Gotye Artistfacts

Gotye song list

Gotye Artistfacts

May 21, 1980
Gotye's real name translated into English is Wally, but "Gotye" is actually a version of his birth name. The Belgian singer was born "Wouter," which translates to "Gaultier" in French. As a kid, Gotye's mother called him "Gaultier" as a pet name, which is pronounced "Goat-Ye."
Besides being a singer-songwriter, Gotye is also the leader of a rock and roll band called The Basics. With the band, Gotye says he tries to keep the music within the parameters of what guitars, bass, and drums can do, while his solo work is open to whatever direction inspiration takes him in.
Both actor Ashton Kutcher and singer Lily Allen tweeted about Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" to their millions of followers, helping boost the single's sales to over half a million copies.
Although millions of people have seen Walk of the Earth's cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" on YouTube, the singer describes his own attitude towards it as "mildly cynical." The clip, which features the five members of the band playing and singing the song on one acoustic guitar, impressed Gotye but he told The Toronto Sun that he hopes WOTE were signed because they are "interested in creating original music."
"State of Art," a track on Gotye's platinum Making Mirrors album, was created using a primitive 1970's organ that the singer bought used for $100.
Gotye's album Making Mirrors is hugely successful, but singer admitted to Rolling Stone that he suffered from depression while making it, saying "There were points where I thought I wouldn't be able to finish a record that I was really into."