(Facebook)
French natives Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo literally changed the face of the 2014 Grammys. With their notoriously helmeted heads, they accepted 5 Grammy Awards. Here’s what you need to know about the mysterious men.
1. The Won 5 Grammys
Daft Punk. #Grammys pic.twitter.com/v5XSVYrLAP
— Electrónica MEX (@EIectronicaMEX) January 27, 2014
Their newest album, Random Access Memories, was their fourth in sixteen years. It won three honors, for album of the year, best dance/electronica album and engineered album. Their single ‘Get Lucky,’ was awarded record of the year and best pop duo/group performance.
2. They Are From Paris and Met in the Eight Grade
Here’s an old school photo of Daft Punk, before the masks #Grammys pic.twitter.com/HKxOgXcmsp
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 27, 2014
According to GQ, they didn’t play music together at first. Instead, they’d go to movies, museums, the library, and argue about Warhol and Kubrick. Bangalter told the Wall Street Journal that their school, Paris’s Lycée Carnot, was very business oriented and that’s why the creative pair had to stick together.
[The school] was a factory for making businessmen,” says Bangalter. “Anybody who had a certain aspiration for something creative, whether it’s movies or music or design, would stand out.
Their parents were also creative types. de Homem-Christo’s ran an ad agency, and Bangalter’s father was a successful songwriter.
They entered the music scene in 1997 with their album Homework.
3. They Hide Their Faces in Public
(Getty)
In the ’90s, when they first started performing, they’d wear plastic bags and Halloween masks over their heads. Now, they are much more sophisticated and get state-of-the-art helmets made for them. Some have built-in air conditioning and communications systems. According to Rolling Stone, their newest helmets were made by the same Hollywood special-effects people that worked on Spider-Man.
For 2001’s album Discovery, Daft Punk introduced a new, sleek look, dressing as robots.
4. Their Song, ‘Get Lucky’ Was Number Two on Billboard Hot 100 List
Daft Punk wins record of the year http://t.co/6qazpvKa6d #Grammys pic.twitter.com/pO5yP3gOa3
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 27, 2014
It stayed at number 2 for five weeks.
Pharrell, who collaborated on the song, told Rolling Stone that Daft Punk made him, “sing it again, again, again.” “Then I did four or five more takes, they picked what they liked, then I sang each of those parts over and over. The robots are perfectionists,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal assures us that we will never stop hearing this song.
“Get Lucky” proves that, every once in a while, a song can transcend being merely an affable sing-along hit and become an omnipotent force across all ages and genders. It’s like “Hey Ya!” or “Crazy in Love”—a song we’ll pretty much be hearing until we die.
5. They Each Have 2 Kids
Daft Punk without their helmets pic.twitter.com/0Du3HfYhHs
— iTweetFacts™ (@iTweetFacts) January 22, 2014
In fact, they dressed their children up in their masks and suits for the Wall Street Journal shoot with Gisele.
Daft Punk bring their sons to a photo shoot for Wall Street Journal magazine and this is what happens! pic.twitter.com/WQPmAWlUzo
— Miss Ange (@MissAngeOnAir) November 8, 2013
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Daft Punk, Grammy Winners: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know