Wearing a mask is one of the guidelines that many people must adhere to due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as washing hands and maintaining social distancing, masks help prevent the transmission of the virus. However, the protective facial gears are also used for fashion or to protect the identity of the wearer. As such, some musicians have been wearing masks even before the coronavirus hit the world. Here are some of the musicians who wear masks and why they wear them.
Daft Punk
This French EDM duo is known for their single "Around the World" and collaboration with The Weeknd in "Starboy." Their most successful album was Discovery, where their most popular tracks "One More Time" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" are.
Daft Punk is composed of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They are known to be shy, hence the robot masks, and they rarely do interviews. They conceal their identities in an attempt to keep their personal lives away from the public eye. The duo musicians also wanted the fans to focus more on their music.
Slipknot
This heavy metal band is wearing masks because they also want fans to focus their attention on the music they make. Shawn Crahan, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Jim Root, Alessandro Ventrulla, and Jay Weinberg make the roster of Slipknot. The idea of wearing a mask started when Crahan wore the infamous clown mask during the band rehearsals. The group decided to wear jumpsuits to match the masks. Finally, they also use numbers as an alias instead of their actual names. This is a commentary on how music has become manufactured solely for commercial success.
Sia
While not wearing a mask, singer-songwriter Sia wears a wig that covers most of her face. Her wigs usually come in black and blonde, contrast with a stylish hat or a giant bow. She does this because she wanted to protect her privacy and how she hates the idea of her being famous. She is known for her hit single "Chandelier" as well as many collaborations, one of which was with Rihanna in "Diamonds."
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman was initially known to his friends as the "dead mouse guy" after he finds a rodent that broke his computer. The Canadian EDM music producer adopted the moniker and shortened it to Deadmau5 to adhere to the chat room guidelines. From then on, he got stuck with the name until he became a DJ and wore a giant mouse mask.
GWAR
Death Piggy decided to wear costumes to look dorky intentionally. The mask-wearing band would serve as an opening act to make their actual band look better. GWAR is composed of grotesque intergalactic characters combining from science fiction with mythology. They roleplay as space misfits who got banished to Earth for wreaking havoc across the universe. This concept is combined with over-the-top violence, political satire, and tasteless humor. Ironically, the audience loved GWAR, and the Richmond-based heavy metal band decided to stick with it.
