[NPR] After Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” won the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance, he revealed that Kimbra wasn’t his first, or even his second, choice for the song.
He had already gone through two female singers for the track and was waiting on another vocalist when “she called out.”
“I built so much expectation with that vocalist that I was feeling a little crushed,” he said backstage after collecting the Grammy.
It came down to Kimbra to sing on the song that was recorded in her apartment. It was last year’s biggest hit.
As for the unnamed singer, Gotye said she makes wonderful music on her own and “shouldn’t be mad.”
[BG Note: "she called out" = she called in sick/cancelled at the last moment]
Gotye’s First Choice:
Gotye’s Second Choice:
First – Delta Goodrem
Second- his girlfriend, Tasha Parker
Maybe Adele for the second choice? She went through a lot of sickness and vocal troubles, hence “calling out.” No idea though, this is a wild guess.
First Choice: Kylie Minogue
Second Choice: Katy Perry
GA GA
ADELE
rhi?
First choice: Ellie Goulding??
Second choice: Girlfriend Tash Parker
Actually — First Choice: Missy Higgins
Tash Parker
Sarah Blasko
1st choice: Delta Goodrem
2nd choice: Tash Parker (his girlfriend)
Sarah Blasko and Noémie Wolfs?
First choice: Sarah Blasko
Second choice: Tash Parker
Sarah Blasko would have been a great choice! But I really can’t imagine it with anyone other than Kimbra now.
1st Choice: Kylie Minogue
2nd Choice: Danni Mionogue
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oy, oy, oy
Or maybe it goes to his Belgian Roots, so…
1st Choice: Smurfette
2nd Choice: Sassette Smurf
Gotye’s First Choice: Adele ?
Gotye’s Second Choice: Gaga?
I keep hearing Peter Gabriel’s Shock the Monkey when I hear this song.
I’m going to guess Katy Perry as his first choice and his girlfriend, Tash Parker as his second choice
Sia? Natasha Bedingfield?
Thinking Aussie singer…
considering kimbra sounds a lot like katy perry, im going with her as first choice… plus a song with her would really hit it home.
as for the second choice? No idea? Sia maybe? sounds like something she’d sing…
Purely guessing but I’ll go with Adele for either 1st or second, and Lady Gaga for either 1st or 2nd.
I wonder if the one who got sick was Adele. Other than that I’m stuck.
Kylie Minogue
Sia
Just guessing because they’re Aussies. Maybe Kylie shouldn’t be mad because she had a baby instead?
Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia, not necessarily in that order
sia for the first choice
second choice ?
Adelle
Florence Welch
Maybe Adele or Kylie Minogue?
I remember reading that it was a vocalist that is pretty high profile in Australia. Kylie Minogue? Brody Dalle? Natalie Imbrulia? Delta Goodrem? I have no idea if they are considered high profile or not… I’ll leave this one to those that are better at figuring these things out.
Sia
Tash parker
I’m not sure about first choice, but at least one choice I would guess Katy Perry. Cuz Kimbra sounds a lot like Katy. Almost like she was trying to…
there is no way it was katy perry.
First choice: Faith Hill
Second choice: Celine Dion
Because that would have been epic.
Adele must be the answer to one of these. Just not sure which one.
Don’t care. Love Kimbra’s voice and looks. Good for her!
from what i understand gotye wanted to work with 3 other singers before he chose kimbra. “He had already gone through two female singers for the track and was waiting on another vocalist when “she called out.”
Must be Australian singers, because pre-”Somebody I used to know” he was not know outside Australia and NZ.
Barbara Striesand was supposed to be there.
So that’s my guess.
firt choice: SIA
second choice: Sarah Blasko?
i’m tipping that both of the top choices would have been aussies.
1st choice Kylie (altho he wasnt that keen he needed her “pull” on the song the one he really wanted was 2nd choice Ellie Goulding.
sarah blasko, claire bowditch or kate miller-heidke. maybe megan washingston?
ah gotye/washington would have been a killer duet.
I don’t know, but I love that NPR was the source of some gossip!
It’s pretty common knowledge here in Australia in the music industry that Sarah Blasko was originally going to do it. The gossip here is that she was a bit of a diva and didn’t want to sing it the way he wanted her to. So he got Kimbra to do it. Not sure who the other singer is cos I’ve never heard any gossip about that, but it would make sense that it was his girlfriend. But I heard the Sarah Blasko rumour when the song was first a hit here, before it broke in the states…..:)
Hayley Williams of Paramore maybe one of them. As Gotye and Hayley did an over skype performance for the BBC. It is the best version i’ve heard google it.
A little late to the game, but I know the answer to this. The first two vocalists were a friend, and his girlfriend. The one he wanted to sing on it was the Australian Artist Bertie Blackman. Frank (whom Kimbra thanked in her speech.) has worked with Bertie, Kimbra, and Gotye. At the time of rerecording “Someone I used to know” Bertie was working on her record “Pope Innocent X”. A lot of money was already invested in Kimbra and her last record, so they wanted to use this as a outlet to get her some exposure, and possibly and also to make a return on their investment. It was actually Frank who insisted this song stayed on the record, as Wally (Gotye) wanted to scrap it.