Written By: Emma Stevens

Daft Punk announced on Feb. 22 that they will be hanging up their helmets, leaving the music industry after 28 years together. This French electronic music duo, made up of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, announced their split via an eight-minute-long video posted to their social media. The split was confirmed by their representative, Kathryn Frazier.  

After almost three decades together, the group has amassed a dedicated following and achieved great success in the music industry.

In celebration of their fruitful time together, here is a timeline of Daft Punk’s career. Hitting the highlights of their 28-year tenure in the music industry, this rundown of their accomplishments and contributions will be a walk down memory lane for fans and an intriguingly informative look at the duo for those who are unfamiliar. 

1993: After meeting in secondary school, Bangalter and de Homem-Christo began experimenting to find their sound. They formeda rock n’ roll group with a friend before establishing themselves as Daft Punk, an electronic group.  

1997: Daft Punk released their debut album Homework. Featuring songs such as “Da Funk” and “Alive”, the album helped to introduce their eclectic, synthesized sound to the world.  

2001: Dialing in on synthpop specifically, Daft Punk released their second studio album, achieving a newfound level of success in both the U.K. and the United States. The album reached No. 2 on the charts in the U.K., the single “One More Time” almost topping the singles chart. In the U.S., their song “Face to Face” hit No. 1 on the club play charts.  

2006: On the heels of their third successful studio album, Human After All (2005), the group began touring. The Alive 2006/2007 tour consisted of 48 stops around the world. It was best known for its pyramid LED light show which was featured during their headlining act at Coachella in 2006. The popularization of dance music in America and around the globe is largely credited to this tour. 

2007: Daft Punk released a live album entitled Alive 2007 that was recorded during one of their Paris shows on the tour of the same name. This album featured one of the duo’s most well known songs, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” as a single. Both the album and the single earned Daft Punk a Grammy in 2009. 

2013: After eight years, Daft Punk released Random Access Memories, which would be there fourth and final studio album. The album’s single, “Get Lucky,” which featured Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, was their most successful song to date. “Get Lucky” rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Charts in the U.S. and reached No. 1 on the charts in the U.K. With this wildly successful single and album, Daft Punk won five Grammys in 2013, three for their album and two for “Get Lucky”.  

2016: In collaboration with the Weeknd, Daft Punk reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. for the first time with the album’s titular song, “Starboy.” The live performance of “I Feel It Coming” with the Weekend at the Grammys in 2017 would be their last live performance.