Gotye Net Worth

Net Worth	$ 10,000,000
Real name	Wouter André "Wally" De Backer
Source of Wealth	Singing, Performing
Profession	Musician, Singer, Songwriter
Spouse/Partner	Maud
Date of Birth	May 21, 1980
Zodiac	Taurus
Age	43
Gender	Male
Height	192 cm / 6 ft 3 inch
Nationality	Belgian/Australian

Biography

Wouter André "Wally" De Backer, commonly known for his stage name - Gotye, rose to prominence with his hit song “Somebody That I Used To Know,” that currently counts a billion views.

As of 2022, he has released three studio albums, which have helped him to amass a net worth of $10 million.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY

Early life

Wally De Backer was born in Bruges, Belgium, in 1980. When he turned two, his family moved to Sydney, Australia, before ultimately settling in Montmorency, Melbourne, Victoria.

He got the nickname ‘Gotye’ from his mother, elicited from ‘Gauthier’ - the French equivalent of his name. When his parents enrolled him in school, he got signed up based on his English equivalent - Walter.

While he was still young, he showed interest in music and learned how to play the piano and the drums. In an interview, he stated that as a teenager, he loved Depeche Mode, and said he truly believes their records inspired him to get into music.

While he was in high school, he formed a band - Downstares, which, unfortunately, didn’t make it past high school.

After he graduated high school, he enrolled at the University of Melbourne and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.^[1]

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Career

Gotye started recording his first tracks based on samples in 2001. He sent out his recorded collection to many radio stations and received positive feedback.

By 2004, Gotye was introduced to Kris Schroeder, a singer, and they created the duo The Basics and started performing until 2010, releasing four studio albums.

In 2003, Gotye was offered a deal by Creative Vibes, and he released an album that was a collection of his early songs - “Boardface.” He continued performing with The Basics, but also took time to record his own songs. During these times, he relocated multiple times in an attempt to find a home recording studio that offered better acoustic quality.

In 2006, Gotye released his second album - “Like Drawing Blood,” which brought him success with two songs from the album - “Hearts a Mess” and “Learnalilgivinanlovin.”

The next year, Gotye won the ARIA Music Award in the category of Best Male Artist, and his album “Like Drawing Blood,” was named the album of the year by iTunes in the UK. In 2008, he amassed European success with “Hearts a Mess” and “Learnalilgivinanlovin,” especially in Belgium.^[2]

In 2010, he released a single track online - “Eyes Wide Open,” which peaked at #25 on Triple J Hottest 100. The following year, he released “Making Mirrors,” which peaked at #1 on the ARIA albums chart within the first week.

By 2011, he published a video clip on Vimeo and YouTube for his track “Don’t Worry, We’ll Be Watching You.” His biggest success, “Somebody That I Used To Know,” was released in 2011 under the “Making Mirrors” album, which earned him 8x platinum in the US and 11x platinum in Australia.

In 2012, he made his first appearance in the US on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Where he performed several of his songs. He released “Easy Way Out,” Later that same year; he had a world tour in Korea, Japan, Europe, North America, and Australia.

In 2014, he launched his independent record label - “Spirit Level,” but released two singles with The Basics - “The Lucky County” and “The Age of Entitlement.” The same year, he appeared as a featured artist on Bibio’s single “The Way You Talk.”

In 2016, Gotye, along with Jean-Jacques Perrey and five other members, formed “Ondioline Orchestra,” and had their debut performance in November of 2016, performing in Brooklyn. The next year, Gotye launched yet another record label - “Forgotten Futures.”^[3]

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Personal life

Gotye was in a relationship with Tash Parker, an Australian musician, for multiple years. The couple split up, but there aren’t any official statements about why they broke up.

Reportedly, Gotye had a daughter in 2018 - Léonie, with his partner Maud.

Controversies

In 2012, gossip surfaced worldwide that Gotye had committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. This fake news soon spread across the globe, but this was soon disclosed as not true.

Conclusion

Gotye, born Wally De Backer, is mostly famous for his hit “Somebody That I Used To Know.” He amassed a lot of fame with this hit, but since he hasn’t made another one, he’s commonly referred to in the States as ‘the one-hit wonder.’

As of 2022, his net worth is estimated at $10 million.

References