A lot of musicians are known to have an alternate persona or secret identity while performing on stage. They're like superheroes, wearing a face mask, or Halloween costume. Some of them keep their real identities hidden that even in going to events they wear their famous get-ups. Their costumes have become a part of their persona and why they became famous; hence, they became a part of who they are. So here's a list of the biggest and most famous artists and the story behind their famous facade.
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman a.k.a. Deadmau5 is a Canadian music producer and DJ from Toronto, Ontario. He performs with a giant mouse head, and the reason behind this was years ago, he discovered a dead mouse inside his computer and people started calling him the "dead mouse guy" in the online chat rooms he often visited.
Daft Punk
Daft Punk is the French electro music duo, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They first became famous during the '90s French house movement. Their style is a combination of house music with funk, techno, disco, rock, and synthpop. Their signature helmets and gloves give off a robot persona which they wear almost all the time.
Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor is the lead singer of the metal band, Slipknot. The whole band wears scary Halloween masks while performing on stage, and they became known for their scary and intimidating costumes, aggressive music, and wild and energetic shows. Today, the band is still active, and if you're thinking of going to one of their shows, you better be prepared.
KISS
Each of the four members of Kiss has a different look inspired by their individual persona. "The Demon" has a dark sense of humor, "The Space Ace" has a love of science fiction, "The Starchild" is a hopeless romantic, "The Catman" feels he has nine lives due to living in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood. - Maybe you wonder if they had a crash course in makeup school back then.
Alice Cooper
"The Godfather of Shock Rock" Alice Cooper earned his title due to his distinctive raspy voice, and spectacular shows which feature stuff like guillotines, dueling swords, electric chairs, baby dolls, fake blood, and even deadly snakes. If you haven't seen an Alice Cooper concert yet, then we suggest you check it out to know what we're saying.
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen or King Diamond is a Grammy nominated heavy metal musician, and the lead singer of the bands Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond. He was influenced by musicians such as Arthur Brown, David Byron, Alice Cooper, Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan, Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant. - We wonder if he has his own makeup artist.
Insane Clown Posse
Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler) are the hip-hop duo, The Insane Clown Posse. They are known for their hardcore hip-hop style called "horrorcore" and their wild and elaborate live performances. - You just may ask if they hire the best professional makeup artist for musicians like them.
Planningtorock
Jam Rostron or better known as the English electronic musician and record producer, Planningtorock. Whenever she's performing whether on stage or in her videos, she wears something that hides her appearance like a face mask, headgear, facepaint, long bangs, and even prostheses. She actually looks beautiful under all the props.
MF Doom
The English hip-hop recording artist and record producer Daniel Dumile or better known as MF Doom is famous for his on-stage super villain persona (see that face mask). He has been known to use stand-ins during live performances, and during an interview, he says that he is the writer and director and that he "might send a white dude next", adding "whoever plays the character plays the character".
Rob Zombie
Not only is he a musician, but he is also a screenwriter and director. Rob Zombie became famous as a founding member of the heavy metal band, White Zombie. His music and lyrics have horror and sci-fi themes to them, and his live performances are praised for their elaborate special effects or scary movie props.
Claptone
Claptone is one of the most famous DJs of today and was even able to win the Producer of the Year Award at the DJ Awards held at Pacha club in Ibiza. His signature gold pointy-nose face mask looks like a plague doctor mask from the 17th century. His biggest hits are “No eyes”, “Dear Life”, “The music got me”, and his “Liquid spirit” remix.
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner or better known as Marilyn Manson is the lead singer of the band, Marilyn Manson. They got the name "Marilyn Manson" by combining the name of two American pop-culture icons, actress Marilyn Monroe and serial-killer Charles Manson. There was even a myth that Marilyn Manson was the guy who played Paul Pfeifer from The Wonder Years, and it was only when Brian Warner appeared without any makeup did the rumors die.
Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)
Wes Borland became famous as the guitarist and backup vocals of the nu metal band, Limp Bizkit. He even went on to start his own industrial rock band called Black Light Burns, where he is the lead vocalist. Wes is known for his weird and elaborate on-stage appearance: he wears full-body paints, face masks, and something akin to Halloween costumes.
Dee Snider
Dee Snider became famous during the '80s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band, Twisted Sister. His signature look was tattered fishnets, football pads, clownish makeup, and a lot of pink in the outfit. His wife Suzette is a costume designer, and maybe she's behind Dee's weird and iconic look.
Cazzette
Swedish electronic music duo, Cazzette is composed of Alexander Björklund and Sebastian Furrer. Their style is a combination of dance music, dubstep, and house which they call "dubhouse". They have been pretty famous recently and have appeared in major events. Their signature "Cassette Helmets" may not be known by our younger readers: it's a tape where you store music back in the old days before Ipads and Spotify.
Buckethead
Here we have the origin story of Buckethead. After seeing the horror movie, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers in 1998, he bought a Michael Myers-like white mask, and while eating Kentucky Fried Chicken, he decided to put on the mask and the bucket on his head. The rest is history. Best origin story ever!
Lordi
The Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band Lordi made history when they became the first and only hard rock band and Finnish artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2006. They are known for their scary Halloween costumes, horror masks, and pyrotechnics. All of their costumes are made by the lead singer, Mr. Lordi.
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown became one of the one-hit wonders, thanks to their song "Fire" released back in 1968. During one of his early performances, he wore a colander and set it on fire, and unsurprisingly his head caught on fire, and the burning head became his trademark look. He occasionally stripped while performing, and wore a lot of makeup which influenced the look of a lot of artists such as Alice Cooper, Kiss, and Marilyn Manson.
Behemoth
Death metal bands are known for their scary appearances with ghostly white makeup, Halloween costumes, and scary face masks, and one of the scariest bands out there is the Polish band, Behemoth. Their music is mostly about the occult, which adds to their creepiness factor.
Helge Risa (Kaizers Orchestra)
The Kaizers Orchestra was one of the biggest alternative rock bands in Norway, due to their unique and unpredictable style, and also for their lead singer's distinctive voice, and maybe also for their pianist Helge Risa's look; he wore a gas mask. They disbanded back in 2013.
Dimmu Borgir
Squarepusher
The UK-based recording artist, Squarepusher is the stage name adopted by Tom Jenkinson. His music draws from some genres such as drum and bass, acid house, jazz and electroacoustic music. His iconic helmet is like a monitor that can change images, which complements his seemingly futuristic music.
Sia
Sia is an Australian singer-songwrite, who is best known for her giant wigs that hide her face. Around the release of her fifth album, Sia began to get uncomfortable with her growing fame. The singer, who has suffered with drug addiction, alcoholism, depression and bipolar disorder - considered retiring, and decided to preform with her face hidden.