Best known for his 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know", featuring New Zealander musician Kimbra, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as in multiple other countries, and became the best-selling song of 2012.

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.

[citation needed] As a youth, De Backer displayed a passion for music, learning various instruments, most notably piano and drums.

"[5] In his teens, De Backer formed the band Downstares with three of his high school friends,[6] including Lucas Taranto (who still plays in his Gotye live shows).

[citation needed] In 2001, his parents moved into a new home, leaving their old family house in Montmorency,[8] so he could continue his studies at the University of Melbourne where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

An elderly neighbour, having heard Downstares rehearsing over the years, gave his then-recently deceased wife's LP record collection to De Backer.

He sent the CDs out to every radio station and recording industry contact he could find in the phonebook, then followed each up with phone calls to ensure they were delivered.

Feedback on the first release was mainly positive with Melbourne street press and Australian alternative, youth orientated radio station Triple J taking notice,[13] giving him confidence to continue with further sample-based recordings.

[citation needed] Around this time, Gotye met fellow singer-songwriter Kris Schroeder at a party in Mt Eliza, and the two began performing together under the name The Basics.

[citation needed] De Backer went on to produce two more four-track Gotye collections which were met with positive reviews, with several tracks getting onto the rotation at youth radio station Triple J.

The CDs were made in the same style as the first, with De Backer hand crafting each one and tenaciously chasing up every opportunity to get an audience for his work.

Interest in the Gotye project was growing, and De Backer was eventually offered a distribution deal by the label company Creative Vibes for an album, which would essentially be a collection of the tracks from his three earlier releases.

The culmination of this was the second Gotye album, Like Drawing Blood—named in reference to the difficulties De Backer experienced in recording his music in ever-changing environments.

[citation needed] In September 2006, Gotye was nominated for an ARIA Award for best independent release for the album Like Drawing Blood.

[24] Gotye's first European success came in 2008, when "Learnalilgivinanlovin" and "Hearts a Mess" charted in Belgium, followed in 2009 by the single "Coming back".

[26] Amidst the lead-up to Gotye's third album, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA charts in mid-2011, peaking at its highest ever position of 13.

[citation needed] After the success of Like Drawing Blood, De Backer was able to establish a permanent home, still in Melbourne's south east.

The "Eyes Wide Open" single received generally positive reviews and reached Number 25 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010.

[citation needed] The song was further boosted by endorsements from Ashton Kutcher and Lily Allen via Twitter,[32] exposing Gotye's music to their millions of followers.

[citation needed] On 1 February 2012, Gotye made his American television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Eyes Wide Open", "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Kimbra and "State of The Art".

These collective performances helped the single to reach Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 28 April 2012, giving Gotye his first U.S.

[citation needed] In 2014, Gotye performed with Tex Perkins and Nicky Bomba in support of The Thin Green Line Foundation.

[53] He also launched Spirit Level, an independent record label with Tim Shiel, signing American band Zammuto.

[54] Later in 2014, De Backer claimed in an online newsletter that "there will be no new Gotye music," but maintained the possibility that the project could continue in the future.

[56] Gotye featured as vocalist on "The Way You Talk", a track from English electronic musician Bibio's 2016 album A Mineral Love,[57] and "The Outfield", the 2017 debut single from American rock singer Martin Johnson's The Night Game project.

[59] On 22 November 2016, De Backer debuted his group Ondioline Orchestra in New York, in which he paid tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey.

"[63] On 13 February 2018, De Backer and his Ondioline Orchestra performed Circuit Breakers: Gotye Presents a Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey at Roulette's Mixology Festival 2018, in New York.

[69] Gotye has stated his intention to release a fourth studio album;[70][71] most recently in June 2018, when he mentioned a tribute to Perrey that would be included on the record.