Daft Punk, One More Time! It's over for the mysterious, masked pop duo

The most successful European electronic music duo ever has decided to split up. Makers of big hits like 'Around the World' and 'One More Time,' they performed in retro-futuristic costumes and left fans curious about their true identity.

Daft Punk was formed in 1993 by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They were both from Paris, France, and had been making music since they were teenagers and friends in school.

Their first musical experiments were defined by some critics as "crazy punk trash" or "daft punk trash". From then on, the duo decided to title their project Daft Punk.

In 1996, Daft Punk released 'Homework', an album that included their first hits: 'Da Funk' and 'Around the World.' Instantly, they went from being known only at raves to becoming a fashionable pop band.

The consecration came in 1999 with the album 'Discovery.' As a conceptual album, it tells the story of space travel, music, and warfare. Every single's video is a part of the story. Daft Punk also made an animated feature film under the supervision of their childhood cartoon icon Leiji Matsumoto: 'Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.'

Do you remember these cartoon characters from when you were young?

'Discovery' includes the famous song 'One More Time,' which has become the anthem of every party climax. Still, however, Daft Punk didn't show their face.

One of the songs of their album 'Discovery' would form the basis of a Kanye West anthem: 'Stronger.' Daft Punk performed with the rapper (below on the stage) at the 2008 Grammy Awards in the Los Angeles Staples Center. It was their first televised performance ever, the band declared.

In 2011, Daft Punk released a legendary album in cooperation with the best studio artists who's also played with Michael Jackson, David Bowie, and Stevie Wonder. It had a 1970s-80s disco style. Their great example was Quincy Jones, the producer of Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall,' 'Bad,' and 'Thriller' (whose album cover inspired theirs).

In 2013, the song "Get Lucky", composed by the duo and featuring Pharrell Williams (pictured) and Nile Rodgers, reached the top of the charts in several countries around the world, including Brazil, Australia, Japan, Portugal and the United States.

In 2017, Daft Punk shared the stage with The Weeknd during the 59th Grammy awards in Los Angeles, California. They performed the track 'I Feel It Coming' which they had produced together.

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Man-Christo used to appear, in public, with their galactic helmets. They looked like robots of the electronic cause. Throughout their career, they granted few interviews and cultivated their enigma.

On this occasion, when they attended an event in Hollywood, they opted to fully cover their faces with a leotard and combined top hat with tuxedo.

In Rolling Stone magazine, the members of Daft Punk explained that their costumes and the decision to hide their faces were part of the band's concept.

"It's to combine the characteristics of human beings with those of machines," they explained. They also acknowledged that dressing up in costume at shows was a way of paying homage to masters like David Bowie and Kraftwerk.

Finally, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo also admitted to wearing the helmets out of shyness. Like Jim Morrison, who sang with his back to the audience in The Doors' early shows, they felt more comfortable hiding their faces.

In addition to their sonic success, Daft Punk has become a pop brand with iconic prints on T-shirts and other merchandise. This one is worn by the influencer Kristina Bazan. The band's name was also seen on pieces from a Louis Vuitton fashion show.

One day, unexpectedly, a picture of the duo's faces leaked onto the internet. It was taken at a Sony party and posted on Facebook by JPatt, band member of The Knocks. Some time later, TMZ magazine caught both artists once again without helmets, in Los Angeles.

Daft Punk has always used a lot of technology in the design of their helmets - not just for their comfort but also to brighten up their concerts and arouse the curiosity of the public. The creator of the accessories is the graphic artist Harrison Krix.

As it turns out, 'Random Access Memory' will have been Daft Punk's last album. Suddenly, in February 2021, they split as mysteriously as they had emerged. No one knows exactly why the duo is breaking up.

They brought the news via the eight-minute 'Epilogue' video in which one of them disappears with a huge explosion. After that, Daft Punk's ending was confirmed by their press secretary Kathryn Frazier. That's all we know.

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