Gotye Tops U.S. Chart

Thursday 19 April 2012

Gotye Tops U.S. Chart

GOTYE has just become the first Australian artist this century to have a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA with the song he produced and recorded in his home studio ... 'Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)'.

In the past three decades the only other Aussie artists to top the charts in the world's biggest music market were Men At Work, INXS and Savage Garden.

Gotye's single has now accrued over 5 million sales worldwide with over 500,000 copies sold in the U.S. last week alone. In fact "Somebody That I Used To Know" is only the sixth song in American chart history to sell more than half a million downloads in just one week. Significantly, his album Making Mirrors also broke into the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 this week, hitting the #7 spot. It has sold well over a million copies around the world so far.

Gotye's US success follows similar achievements elsewhere. The song has now been #1 on iTunes in 33 countries, is nearly 4 x Platinum in New Zealand and the album has been certified Gold in major markets including the UK, Germany, France and Canada. The album is also 3 x Platinum in Australia.

Unusually for such a popular album, Gotye has also managed the rare feat of also receiving widespread critical acclaim for both his recorded music and live shows. Forexample:

“Making Mirrors finds Gotye making the most of a canny notion: that the pop sounds of the '80s didn't fall out of fashion so much as fall victim to dated production. By freshening up the feel but maintaining the drama, he lands on a batch of songs timeless enough to survive the next 30 years.” – NPR, USA

'An exciting artist we can't seem to get enough of' – Independent, UK

"Gotye's Making Mirrors is a masterpiece that mixes the clear sounds of the ’80s with futuristic experimentation. " - Time Out New York, USA

“…Ingenious, oddly touching, refreshingly emphatic bedroom pop.” – Rolling Stone, USA

'…an icily haunting version of Somebody That I Used to Know which, although a highlight, by no means overshadowed the rest of this highly original and imaginative show.' – The Times, UK

'Somebody'...h '* - Muzobar, Russia

*Translation: 'Somebody...features an unhurried run-up before a jump into perfection'.

The U.S. success has been brewing since late last year but was given added impetus last week by a live appearance on Saturday Night Live, a feature article in U.S. Rolling Stone, performances of cover versions on both "Glee" and "American Idol" and a standout appearance on the Coachella Festival. Gotye concludes his current US tour this weekend with a repeat performance at the second weekend of Coachella plus 6000+ capacity shows in San Francisco and LA. He will be supported at both by fellow Aussie Missy Higgins.

The Deluxe edition of Making Mirrors, featuring a DVD of additional exclusive content is now available in New Zealand. This includes two documentaries (‘Making Making Mirrors’ plus the making of the video for current single ‘Eyes Wide Open’), a selection of his standout music videos, plus a non-album track download card.

ENDS

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