Top 10 Masked Music Artists
Here are the top notable musicians known for their signature mask, rarely without it in the public. They do that to hide their personal identities from the public, recommendation from someone in the music industry, or to overcome stage fright and shyness.
Daft Punk was a French electronic music duo consisting of producers Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. Known for being huge figures in the dance/electronica music industry, they are more recognized for their iconic robotic helmets than their faces. They came up with these ideas due to their shyness. They also wanted to keep their personal lives private and the media focused on their music. They make rare appearances unmasked, more than MF Doom would.
Daft Punk's music seems to fit them being masked honestly. It might have to do with the frequent vocoder use, but it seems to make sense for their songs to be from the perspective of someone you aren't sure is human or machine.
Daniel Dumile (July 13, 1971 - October 31, 2020), also known as MF DOOM, was a British-born hip hop recording artist who spent most of his life in the United States. He died on October 31, 2020, however, his death wasn't revealed until December 31. Known as an iconic figure in underground hip hop for his signature mask, he was unmasked when he was in the rap group KMD in the early '90s. When he went solo, he rarely appeared without it in public. He does it to add to his character. You can also search for these rare photos on Google.
Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has worked within many genres of music. Buckethead is known for his innovative electric guitar playing. He plays progressive metal, funk, blues, and avant-garde music, and has even collaborated with Iggy Pop. He has recorded 325 albums and was once a member of Guns N' Roses. He wears a white mask and a KFC bucket to help overcome his stage fright. He has been unmasked on rare occasions.
Christopher Comstock, known professionally as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. One of the most famous DJs, Marshmello is mostly known for his X-eyes helmet in the shape and color of a marshmallow. His helmet and white suit have become a popular Halloween costume, especially among children and tweens. He wears a mask to remain anonymous and hide from fame and the public media. Despite this, he occasionally makes rare unmasked appearances.
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (a.k.a. deadmau5) is a Canadian DJ producer, formerly a web developer, who produces a wide variety of electronic musical genres, such as electro and dubstep, but is best known for popularizing work in the areas of progressive house and electrohouse, along with the genres themselves... read more Deadmau5 almost always appears wearing a mouse-shaped helmet. He was originally a web designer but also wanted another passion, DJing. Jay Gordon told Deadmau5 that if he was going to be a DJ, he should wear a mouse-like helmet. He doesn't mind being unmasked in some appearances. It is now increasingly common for DJs to wear masks or helmets.
Slipknot is an American metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa in 1996. The band is best known as one of the pioneers of the New Wave of American Alternative Metal during the late 1990s - 2000s and are distinguishable by the band's clothing choices, consisting of black/red jumpsuits and horror inspired... read more The metal band started wearing masks because one of their members, Shawn Crahan, often wore a mask during rehearsals. They also started wearing matching jumpsuits. Much like Daft Punk, they want to hide their personal lives from the media and get them to focus on their work and music.
Slipknot also changes their masks and suits for every album. Sometimes the masks don't change much. There have been times when they only changed a few details or the color.
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. All of... read more
The Residents are an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents, the group has released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs. Some of you may have heard of them because they always wear these eye helmets and sometimes other weird masks. They hide themselves with these "eyeballs" so the audience can focus on their music rather than their image and keep their personal lives more secretive.
It does look like a comedy group for a subculture, but it is a virtual band that mixes punk rock, ska punk, and heavy metal, known as "Genetically Modified Punk Rock," which shows the group's uniqueness. Out-of-character interviews with them are very rare. They are anonymous, never revealing their faces, and have been active since 1993.
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop, horrorcore and rap rock duo consisting of rappers Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, that was formed in 1989 in Detroit... read more An infamous rap duo consisting of Violent Jay and Shaggy 2 Dope, they won't go anywhere in public without their clown makeup. They choose it to be an important part of their characters, and it allows Juggalos to identify each other more easily.
The Newcomers
Mushroomhead is an American nu metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound which includes influence from heavy metal, art rock and electro-industrial and their imagery which features masks and costumes as well as... read more
Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2008. The band consists of five masked instrumentalists known as the Nameless Ghouls, and a demonic anti-pope known as Papa Emeritus. They have released four studio albums, one live album, and two EPs. Each album introduces a new version... read moreThey are a brother and sister electronic duo from Sweden formed in 1999. They rarely appear in public, except when they wear large bird's beaks that look similar to plague doctor masks.