Meet Stromae, the Belgian Hit-Maker Who’s Collabed with Kanye and Lorde
Teen Vogue – Five years ago, Stromae’s “Alors on Danse” (“Now We Dance”) went viral. The Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer’s track hit number one in 19 countries, Kanye West came calling, and his electrifying French house-meets-hip-hop sound diffused globally.
But just as the buzz around him was starting to get louder, Stromae, otherwise known as Paul Van Haver, fell off the map. Three years later, his debut album, Racine Carrée (“Square Root”), presented a mash-up of life lessons and lyrical experiments, from “Carmen”—a modernization of the Georges Bizet opera—to the haunting “Papaoutai” (“Papa, Where Are You?”), which became a worldwide phenomenon. In the latter, Stromae discloses the pain of growing up without a father—his was killed in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. “That was definitely the hardest song to write,” Stromae says.
In the accompanying music video, a young boy tries to communicate with his dad, who is portrayed as a mannequin played by Stromae. “I didn’t want the father to be absent,” he explains. “The doll, since it couldn’t move or respond, was the most interesting option.” And, since the video’s racked up more than 270 million views on YouTube, it’s clear plenty of others agree. “Being honest and spontaneous is important when making music,” Stromae says. “But I’m also really logical when I compose.”
That’s not to say struggle comes without success. Over the past year, the album has led to collabs with Lorde and Angel Haze as well as an unexpected cameo from Kanye, who joined Stromae onstage for “Alors on Danse” at Coachella in April. And in October, Stromae is set to play his first show at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, following a serious health complication that surfaced while on tour in Africa this past summer. Fans are hopeful that he’ll be well enough in time to perform at the historic venue. “I’m excited to see what it looks like entering from backstage as the artist,” he says, “instead of being part of the audience looking up.”
Read the full Article HERE
