What happened to Gotye after he released hit song and became somebody that we used to know

Remember the song, 'Somebody That I Used To Know?'

The banger was one of the biggest tracks of the 2010s, brought to us by the immensely talented Gotye - real name Wouter Andre De Backer.

It was thought that the Belgian-Australian singer would go on to create even more incredible music, but over a decade on from the hit song and there hasn't been much since.

So, what exactly happened?

The song was a huge hit (Universal Music)

Everything changed for Gotye when a track from his third album Making Mirrors was released 13 years ago, in July 2011. The song sold over one million copies in the UK within its first year and was a number one hit.

The music video for 'Somebody That I Used To Know' has even racked up over 2 billion views on YouTube, which is a pretty incredible feat.

But the truth is, Gotye wasn't interested in selling his music.

He explained this to news.com.au back in 2017, saying: "That’s the reason I don’t put ads on my YouTube channel, which seems strange to people in today’s climate, but that is a decision you can make. I’m like that with all my music.

"Ads are calling for our attention anywhere we turn in the world.

"I decided it made more sense to focus on creative things and not get hung up on money and lawyers and courts."

Just a few years after the song was released, Gotye told fans that he would not be releasing any more music.

But it was a little obscure, as he followed it up with: "Wait, maybe there will be. I'm not entirely sure right now. There are many contingencies."

But the talented musician has been getting involved in some personal projects instead.

For example, he launched a record label back in 2014, called Spirit Level. And he's also a member of the band The Basics.

He then took on a rather interesting project.

Several years ago, Gotye became friends with Jean-Jacques Perrey, a pioneer of the electronic music genre.

Gotye made it his mission to preserve Perrey's musical legacy.

Gotye is exploring some other projects. (Don Arnold/WireImage)

To do this, he bought two vintage electronic keyboards and formed the Ondioline Orchestra in New York.

Speaking to Broadsheet in 2018, Gotye said: "You can dial in an incredibly wide range of sounds on the ondioline and the unique mechanics for playing it allows you to create sounds very sensitively and with a musical deftness I just feel isn't present on most other electronic instruments from the '40s - or decades since."

While it's not clear whether Gotye will ever release any music again, it's nice to know he's exploring some of his own passions.

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