Lost to Dance: Daft Punk Announce End of Career

by Patrick T Fuller on March 4, 2021


Arts & Entertainment


by Dan O’Neill ’21 A&E Staff

VIDEO SCREENSHOT BY GAEL FASHINGBAUER COOPER / CNET

On Monday, Feb. 22, Daft Punk posted a video to their YouTube channel titled, “Epilogue.” This video marked the end of a lucrative and impressive career in the music industry that spanned three decades. The split comes after both members, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, grew tired of their careers in music, although there is no specific reason for the split. The two musicians can now look back and enjoy a remarkable and influential career that affected millions of fans around the world for the better. 

The electronic dance duo is best known for wearing robot helmets in public as well as during performances. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the pair became popular for bringing the European electronic music scene onto the charts. Songs like “Da Funk” and “One More Time” were all huge hits during their early years. Daft Punk quickly started to catch the attention of other artists as well, making their name well known in the music business. 

One hit single, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” became so popular that rapper Kanye West sampled the song’s chorus in his hit song, “Stronger.” West’s song ended up giving him his third No. 1 hit single. The group would later produce a few of Kanye West’s songs, including “Black Skinhead.” Daft Punk’s influence and hard work over the first half of their career even got them the job as the primary songwriters for the sci-fi film Tron: Legacy. 

Many artists who reach the heights that Daft Punk had reached about mid-way into their career would consider themselves successful. The duo gained popularity once again in 2014, however, with the release of their album Random Access Memories. Hit songs like “Get Lucky,” “Lose Yourself to Dance” with Pharrell Williams, and “Instant Crush” with Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas lifted the duo to earn three more Grammy Awards for their work. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFESTYLE ASIA

Daft Punk even helped with songs “I Feel it Coming” and “Starboy” by The Weeknd. This pair of hits helped to keep the band in the spotlight deep into their careers. The influence that Daft Punk has had on modern music and pop culture in turn is immense due to their inventive music style. The group’s live shows supported their reputations as musicians who consistently pushed the boundaries of popular music, with blazing light shows and a matching futuristic space aura throughout their performances. No electronic music group had ever brought the same energy and extravagance that Daft Punk did to their live shows. 

The release of their final YouTube video “Epilogue” has actually left some fans speculating whether or not this announcement will set the stage for a final comeback for the band. The implications of this are powerful, as Daft Punk have already proven numerous times that their talent and longevity as artists speaks to how impressive their careers have been. Daft Punk have already given their fans an immense amount of joy from their illustrious career, and a comeback would be icing on the cake.