Fans stunned as Daft Punk suddenly split
Popular electronic music pioneers Daft Punk announced they're breaking up after 28 years together.
The French duo, comprised of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, shared the news on Monday in an 8-minute video titled Epilogue. Kathryn Frazier, the band's longtime publicist, confirmed the break up for The Associated Press as well.
Daft Punk, known for their signature helmets when performing, had major success over the years, winning six Grammy Awards and launching international hits with One More Time, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and Get Lucky.
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo met at a Paris school in 1987. Prior to Daft Punk, they formed an indie rock band named Darling.
They officially formed Daft Punk in 1993, and the helmeted, mute and mysterious musicians released their debut album, Homework, 1997. They first found success with the international hit Da Funk, which topped the Billboard dance charts and earned them their first Grammy nomination. A second No. 1 hit and Grammy nomination followed with Around the World.
Daft Punk spent time touring around the world and reached greater heights with their sophomore album, 2001's Discovery. It included the infectious smash One More Time and Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, which Kanye West famously flipped into his own hit Stronger, released in 2007. It won West the best rap solo performance Grammy at the 2008 show, where West and Daft Punk performed together onstage.
A year later, a live version of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger won Daft Punk the best dance recording Grammy - their first win - and their Alive 2007 album picked up best electronic/dance album.
But was the 2014 Grammys where Daft Punk really took the spotlight, winning album of the year for Random Access Memories and making history as the first electronic act to win the highest honour at the Grammys. The duo won four awards that night, including record of the year for their bombshell hit Get Lucky, featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.
Random Access Memories was regarded as a genre-bending album highlighted by its mix of live instrumentation, disco sounds, funk, rock, R&B and more. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 295 on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" last year.
thinking about how every stage of my life would have gone so differently if it weren’t for Daft Punk
— porter robinson (@porterrobinson) February 22, 2021
Daft Punk forever✨
— KAVINSKY✨ (@iamKAVINSKY) February 22, 2021
Daft Punk left the game with a flawless legacy. I would say enviable but impossibly unattainable is more appropriate
— Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson) February 22, 2021
RIP to daft punk. You taught me it was okay to be two French robots.
— Patrick Gill (@Pizza_Suplex) February 22, 2021
Daft Punk shaped the sound of a generation and opened the doors for most modern day electronic artists.
— SLANDER (@SlanderOfficial) February 22, 2021
They will always be our biggest inspiration.
Their timeless music will live on forever.
From their signature deep house cuts to radio-ready dance funk hits, Daft Punk cemented themselves forever as pioneers of modern electronic music. Their massive influence can be heard around the world and in every corner of the music industry.
— Pentatonix (@PTXofficial) February 22, 2021
I don’t think there’s any other band that inspired me the way #DaftPunk did. Unparalleled in everything that they touched. Especially when it comes to the passion + love they put into their work. Saw them live in 2007 & it was the best concert of my life. #DaftPunk forever 🤖🤖💜 pic.twitter.com/KqDtlcNBr8
— Purple Disco Machine (@PurpleDiscoM) February 22, 2021
This story originally appeared on Fox News and is republished here with permission.
Originally published as Fans stunned as Daft Punk suddenly split
