Thoughts on Gotye
As my studies in Australia was nearing an end in 2011, my roommate told me to give Gotye a listen. Thanks Baz!
He had just released the album "Making Mirrors", and it blew my mind as soon as I heard it. To this day I still cannot recall having a similar feeling to a new album. The closest one was probably the first time I heard Room for Squares by John Mayer about 10 years earlier.
I still listen to Gotye, and I still think about Gotye. But almost equally interesting to the actual music I find the person behind it: Wouter André "Wally" De Backer.
After the massive success that was "Making Mirrors" he decided not to follow it up with a new studio album, but he rather focused his creative attention elsewhere. He also made many other "uncommercial decisions" like not to advertise on his music videos, even going so far as saying "I’m not interested in selling my music".
He obviously loves making music, being creative, and is still active, just not under the artist name of Gotye anymore.
Meanwhile there'll be tons of people thinking this was a "missed opportunity" and "a shame" that he didn't continue to pursue the project that was Gotye. Even as he does other projects, comments flow in almost demanding more music as if we have any right to dictate what he wants to do.
De Backer to me seems to have a well adjusted compass for himself, and instead of doing what everyone else wants from him, he makes decisions based on his own values and what he enjoys the most.
Shouldn't be rare, but somehow I feel it is.
I'll leave you with this amazing short documentary of the making of Eyes Wide Open: