Gotye (Wouter “Wally” De Backer) is a popular Belgian-Australian singer and songwriter. He was born on May 21, 1980, in Belgium. 2 years later the family emigrated to Australia. When he was a child, Gotye learned to play the piano and drums. He studied at the University of Melbourne and got the Bachelor of Arts there.
During his teen years, De Backer created the group “Downstares” with 3 of his friends. One of them was Lucas Taranto, who still plays with Gotye. The group broke up after high school and Gotye decided to pursue his solo career.
Later the singer founded the band “The Basics”, who have created several albums. In 2011 Gotye debuted with the single “Somebody That I Used to Know”, which hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song instantly became an international hit. Soon after that Gotye obtained 5 ARIA Awards and was nominated for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act. In 2013 he got 3 Grammy Awards. His voice is often compared to that of Sting and Peter Gabriel. The Australian newspaper included Gotye into the list “top 50 most influential Australians in the Arts”.
