Gotye's 2011 song "Somebody That I Used To Know" is an incredibly catchy song that gets stuck in your head immediately. The lyrics tell the story of someone who feels totally hurt and betrayed by their former partner. The relatable lyrics combined with the beat made it a surefire hit. And the music video quickly became as famous as the tune.
People wonder what happened to Gotye after his big song and assume he's a one-hit-wonder artist worth millions of dollars. After all, "Somebody That I Used To Know" used to be played constantly on the radio. He must have made a massive profit, right? While it's possible to think that Gotye was paid a lot, there's an interesting story about the song that he recorded with singer Kimbra.
How Much Money Did Gotye Make From "Somebody That I Used To Know?"
While Gotye stopped putting out music for a while, he can never escape his hit song. And it turns out that any money Gotye has made from "Somebody That I Used To Know" also goes to an artist named Luis Bonfa.
According to Complex, Bonfa passed away back in 2001, and Gotye made a deal that he could use a sample of Bonfa's music for his song. This meant that 45% of the song's royalty payments went to Bonfa.
Complex reported that the estate of Bonfa has been paid more than $1 million as a result. That suggests that Gotye, whose real name is Wally de Backer, has made a lot of money from the song as well.
However, there is more to the story, and it's pretty fascinating. Gotye could have made $10 million for "Somebody That I Used To Know." According to News.com.au, he knew that wasn't right for him.
News.com.au reported that Gotye's YouTube doesn't have any advertisements, which means that he isn't making as much money as he could be. The publication mentioned that YouTube advertisements paid Psy $10 million for his song "Gangnam Style."
He told News.com.au, "I’m like that with all my music. I generally never want to synch my music for products (on ads).
Ads are calling for our attention anywhere we turn in the world. If you can do something you care about and that other people care about and keep it out that world that feels like it’s all about ‘hey buy this stuff’ then that’s a good thing.”
The singer explained that he is happy to allow students to use his songs in their movies, but he doesn't just say yes to anything. He said, "If someone wants to use it commercially I look at what the budget is and the creativity of the project.”
Billboard reported that Gangnam Style got 2 billion views on YouTube. And since Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" had a little under 1 billion views when the article was published in 2017, he could have been paid $5 million.
What Is Gotye's Net Worth And Does He Put Out Music Now?
Gotye definitely has a lot of integrity and felt comfortable saying no to receiving money from YouTube ads. People are likely curious about what his net worth is like and whether he has made a lot of money from his music.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a $10 million net worth. And it does seem like he has made money from "Somebody That I Used To Know."
After putting out music as Gotye, Wally De Backer became part of a band called The Basics. According to NME, the band decided to stop performing in 2021. De Backer and his band members Tim Heath and Kris Schroeder explained that two of them have children and so it didn't feel right to continue to tour. Not much is known about De Backer's personal life, as there is no mention of him being married or having children online, but it's possible that he is keeping this part of his life private.
De Backer shared in his Instagram bio that his latest project is Forgotten Futures which he describes as an "electronic music nonprofit." It seems like he wants to make sure that he's part of projects that matter to him.
How Does Gotye Feel About The Popularity Of "Somebody That I Used To Know?"
In July 2021, Stereogum published an oral history of "Somebody That I Used To Know" when the song had been out for a decade. Wally de Backer shared what it has been like for him to see his song blow up so much.
According to Last.fm, De Backer/Gotye began living in Melbourne as a toddler. In his interview with Stereogum, he shared that it was really cool and special to see so many people listening to it in his home country.
He said, "The fact that the song had become a hit in Australia was already huge to me. It became a hit in Holland before we even did a licensing deal for it — we were scrambling to put it up on iTunes independently. It was a rolling cascade of crazy moments, right towards the Grammys and when we finished touring in 2013."
Gotye added that when he was at Coachella, he realized that people were listening to remixes of his son. He described it as a wild experience, and it definitely sounds like it would have been. He said that he thought, “Wow, I’ve got this crazy big hit on my hands, but it’s completely out of control."
Even though it is of course super exciting to have a hit song, there can be some complicated emotions. And that's exactly what happened to Gotye.
He told Stereogum, "How people reacted to it didn’t change my feelings of self-consciousness about it. There was such a strong response. I guess it had an iconic quality, especially when people started parodying and paying homage to it."
Gotye described running an errand in Melbourne at the post office and the employee who helped him said "You're the guy!" as she recognized him from the "Somebody That I Used To Know" video.
Since Gotye has admitted to feeling "self-conscious" about his one-hit wonder, it makes even more sense that he wouldn't want to be paid for YouTube advertisements. He seems to care deeply about his music and wants to listen to his gut instincts. And that is definitely really cool.
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