Daft Punk Members Finally Take Off Their Helmets, And Fans Can't Get Enough

EDM pioneers Daft Punk showed true genius in building a mythology around their brand. For most of their near-three decade career, they performed under shiny robotic helmets and kept their true identities out of the public eye. But we bet you are as curious as we were to see what they really look like under the masks. Now that the duo have called it quits, you can.

The end of Daft Punk?

After 28 years of bringing electronic music to the masses, Daft Punk announced the end on February 22, 2021. Fittingly for a duo who spent most of their career wearing outlandish disguises and shying away from publicity, the announcement took the form of a quirky in-costume YouTube video. There was no written statement from the duo themselves.

Strange visuals

Mostly, the video was a clip from Electroma, their odd and experimental 2006 sci-fi movie. It showed the two disco robots walking out into the desert, before one of them exploded into smithereens. Then a graphic came on-screen that read “1993-2001.” It was over-the-top, strange, yet also tongue-in-cheek. Basically, everything Daft Punk have always been.

Words from fans

The internet was overtaken with fans and admirers bidding farewell to one of the most influential electronic dance music acts of all time. DJ Mark Ronson tweeted, “Daft Punk left the game with a flawless legacy. I would say enviable but impossibly unattainable is more appropriate.” Collaborator Pharrell Williams simply tweeted, “Forever legends.”

Riding high

Daft Punk’s career hit its highest heights when they worked with Williams on the massive single “Get Lucky” in 2013. It also featured Nile Rodgers of legendary disco act Chic. They also collaborated with rapper Kanye West on his hit single “Stronger,” although they didn’t work together in the studio. Instead, West used a sample from Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and built his tune around it.

Big name gigs

Another career highlight for the pair came when they composed the score for the 2010 Disney blockbuster TRON: Legacy. They used an 85-piece orchestra and combined it with their electronic elements for a truly mindblowing piece of music. The soundtrack album went to number six on the Billboard 200, and critics and fans alike acclaimed it.

Who are they?

When it comes to their personal lives, though, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo have been notoriously tight-lipped over the years. It is known that both men have two children, but only the names of Bangalter’s are public knowledge: Roxan and Tar-Jay. Bangalter is married to French actress Elodie Bouchez, but Homem-Christo’s marital status is unknown.

Mysterious home lives

Bangalter and his family have homes in both the high-end Marais area of Paris and in the Hollywood Hills. They divide their time between the two. Homem-Christo lives somewhere in the Paris arrondissement that includes Montmartre, a very classy neighborhood. The duo prefer not to say much more about their home lives, but they are slightly more open about how they grew up together.

Long-time friends

During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 2013, Bangalter revealed, “I met Guy-Man in eighth grade. At the end of the year, we took a class trip to Pompeii, and in the car ride we began making up songs. When we got back, we recorded them with a little Casio keyboard.” The school they attended was Lycée Carnot, which boasts former French president Jacques Chirac as an alumnus.

Musical families

Both members of Daft Punk came from affluent families. Bangalter’s father is Daniel Vangarde, a music producer and songwriter responsible for several hit songs in the ’70s. He wrote for acts such as Sheila and the Black Devotion, Ottawan and Gibson Brothers. Bangalter grew up in his father’s large apartment in Montmartre, which had a piano room and a room for studio equipment.

"Authentic fascist"

Homem-Christo’s parents weren’t in the music business; they ran a successful advertising company. His family name is famous in Portugal, though, even if for a questionable reason. His great-grandfather, a writer, has been labelled by historians as, “the first authentic and indisputable Portuguese fascist.” He was a man who counted Mussolini as a personal friend. Homem-Christo dryly told Rolling Stone, “I know him only from photographs, of course.”

First attempts

Bangalter and Homem-Christo’s first stab at trying to make it as musicians came when they formed a rock band called Darlin’ with guitarist Laurent Brancowitz. The band only ever played two concerts, although one of the gigs was in the U.K. They were invited to play this show when one of their songs was featured on an E.P. released by Stereolab.

Aptly named

Darlin’ released one single and, in a scathing review published in U.K. music magazine Melody Maker, it was described as, “daft, punky thrash.” Around this time, though, Bangalter and Homem-Christo had experienced an epiphany in Paris’ rave scene. They cast rock music to the side and embraced electronica, naming their new act after the negative review quote, which they found amusing.

Unmasked back in the day

Daft Punk’s debut album Homework didn’t come out until 1997. But the duo actually released several singles and played a number of shows across Europe and the U.S. in the years leading up to its release. As hard as it may be to believe these days, they performed at these gigs with unmasked faces.

Revealing too much

In fact, in those early days, Bangalter and Homem-Christo’s faces could be seen on a select few publicity stills and even a magazine cover. By the time Homework came out, though, they had started their habit of donning masks or other face coverings in public. They would even show their backs to interviewers.

All part of the mystery

Amazingly, the duo chose to stop playing gigs after the touring loop for Homework came to an end. They released their second album Discovery in 2001 but didn’t actually play a live show as Daft Punk until the Coachella Festival in 2006. By that point, the fanbase had grown to almost cult-like proportions, with the aura surrounding the duo becoming close to mythic.

The backstory

The Daft Punk that emerged in 2006 wore their now-trademark futuristic robot helmets. They had been introduced during the Discovery cycle in 2001, complete with a hilarious fictional backstory. As Bangalter told Remix magazine, “We did not decide to become robots. There was an accident in our studio.”

Setting the tone

“We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999 it exploded,” continued Bangalter. “When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots.” This quote made it clear that Daft Punk were having fun with their robotic stage personas. In 2013 they revealed the thinking behind the helmets to Rolling Stone.

Metaphor for something else?

This interview was the most illuminating one ever given by the duo. As fierce protectors of their privacy and great believers in the idea of artists fostering some mystery around their act, the notion of them letting a journalist into their studio was unheard of. But that was just what they did on this occasion.

A practical purpose

Regarding their helmets, Bangalter told the interviewer the reason to wear them wasn’t simply to maintain privacy. The shiny chrome domes have been likened to images seen on the covers of Isaac Asimov’s classic science-fiction novels. Therefore, the striking look was a way of making Daft Punk’s act the kind of theater that had once brought David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona or the makeup worn by Kiss.

Character creation

“People thought the helmets were marketing or something, but for us it was sci-fi glam,” revealed Bangalter.” But there was also an extra level to it for the duo, who wanted to apply some elements of character creation to a real-world setting. Bangalter explained, “We’re interested in the line between fiction and reality, creating these fictional personas that exist in real life.”

Larger than life

In the end, the duo realized that concealing their identities paradoxically transformed them into much more than two regular guys playing electronic music. It made them larger than life. Homem-Christo deadpanned, “We’re not performers; we’re not models. It would not be enjoyable for the humanity to see our features, but the robots are exciting to people.”

Donning the persona

The duo explained that they had different versions of their helmets that were used for different tasks. For example, the ones they wore when performing live were equipped with electronic communication and, crucially, air-conditioning. But the helmets worn at photo shoots or during music videos were made of materials that photographed better on camera.

Top secret specs

As of 2013, a special effects company known for their work on Hollywood movies made the helmets. Bangalter claimed that the FX outfit had worked on the latest Spider-Man movie and agreed to sign non-disclosure agreements before working with the duo. Why? Because Daft Punk didn’t want the specifications of the helmets’ designs to leak.

Fan versions

Over the years, a number of fans have made their own versions of the helmets. Some people, looking to make a quick buck, have even taken to selling their bootleg helmets online. But, as Bangalter said, “The proportions are really hard to get right just by looking at pictures, so they all seem a little bit off.” The duo were always keen to protect their intellectual property.

Anonymous privilege

The anonymity afforded by the helmets was, admittedly, also a selling point for Bangalter and Homem-Christo. During the Rolling Stone piece, the duo were able to take the journalist with them to a Paris café, then on the Metro train. Nobody paid them any attention whatsoever, which would have been impossible had their faces been known to the public.

"Nice to be able to forget"

“One thing I like about the masks is that I don’t have people constantly coming up to me and reminding me what I do,” admitted Bangalter. “It’s nice to be able to forget.” In truth, the duo were a rare case. They were incredibly famous. Iconic even. But they never had to deal with the paparazzi or the other trappings of worldwide recognition.

Cultivating an identity

Around the same time as the Rolling Stone interview, Daft Punk also spoke with GQ magazine. Bangalter once again spoke about the helmets, this time drawing a comparison with an iconic comic book superhero. Even though the hero that he mentioned has never worn a mask, he revealed that it was the idea of cultivating a secret identity that intrigued him.

Superhero vibes

Bangalter said, “I remember when I was a kid, I would watch Superman, and I was super into the feeling of knowing Clark Kent is Superman, and no one knows. We always thought as we were shaping this thing that the fantasy was actually so much more exciting than the idea of being the most famous person in the world.” The electro genius then had an intriguing question posed to him.

Donning the cape

Interviewer Zach Baron asked, “Is there ever a moment where you’re like, ‘I have to put on the cape again?’” The wording of the question confused Homem-Christo slightly, but Bangalter understood. Baron was actually asking if their decision to make Daft Punk into superhero robots meant that they ever felt forced into always being those robots, whether they felt like it or not.

Healthy separation

After some conversing in their native French, Bangalter turned to Baron and said, “No.” Homem-Christo added, “We work a lot, but we are not in the superhero costume,” before Bangalter finished his sentence with, “Every day.” In other words, they control when they want to be Daft Punk and have a healthy separation between their outlandish creation and their private lives.

Still looking like rock stars

As for what the pair look like unmasked, GQ’s Baron described them perfectly during his profile. He felt the duo looked like they should have been in a rock band. Bangalter was tall and thin, with a beard and receding hair. For the interview, he was wearing a suit jacket with black jeans, motorcycle boots and a large scarf.

Guy-Man

By contrast, Homem-Christo was much shorter, with long hair that Baron felt made him look like a metalhead. He had pale eyes and a weary, almost bored demeanor, and was also wearing boots for the interview. To add a flourish, though, his had some gold spurs. Bangalter referred to him as “Guy-Man,” something everyone in their orbit also does.

Opposite personalities

Fittingly, the duo were opposite in personalities, as well as looks. Baron described Bangalter as a talker, someone who enjoyed waxing lyrical about his passions, such as technology, art and Star Wars. Homem-Christo would only pop into the conversation on occasion, though, preferring to let his partner do most of the talking. Bangalter was engaging; Homem-Christo was disengaged.

Idea generation

In fact, Baron felt Homem-Christo’s near-total silence was unnerving at first but grew to be intriguing over the course of the interview. Their contrasting personalities complemented each other, though. Baron wondered if that dynamic also applied to the creation of their music, with Bangalter as the one who generated ideas, while Homem-Christo acted as an editor.

Imposter alert

After the release of their 2013 album Random Access Memories, Daft Punk played live at the Grammy Awards in 2014. They also won four trophies on that night and went on stage in their robot outfits to collect the Record of the Year gong. Or did they? It was soon rumored that the men in the helmets on this occasion were hired impostors or their close associates Paul Hahn and Cedric Hervet.

Not the real deal

That same year, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan dressed up as the duo to host the Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. This was a great example of how Daft Punk had become part of the pop culture landscape: crossover music artists with an invaluable element of pageantry and mystery to them. It’s especially impressive when you consider they once again stopped playing shows in 2010.

More hit collaborations

The final Daft Punk songs were released in 2016. The pair collaborated with The Weeknd on two songs: “I Feel It Coming” and “Starboy.” Amazingly, “Starboy” was the track that finally saw Daft Punk hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time. After this, though, Bangalter and Homem-Christo faded into purposeful anonymity again.

Shifting to a producer role

Both men have been applying their magic touch to other people’s music in recent years, though, mainly in the capacity of producer. Homem-Christo worked behind the scenes on The Weeknd and Gesaffelstein’s track “Hurt You” in 2018, as well as Charlotte Gainsbourg’s “Rest” in 2017. As for Bangalter, he has produced albums for Arcade Fire and Matthieu Chedid.

Film direction

Bangalter also owns his own record label, Roulé, and has branched out into cinematography and direction. He directed an advertisement for fashion brand Co that starred his wife. The talented musician has also dipped his toes into film music, lending songs to movies such as Climax and Irréversible, both from director Gaspar Noé.

Being relatively unrecognizable has meant that the duo have avoided being hounded by their fans. Let’s face it: there’s probably nothing worse than being badgered for a selfie all the time. And stars who disguise themselves can blend in with the crowd. But sometimes it’s not people's appearance that gives them away. One singer’s generous act of kindness got everyone in a grocery store suspicious.

This wasn’t just any shopping day, either – it happened on Thanksgiving, one of the busiest holidays for stores. And we don’t need to tell you just how hectic that can be given its proximity to Black Friday.

Indeed, while Walmart stores are renowned for their high customer counts, that’s never been more true than during holidays. Actually, its chaotic Black Fridays have been so intense they’ve gained national media coverage. With this in mind, Thanksgiving is a veritable nightmare for shoppers, albeit a necessary one for some.

So you can imagine how stressful it is to go out into the Thanksgiving crowds for those holiday essentials. However, for the shoppers of one Walmart in Palm Springs, California, that tension was lifted with a surprise visit. Yes, while they were waiting in line with baskets and carts full of food, a mysterious person made their entrance.

Now, the visitor in question went by the name of Cici, and she was a very generous person by all accounts. So much, in fact, that she approached Walmart customers in November 2019 while they stood at the checkout. And Cici surprised them by paying for their entire shopping cart, but she didn’t stop there.

No, after her initial gift, she went around the Walmart store offering to pay for other peoples’ grocery bills, too. Those present were overjoyed at receiving such a holiday gift. But how could a person afford to do such a lovely thing for complete strangers? Well, Cici did have an explanation.

You see, Cici recounted a story that explained her seemingly boundless resources. She informed Walmart patrons that she was the lucky recipient of a lottery win and had decided to spread the love. Nevertheless, for some there was something about Cici they couldn’t quite put their finger on, further deepening the mystery.

Naturally, though, people were thrilled with their own good fortune at meeting Cici, and even more so with her generosity. Indeed, one Walmart customer even bought her some flowers to say thank you. An onlooker filmed the whole encounter and subsequently uploaded it to social media.

That person was Adri Buckles, who watched as a grateful recipient of Cici’s generosity approached, bouquet in hand. For Cici’s part, the footage reveals she’s touched by the heartfelt gesture, and graciously accepts. Afterwards, the women hug and the mysterious Cici goes to another checkout with her credit card.

The card reader beeps to let her know the transaction’s ready, and with a cheerful “Da-daaaa,” Cici resumes her goodwill. The video captures her asking, “Who’s next?” and she walks off in search of more transactions to pay for. The video has over one and a half million views and 70,000 likes thus far.

Alongside showing Cici’s goodwill on camera, Buckles added a comment celebrating the woman’s kind nature. You see, she was also a recipient of the mysterious good Samaritan’s selfless gesture. “Thank you so much,” Buckles elaborated on Twitter on November 28, 2019. “The heart and beautiful soul you have for paying for everyone!!”

What’s more, the mysterious Cici didn’t appear to be paying for groceries to get attention, as those present attested to. “I kept thanking her ‘cause she was buying customers baskets full of items,” another social media user wrote. “And she did not once ask for any recognition. Bless her heart.”

Furthermore, one guy related his own experience with the woman calling herself Cici on Twitter. He recounted how the woman was “at Walmart in Palm Springs paying everyone’s groceries for Thanksgiving.” He continued, “That’s amazing! She’s an amazing human being!” Needless to say, the event exploded on social media.

Even people responding to the reports were blown away by the gift that Walmart patrons had received. “Oh my God, this woman is the kindest person in the world,” someone posted to Buckles’ tweet. “Never heard of her until now,” another person wrote. “Now THAT is one ultra-classy lady and no mistake.”

Strikingly, Walmart’s own Twitter account also got involved by posting, “What an awesome Thanksgiving surprise!” However, it turned out that Cici’s Walmart appearance wasn’t her only retail destination that day. You see, many others claimed to have had a similar encounter. And apparently, Cici was at the T.J. Maxx store in Palm Springs just prior to her Walmart visit.

Yes, a woman on Twitter recognized the lottery winner story and revealed she’d witnessed a similar scene. “I’m crying because she bought me stuff at T.J. Maxx and a whole bunch of other people,” she wrote. “And then went to Walmart to buy more people stuff? What a f***ing ANGEL!”

And she wasn’t the only person who had a mysterious benefactor during her visit to T.J. Maxx. Others corroborated the woman’s claim, as well as Cici’s efforts to do something nice while avoiding the limelight. “[She] paid for my items at T.J. Maxx yesterday,” another woman said of Cici.

In response to the tweet, someone asked the woman if the store was busy that day. However, she responded by saying it was actually quite the opposite. Indeed, Cici tried to remain as incognito as possible. “Not really a lot of people,” she stated. “She [Cici] wasn’t making a big scene or anything at the check stand.”

Indeed, the happy benefactor of Cici’s kindness described her as “such a sweet person to talk to.” Even so, many people found something a bit off about Cici’s story. If the response on social media is anything to go by, some even thought the generous stranger seemed somewhat familiar.

For example, another Thanksgiving shopper wrote, “Went to T.J. Maxx today and this nice lady decided to pay for everyone’s stuff because she ‘won the lottery.’” But alongside others, they soon learnt that there was more to “Cici” than met the eye. So what did she look like, we hear you ask?

Well, the unassuming Cici wore black trousers, a shin-length gray jacket and had her blonde hair tied up in a bun. So far, so regular, right? It turns out “Cici” was not only using a fake name, but her story about winning the lottery wasn’t entirely accurate, either.

In fact, just knowing what “Cici” looks like might not be enough to ascertain her true identity. You see, the alleged lottery winner was actually a celebrity famous for disguising herself. However, the aforementioned Buckles, who made the Walmart video, was herself a fan. And she recognized her mysterious benefactor, later revealing all in her Twitter post.

Now, Buckles apologized for outing “Cici” as a celebrity in her tweet, though claimed that she did so for good reason. “I’m sorry for telling everyone once I realized who you were,” Buckles wrote, “but this kindness must be acknowledged!” The resulting reaction online demonstrated how well “Cici” had kept herself unrecognizable.

“Soo this is what she looks like,” one person said in response to Buckles’ tweet. Another said, “One of the few who could pull it off since nobody actually knows what she looks like.” A third jokingly added, “She has EYES?!” A T.J. Maxx shopper who met “Cici” also expressed her surprise.

“I didn’t recognize her,” the shopper said, “and I blame the fact that she hid under that wig for so long.” In case you haven’t already guessed, Cici’s real identity was none other than singer-songwriter Sia. The enigmatic artist is renowned for her ostentatious face-covering wigs and headgear.

That has been the case with Sia – who’s full name is Sia Kate Isobelle Furler – since her fame escalated in 2014. Up until then, the multi-talented artist had only experienced minimal success with three released albums. They were OnlySee, Healing is Difficult and Colour the Small One. That would all change in time.

Yes, Sia’s breakthrough came with her sixth album 1000 Forms of Fear, featuring the successful song, Chandelier. Since then, the humble singer embraced her tendency to shy away from fame by adopting her iconic face-covering disguises. The most well-known of these accessories is, of course, Sia’s long face-obscuring wig.

Now, perhaps people expected Sia to have some kind of unwanted distinguishing or unflattering facial features. However, as her public appearance as “Cici” proved, that’s certainly not the case. Nevertheless, the 2013 photos of the singer concealing her face with a paper bag did little to end such rumors.

However, Sia has spoken openly about the reasons why she covers her face. The singer says it allows her privacy at a time when many celebrities are comfortable exposing the most personal aspects of their life. Or, as she told The Guardian in 2016, when some female artists are uploading “pictures of their trip to the gynaecologist.”

Sia continued, “It was about not having to deal with the unfairness of being a pop star. Not having to worry about camera angles catching your double chin. Everybody in the entertainment industry is insecure. We have been tap-dancing our entire lives for your approval and you won’t meet anybody who is in the entertainment industry who isn’t a bit f***ed in the head.”

“That’s how we got here,” Sia elaborated on the subject of celebrity. “So if you can imagine a room full of us, it’s pretty hilarious. It’s exhausting.” Therefore, a disguise appears to allow the singer to live a relatively normal life as a “part-time popstar.”

Furthermore, the Australian told her personal friend Ellen Degeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that her privacy affords her freedom. “Well it’s just so that I can go to Target and buy a hose if I want to,” she revealed to Degeneres. Indeed, Sia enjoys being able to live like a normal person.

“Or if I find I’m in need of a restroom,” the singer continued, “I can go in the side of the road. No one would be following me with a camera trying to get a shot.” It’s obvious that Sia isn’t a big fan of the fame game, and for good reason.

As she went on to explain, you can trace this unusual viewpoint back to her past regarding a subject she’s always been open about. Yes, on a 2016 episode of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke she revealed more. “I was a singer for ten or 11 years to mediocre success,” she told Corden.

And she continued, “I was an alcoholic and a drug addict. I sobered up and I decided I didn’t want to be an artist any more, because I was starting to get a little famous and it was destabilising in some way.” This led her to think outside the box for a unique way to deal with her rising fame.

“So I thought: what doesn’t exist in pop music at the moment?,” the singer/songwriter said. “And it was mystery. There are pictures on Instagram of everyone at the dentist.” Thus her decision to wear concealing wigs and headgear was the result of this thought process. And over time, it’s become one of her defining traits.

Her other recognizable characteristic is her selfless and kind nature. It’s apparently this that gave rise to her “Cici” persona, and the driving force behind Sia’s Thanksgiving gifts. Model and actress Maddie Ziegler is just one of the people who sang Sia’s praises when people asked about the enigmatic woman.

“She’s gorgeous, and it’s not just on the outside, but on the inside too,” Ziegler told the Insider website. “She’s literally the sweetest person ever.” After her generous actions, it seems the general public agree with Ziegler. You see, social media was buzzing with compliments for Sia.

“I think Sia needs her own talk show honestly,” one fan tweeted in response to Buckles. “Where she does all these kind things, I think people need to see more genuine kindness for some inspiration. We need more positive role models.” And judging by other fan reactions, many people agreed with the sentiment.

“I love that she did this not for recognition of showing kindness, but just actually being a kind person,” another Twitter user said of her Thanksgiving actions. “She didn’t want people to know who she was, or why she was doing it.” Now that’s a good way to spread positivity.