Entertainment
BAND CRUSH: GOTYE
an under-the-radar pop star? yep, it’s possible.
We admit it: thinking back on last week's CMJ, it's a little bit hazy. But before you jump to conclusions, this blurriness isn't a result of all the open bars; it's because this was a 5-day music marathon in the truest way possible.
With more than 1,300 official band showcases and indie musicians from places as far-flung as Taiwan and Australia, no matter how hard we tried (and trust us, we did), there's no way we could see them all.
But out of the groups we did manage to catch, our latest band crush managed to stand out from the fuzzy fest and haunt us even after CMJ ended. We first spotted Gotye at the Neon Gold event on Friday night and knew that the multi-instrumentalist and singer hadimmediately earned a place in our iTunes with his thumping heartbeat rhythms and smoky-sounding voice.
The Belgian-born, Australia-based singer has a bit of a Peter Gabriel-meets-Sting vibe, especially in tracks like "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Somebody That I Used to Know," but with a darker edge. Gotye (real name: Wouter "Wally" De Backer) has already won a major following overseas, clocking in more than 12 million hits on YouTube, a record-setting #1 single, and 7 ARIA nods. So why isn't he just as huge in America yet? We're not sure, but we're ready for that to change.
Unfortunately, Gotye's already retreated back to Europe for a sold-out tour until December. But until this elusive pop star (definitely not an oxymoron) makes his way back to America, watch the video for "Somebody That I Used to Know" below.
