Stromae

Stromae
Stromae at the 2011 NRJ Music Awards
Background information
Birth name Paul Van Haver
Born (1985-03-12) 12 March 1985
Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments
Years active 2000–present
Labels
Website mosaert.com/projects/stromae

Paul Van Haver ([pɔl vɑn ɦɑvər]; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae ([stʁɔmaj]), is a Belgian musician, rapper and singer-songwriter. He established himself in both the hip hop and electronic music genres. Stromae came to wide public attention in 2009 with his song "Alors on danse" (from the album Cheese), which became a number one in several European countries. In 2013, his second album Racine carrée was a commercial success, selling 2 million copies in France[1] alone and nearly 600,000 units elsewhere. He has sold over 8.5 million records worldwide. His music is primarily sung in French.

Early life

Van Haver was born in Brussels and raised in the city's Laeken district, to a Rwandan father, Pierre Rutare, and a Belgian mother, Miranda Van Haver.[2] Van Haver and his siblings were raised by their mother, as his father, a successful architect, was killed during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, while visiting his family.[3] Van Haver attended a Roman Catholic Jesuit school after he failed in the public school system at the age of sixteen.[3] He formed a small rap group with his friends while still in school. His early influences included Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, Cuban son, and Congolese rumba.[4] .[3]

Musical career

2000–07: Early career

In 2001, he appeared as a rapper called Opmaestro, though he later changed his stage name to "Stromae", which is "Maestro" with the syllables reversed following the French slang practice, verlan.[3]

At the age of 18, he founded a rap group called "Suspicion", along with rapper "J.E.D.I." in Eichof. They produced the song and music video "Faut que t'arrête le Rap..." before J.E.D.I. decided to leave the rap duo. To finance his private school education, Van Haver worked part-time in the hospitality industry, but his academic performance wasn't up to standard. It was only later, when he registered at the Institut national de radioélectricité et cinématographie, that he released his first album "Juste un cerveau, un flow, un fond et un mic...".

2007–08: Debut EP and record career

In 2007, during his studies at the film school of Brussels, Stromae decided to concentrate fully on his musical career. This resulted in his debut-EP "Juste un cerveau, un flow, un fond et un mic…". In 2008 he signed a 4-year record deal with "Because Music" and "Kilomaître".

2009–12: Breakthrough and international success

Portrait of Stromae

In 2008, Stromae worked as a young trainee at the music radio station NRJ in Brussels. Vincent Verbelen, Music Manager, was impressed by the talent he perceived in Stromae's first single "Alors on danse" and decided to air it for the first time on NRJ. The response from listeners (including influential personalities ranging from Anna Wintour and Jean-Claude Van Damme, to the then-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy) was one of extreme enthusiasm and Stromae came to wider public attention. In a few weeks from that point, sales of the song established it as number one in Belgium.

Vertigo Records, a label of Mercury Records France (Universal Music Group), signed him for a worldwide licensing deal soon after this.

By May 2010 the track "Alors on danse" had reached number one in Belgium, France, Sweden, Greece, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Romania, and the Czech Republic.

On 2 September, Stromae collaborated with Kanye West and Gilbere Forte in a remix of his hit "Alors on danse".[5] In 2010, he was nominated for Best Dutch and Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Of his music and influences, he has said: "I was in a little group doing rap music. I thought that rather than copying the French sound, I'd focus on a more American style but give it a European spin. And then I rediscovered the 90s Eurodance. For a long time we were ashamed of that sound but in fact, there's a lot to discover. It has its roots in everything from house to salsa. I also really admire Jacques Brel – he has been a huge influence on me – but also all sorts of other stuff, Cuban son, and the Congolese rumba, that I heard as a child; that music rocked the whole of Africa." Also, Stromae insists he wanted to collaborate with up and coming rap group Swag+5 featuring rapper T-Jay. In the end, the collaboration did not take place, but Stromae is a big fan of the America-based group.[6] The critic Molloy Woodcraft: "He combines 90s electro synths and beats with a laidback delivery to the mesmeric effect".

He is one of the ten winners of the European Border Breakers Award 2011. On 9 February 2011, his debut album Cheese (including the hit single "Alors on danse") won the award for Best Dance Album at the Victoires de la musique.

On 23 May 2011, during the recording of the French TV show Taratata, Stromae did a mashup of "Alors on danse" and "Don't Stop the Party" with the Black Eyed Peas. Stromae also announced he would perform as the opening support act for the first of two concerts by the band in Paris on 24 and 25 June 2011 at Stade De France.[7] Stromae had previously met will.i.am at the NRJ Music Awards in January. will.i.am told him that he liked "Alors on danse" and said he wanted to collaborate with Stromae.

In 2011, he received one nomination for Best Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.[8]

2013–2017: Racine carrée

The first single "Papaoutai" from his second album Racine carrée (English: Square root) was digitally released on 13 May 2013. It went on to chart number 1 in Belgium and France, number 2 in the Netherlands, as well as number 7 in Germany and Switzerland.

On 22 May 2013, amateur-looking videos appeared on YouTube showing Stromae, apparently drunk and wandering at the Louiza tram station in Brussels at dawn.[9] The videos went viral. A few days later, it was revealed that this was linked with the filming of a professional music video. This was confirmed during an appearance by Stromae on the French TV show Ce soir ou jamais in which he discussed and also performed his new single "Formidable", which is about the story of a drunk man just separated from his girlfriend. The clip was made from edited hidden camera footage taken on 22 May. It also shows people taking pictures with their cellphones, people who are clearly irritated by his drunk actions, people helping him stand up, and three policemen asking if the artist is okay or if he needs some help.[10][11] The policemen also got some critiques for not acting against the drunk Stromae; however, they later declared that the entire story was not shown. The part where they returned and Stromae had to explain his case was not broadcast.[12]

On 26 July 2013, Stromae announced on his Facebook[13] and Twitter[14] accounts that he had completed his second studio album Racine carrée or √ and that it would be released on 16 August 2013. On 25 August 2013, Stromae joined Major Lazer's show at French festival Rock en Seine, where he performed Papaoutai. In September 2013, Belgian rock band Mintzkov covered his song "Formidable/Wonderful" for a live session on Studio Brussel, with lyrics in English. In November 2013, Stromae received the award for Best Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.[15][16]

On 17 March 2014, it was made public that Stromae's song "Ta fête" would become the official song for the Belgian national football team at the 2014 World Cup.[17]

In June 2014, in support of Racine carrée, Stromae made his US television debut on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers.[18] He then embarked on a tour across the United States and performed at the Best Buy Theater in New York City.[19][20] While in New York, on 22 June 2014, Stromae guest starred in a Snapchat story with Jerome Jarre as The Carrot's Father.[21]

On 21 October 2014, it was revealed that New Zealand singer Lorde invited Stromae to work on the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 along with artists like Kanye West, Grace Jones, Diplo and The Chemical Brothers.[22] He contributed to the song "Meltdown" which also features Pusha T, Q-Tip, Haim and Lorde herself.[23] Earlier that month she declared herself a fan of Stromae after attending his concert.[24] In March 2015, Stromae released a music video for the song "Carmen", which was directed by Sylvain Chomet. The video warns people against the addiction of social websites such as Twitter.[25]

Stromae continued touring the United States, performing in March 2015 in several places among which the SXSW in Austin, Texas.[26] He was also among the line-up of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[27][28] He then began a tour in Africa on 13 May. However, in mid-June Stromae was forced to cancel the remaining of his shows until 2 August for health reasons.[29] He performed at Madison Square Garden in October, becoming the first exclusively French-singing performer to sell out that venue.[30][31]

On 14 September 2015, Stromae released a single "Quand c'est?", a song about cancer, which plays on the fact that "Quand c'est?" (When is it?) and "cancer" are phonetically similar in French.[32]

By the end of 2015, the album became the first in over a decade to reach 2 million sales in France.

2018 to present: New work

On 6 April 2018, Stromae released his first new single in more than five years, "Défiler", to accompany the release of "Capsule 5" a new fashion line. [33][34][35] The song was co-composed with his brother, Luc Junior Tam. [36] The song's lyrics play on the meanings in the French language of the words "défiler", "fil" and "filer", evoking themes of parading as a model, life speeding by and conforming or toeing the line. [37]

Other ventures

Stromae as a maestro

The name "Stromae" comes from switching the "mae" and "stro" in the word "maestro".[38] This inversion is a result of French slang[39] known as verlan.[40]

True to the origins of his artistic identity, Van Haver has produced a number of videos described as leçons, or lessons, released on Youtube.

Leçon 21 is entitled Silence,[41] leçon 24 is entitled les leçons c'est "tous les mêmes," and is delivered by Stromae on a gondola in Venice.[42] Leçon 28 is entitled "ta fête" (hymne red devils),[43] and features the National football team of Belgium.[44]

Fashion label

Stromae is known for his distinctive physique and clothing style. He has used this image in launching a limited fashion line, Mosaert (an anagram of his stage name). The collection features bright colors and geometric patterns, and has been described as "hipster" and "retro kitsch". Stromae has said that he wanted to "create a bridge between British style and African aesthetic".[45]

The first collection was a success, with stocks almost sold out after three days.[46] The second collection, Capsule No. 2, was released at Colette in Paris on 3 December 2014, and features the square root design on each item in different colors.[47][48] Capsule No. 3 was released on 7 April 2016, a music track was released on 31 March 2017 to promote the line.[49] The new designs are the first to use patterns not previously worn by Stromae, reflecting Mosaert's intention to gradually move into a separate stylistic identity for the clothing line.[50][51]

On 6 April 2018, Mosaert presented a fashion show at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris to mark the release of its latest collection, "Capsule n°5", which was accompanied by the release of Stromae's first new single in more than five years, "Défiler". [52]

Collaborations

Stromae collaborated with director Henry Scholfield to produce the music video for British artist Dua Lipa's single 'IDGAF' released on 12 January 2018[53].

Personal life

On 12 December 2015, Van Haver was secretly married to Coralie Barbier by well-known Catholic Priest Guy Gilbert, in a private ceremony held in Mechelen.[54]

In the night of 22nd to 23rd of September 2018, his first son was born.[55]

Musical style

Stromae's music is heavily influenced by electronic music especially Belgian New Beat music.[56] He has been touted as the "face of the New Beat generation"[57] He considers Congolese music to be a huge influence.

Stromae has been compared to Jacques Brel, who in turn significantly influenced Stromae, with Stromae even covering several of his songs.[58]

Awards and nominations

Antville Music Video Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2015 "Carmen" Best Animated Nominated

UK Music Video Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2013 "Papaoutai" Best Styling Nominated
Best Choreography Nominated
2014 "Tous les mêmes" Best Pop Video Nominated
2015 "Carmen" Best Urban Video Nominated
Best Animation Nominated

World Music Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2014 Himself World's Best Selling Eastern European Artist/Group Won
World's Best Selling Benelux Artist Won
World’s Best Entertainer of the Year Nominated
Racine Carrée World's Best Album Nominated
"Papaoutai" World's Best Song Nominated
World's Best Video Nominated
"Formidable" Nominated
World's Best Song Nominated
"Tous les mêmes" Nominated
World's Best Video Nominated
"Bâtard" Nominated
World's Best Song Nominated
"AVF"
(featuring Maître Gims and Orelsan)		 Nominated
World's Best Video Nominated
"Moules frites" Nominated
World's Best Song Nominated

Other Awards

Year Organization Award Work
2009 NRJ Music Awards Belgian Francophone Musical Breakthrough of the Year N/A
2010 Music Industry Awards Hit of the Year Alors on danse
Musical Breakthrough of the Year N/A
2011 Victoires de la Musique Electronic or Dance Music Album of the Year Cheese
Ultratop Download Award Most Downloaded Artist in 2010 in Belgium N/A
Octaves de la musique Artist of the Year N/A
Show of the Year N/A
2012 ADISQ Most Successful Francophone Artist in Quebec N/A
2013 Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur Best Music Video Papaoutai
SACEM Rolf Marbot Prize for Song of the Year Formidable
NRJ Music Awards Best French-Language Song
Best French-Speaking Male Artist N/A
MTV Europe Music Awards Best Belgian Artist N/A
Red Bull Elektropedia Awards Artist of the Year N/A
2014 Octaves de la musique N/A
Bel RTL Public Prize N/A
Best Album of French Songs Racine Carrée
Globes de Cristal Awards Best Male Singer N/A
Victoires de la Musique Male Artist of the Year N/A
Music Video of the Year Formidable
Song/Variety Album of the Year Racine Carrée
2015 Concert of the Year N/A
2016 Académie française Grand prix de la francophonie[59] N/A

Discography

Stromae during Brussels Summer Festival (2011)

Studio albums

Extended plays

  • 2007: Juste un cerveau, un flow, un fond et un mic...

Mixtapes

  • 2006: Freestyle Finest
  • 2009: Mixture Elecstro

Video albums

References

  1. ↑ "Stromae : "Racine carrée" franchit le cap des 2 millions de ventes". chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  2. ↑ Coljon, Thierry (24 December 2010). "Ma journée avec Stromae, de Laeken à Vilvorde" (in French). Archived from the original on 6 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Scott, Sayare (14 October 2013). "Stromae: Disillusion With a Dance Beat". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Hoby, H, Fox, K & Woodcraft, M (5 September 2010). "Stars In Our Eyes: This Season's New Music Talent". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Stromae feat. Kanye West – Alors on danse on YouTube (2 September 2010). Retrieved on 2012-02-22.
  6. ↑ The Observer, 5 September 2010
  7. ↑ Black Eyed Peas at Stade De France | MSN Arabia Entertainment. Arabia.msn.com (26 July 2011). Retrieved on 2012-02-22.
  8. ↑ MTV EMA 2011 :: 06.11.2011 :: Belfast :: Stromae. Be.mtvema.com (6 November 2011). Retrieved on 2012-02-22.
  9. ↑ Stromae bourré à Bruxelles on YouTube (23 May 2013)
  10. ↑ "Stromae - Formidable (ceci n'est pas une leçon)". 27 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "VIDEO. Formidable : le clip de Stromae nous a tous buzzés" (in French). lexpress.fr. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "VIDEO. Interview with the policemen appearing in the formidable clip" (in Dutch).
  13. ↑ "Stromae". Facebook. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "Twitter / Stromae: It's done. My 2nd album will". Twitter.com. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Thijs, Tommy (18 September 2013). "Dit zijn de genomineerden voor de MTV European Music Awards". De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "2013 MTV EMA: Highlights of the show & winners". MTV. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "Het officiële Rode Duivels-lied is er!". De Standaard (in Dutch). 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  18. ↑ Allain, Xavier (17 June 2014). "Découvrez la première télévision de Stromae aux Etats-Unis". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  19. ↑ Lowery, Tim (30 April 2014). "Meet Stromae, the most famous pop star you've never heard of". Time Out. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  20. ↑ Lindsay, Benjamin (23 June 2014). "International Artist Stromae Slays, Sells Out Best Buy Theater". Next Magazine. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Jerome Jarre Tweet". 22 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  22. ↑ Minsker, Evan (21 October 2014). "Kanye West, Chvrches, Bat For Lashes, Haim, Pusha T, Charli XCX Appear on Lorde's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 Soundtrack". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  23. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (13 November 2014). "Lorde Gathers Stromae, Pusha T, Q-Tip & HAIM for 'Meltdown' from 'Hunger Games': Listen". Radio.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Lorde (5 October 2014). "@Stromae has one of the best shows i've ever seen. so smart, well paced, lit and constructed. and the SONGS". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  25. ↑ Dunlap, Kelley. "Premiere: Stromae Warns Of The Tweetpocalypse In Amazingly Animated "Carmen" Video" (31 March 2015). BuzzFeed. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  26. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (25 March 2015). "Stromae, Live In Concert: SXSW 2015". NPR. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  27. ↑ Krishnamurthy, Sowmya. "10 Most Anticipated Hip-Hop and R&B Acts Performing at Coachella 2015". The Boombox.
  28. ↑ Wong, Grace (13 April 2015). "Coachella 2015: Belgium's Stromae proves music is a universal language". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  29. ↑ Pointu, Tupac (14 June 2015). "Belgian singer Stromae cancels concerts for health reasons". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  30. ↑ Spanos, Brittany. "Stromae Plots East Coast Dance Party With New Tour Dates". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "xxx". Village Voice. Village Voice. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  32. ↑ Hugo-Pierre Gausserand (14 Sep 2015). "Stromae affronte le cancer dans son clip Quand c'est ?". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  33. ↑ Ryan Reed (27 April 2018). "Hear Stromae's Electronic Journey on First Song in Five Years, 'Defiler'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  34. ↑ "On 6 April, Mosaert presented its very first fashion show at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris to mark the release of its latest collection, "Capsule n°5"". Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  35. ↑ "Spotify". Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  36. ↑ Eric Torres. "Stromae "Défiler"". Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  37. ↑ "Joutsenpoika". "Stromae "Défiler"". Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  38. ↑ Sergio Kletnoy. "The Rest of the World Loves Stromae...and Soon You Will, Too". Elle. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  39. ↑ Eleanor Beardsley. "Stromae, Global Star In The Making, Set To Touch Down In The U.S." NPR. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  40. ↑ "Verlan: France's backwards language you need to learn". Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  41. ↑ Dapastudio (2010-07-05), Stromae - Lecon 21 "Silence", retrieved 2018-02-14
  42. ↑ Dapastudio (2013-02-14), stromae - les leçons c'est tous les mêmes (leçon 24), retrieved 2018-02-14
  43. ↑ Dapastudio (2014-03-17), stromae - leçon 28 'ta fête' (hymne red devils), retrieved 2018-02-14
  44. ↑ "Sponsorship in sport". about.ing.be. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  45. ↑ "Stromae: the eclectic musician". Vogue Italia. Vogue Magazine. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  46. ↑ Voogt, G. "Stromae's clothing line 'Mosaert' huge success". D’Sign Magazine. D'Sign Magazine. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  47. ↑ "Flashback: Mosaert – Capsule n°2". colette.
  48. ↑ "mosaert capsule no. 2". Stromaeometre • Your source on the singer Stromae • stromaeometre.com.
  49. ↑ "In Stromae's New Mosaert Collection, Athleisure Meets African Prints". Vogue US. Vogue Magazine. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  50. ↑ "Stromae : " J'aime la manière dont un truc classique peut devenir anticonventionnel "". Elle.fr. Elle Magazine. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  51. ↑ "MOSAERT LANCE SA TROISIÈME COLLECTION CAPSULE". Elle.be. Elle Magazine. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  52. ↑ "On 6 April, Mosaert presented its very first fashion show at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris to mark the release of its latest collection, "Capsule n°5"". Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  53. ↑ "Dua Lipa's new 'IDGAF' video is all about self love and took 22 hours to shoot - NME". NME. 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  54. ↑ Hélène Pagesy (2015-12-14). "Stromae s'est marié dans le plus grand secret samedi". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  55. ↑ "Papaoutai : Stromae devient papa". L'Obs. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  56. ↑ Sagnard, Arnaud (2013). La formidable histoire de Stromae. GQ. pp. 126–133.
  57. ↑ "Stromae sur l'arrivée". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  58. ↑ "Racine Carrée". 12 September 2013. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  59. ↑ "Grand Prix de la Francophonie - Académie française". www.academie-francaise.fr.
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