They broke through with the repetitive song “Around The World”, which you either loved or hated. Perhaps you could even credit (or blame) them for the current repetitive nature of lyrics in our pop music today, but Daft Punk have definitely made their mark. Hey, they kept Taylor Swift from winning a Grammy for Album Of The Year, what can I say?!
However, it's not that strange that you might not really be able to picture faces with Daft Punk. From the very beginning, they have tried to either hide or digitally distort their appearance. Instead, they created another strong visual and artistic image.
Besides catchy music, Daft Punk is actually also known for the visual components they add to their music, videos, movies and shows. The robotic looks they take to the red carpet, to pick up all those awards with, is now actually also a successful merchandising line.
Still, there's actually no mystery to who's behind the helmets. Frenchmen Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter are Daft Punk.
Before Daft Punk, they were in a rock band called and in the early days leading up to Daft punk (which is 1993 – 1995) they actually performed 'naked', which in this case means they performed and did interviews without any helmets, masks, green make up or bags over their heads (see it in ). Sorry, if you were expecting something else...Darlin'
But once Daft Punk were signed to a major, in 1996, they became the mysterious musicians they are today.
Recently, the BBC released the news that they are working on a documentary about Daft Punk called “Unchained”. A trailer was released to promote it. In this documentary, other artists will be talking about the influence they have had.
Right away, Daft Punk have shaped dance, house and electronic music, so they have inspired many, but they have also positioned themselves to be muses for other art forms. In 2013 and 2014 a San Fransisco art gallery showed a collection of paintings and photographs dedicated to the duo. And in fact, the art is actually pretty cool!
Daft Punk is not the only act to hide their faces, singer Sia has also started doing so, after hitting fame a few years ago. As an artist myself I can't imagine what it would be like not to have eye-to-eye contact with your audience, while performing. I think it would feel a little constricting too, but the idea to separate your music from your persona is tempting.
I can't deny that it doesn't look like it's withheld anything from Daft Punk at all. They are every bit a pop star as those who do show their faces. They have a strong brand, they get endorsement deals, movie appearances, they go to the events and they even perform live as robots.
We just all seem to love a good mystery and a good story. Especially with a great soundtrack.
BTW, here's the BBC trailer. Can't wait to see this one:
https://youtu.be/3I3maTRmiYU
