Joe Duplantier – Gojira

French-born New Yorker Joe Duplantier is the guitarist and lead singer of the metal band Gojira.

Gojira were formed in 1996, then called Godzilla, and became Gojira in 2001. The band’s line up includes Joe Duplantier on guitar and vocals, his brother Mario on drums, Christian Andreu on guitar, and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass. Gojira has released seven studio albums. Their 2021 album, Fortitude, was a best-selling album in the US, debuting at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and selling over 27,000 copies in its first week. It was also critically acclaimed, being named “best album of 2021” by multiple metal and rock outlets.

Why Joe Duplantier is vegan

Joe Duplantier is vegan for the animals and environment.

Joe originally became vegan for the animals and to protect the planet, around 2014.¹Bracken, S. 2021. Gojira: ‘The extinction of so many species is going to be one of our legacies’. The Irish Times. Available: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/gojira-it-s-not-just-a-trend-it-s-a-movement-it-s-a-revolution-1.4547970 [Accessed 27 May 2026]. As an added bonus, he says his energy levels have improved since being plant-based, giving him more stamina for the band’s shows.²blabbermouth.net. 2023. GOJIRA’s JOSEPH DUPLANTIER Says His Energy Level Has ‘Increased By Ten Or A Hundred’ After Becoming Vegan. Available: https://blabbermouth.net/news/gojiras-joseph-duplantier-says-his-energy-level-has-increased-by-ten-or-a-hundred-after-becoming-vegan [Accessed 27 May 2026].

Although he didn’t become a vegan until adulthood, his concerns for the environment started much younger. He told alive.com: “I would go to the beach as a kid and I would have black stains on my feet when I came home. I asked my parents, ‘What is this?’ And they said, ‘It’s oil.’”³Levin, R. B. 2020. The plant-powered rock star. Alive. Available: https://www.alive.com/lifestyle/plant-powered-rock-star/ [Accessed 27 May 2026].

Joe Duplantier has said that if he wasn’t in a band, he would be an environmental activist.⁴Radio Metal. 2008. GOJIRA : ENTRETIEN AVEC JOE DUPLANTIER. Available: https://www.radiometal.com/article/gojira-entretien-avec-joe-duplantier,425 [Accessed 27 May 2026], In fact, Gojira has played shows to raise money for conservation organisations including Sea Shepherd. Joe’s lyrics address many issues such as animal rights, the environmental crisis and social injustice and inequality.

“… something’s wrong with us […] The extinction of so many species is going to be one of our legacies. It took billions of years to create these species and in 40 years, boom, thousands and thousands of species are extinct because of us.”⁵Bracken, S. 2021. Gojira: ‘The extinction of so many species is going to be one of our legacies’. The Irish Times. Available: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/gojira-it-s-not-just-a-trend-it-s-a-movement-it-s-a-revolution-1.4547970 [Accessed 27 May 2026].