.
Race / Ethnicity
White
He has Flemish and German ancestry.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Gray
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Messy hairdo
- Tall and lanky body
Measurements
His body specifications like chest, waist and biceps measurements are unknown.
Shoe Size
Unknown
Brand Endorsements
Gotye hasn’t endorsed any brand.
Religion
Although his songs have elements of Christianity and he has even called his music vaguely Christian pop, on the personal level, he seems to be non-religious.
Best Known For
- The immense and worldwide popularity of his single, Somebody That I Used to Know, which went on to reign at the very top of the music charts and even helped him bag 3 accolades at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards Show, including a record of the year.
- Being the founding member of the Australian band The Basics, who are well known for their energetic live performances.
First Album
In 2003, Gotye released his solo debut studio album, Boardface, which went to achieve moderate success. He re-released it after the groundbreaking success of his breakthrough album, Like Drawing Blood.
His music group, The Basics, released their debut studio album, Get Back in 2003.
First Film
In 2009, he made his theatrical film debut in the comedy horror movie, Re-Living Off the Land.
First TV Show
In 2007, Gotye made his first TV show appearance in the comedy game show, Spicks and Specks.
Personal Trainer
Gotye’s workout routine, diet plan, and personal trainer aren’t available.
Gotye Favorite Things
- Item of Clothing – Puffy purple Uniqlo jacket
- Work of Art – Paul Klee’s work
- Book That Changed Him – Advanced Funk Studies, by Rick Latham
- Movie Heaven – Caché, directed by Michael Haneke
Source – Independent
Gotye Facts
- Gotye is pronounced as “go-ti-yeah”.
- When he was 2 years old, his family moved to Australia. They had initially landed in Sydney but decided to make Montmorency, which is a Melbourne suburb their home.
- While growing up, he went to learn and master multiple music instruments including drums and piano. However, it was after coming in touch with electro music that he found his touch.
- While studying in high school, he went on to form a music band, Downstares, with his three high school friends. One of the Downstares members, Lucas Taranto still performs with Gotye in the live shows.
- The influential newspaper Australian included Gotye in their list of top 50 most influential Australians in the arts.
- He derives his stage name Gotye from the word Gauthier, which is the French form of Wouter, his Flemish first name.
- He lost about $5 million in YouTube royalties due to his aversion to the advertisement as he refused to place any advertisement on the video of his single, Somebody I Used to Know, which went on to garner more than a billion views.
- He also gave half of the royalties from the single to the estate of Luiz Bonfa. He had sampled his track Seville in his chart-topping single and he didn’t want to be hung up on money and waste his time on courts and lawyers and instead wanted to focus on his creative work.
- Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MySpace, YouTube, Google+, SongKick, and SoundCloud.
Featured Image by Eva Rinaldi / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
