Stromae
Paul van Haver (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpʌul vɑn ˈɦaːvər]; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (French pronunciation: [stʁɔmaj]),[1] is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He is mostly known for his music blending hip hop and electronic music. 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 two million copies in France.[2] The main singles from the album include "Papaoutai" and "Formidable". Stromae also has a series of “leçons” that show how he makes his songs.
In this Dutch name, the surname is van Haver, not Haver.
Stromae
Paul van Haver
12 March 1985
Etterbeek, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
- Singer
- rapper
- producer
- songwriter
2000–present
- Mosaert
- B1
- Vertigo
- Mercury
- Universal
- Republic
- Casablanca
- Island France
- Columbia
Early life[edit]
Paul van Haver was born in Brussels and raised in the city's Laken district, to a Tutsi father from Rwanda, Pierre Rutare, and a Flemish mother, Miranda van Haver.[3][4] He said in an interview that he also has distant Somali heritage from his father's side.[5] He and his siblings were raised by their mother, as his father, an architect, was killed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, while visiting his family.[3][6] He attended the Sacré-coeur de Jette, a Jesuit school in Jette, the Collège Saint-Paul in Godinne, after failing in the public school system at the age of 16.[6] He formed a small rap group with his friends while still in school. His early influences included Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, son cubano and Congolese rumba.[7]
Collaborations[edit]
In 2009, Stromae collaborated with Kery James on the song "Ghetto", also featuring J-mi Sissoko. The song was the subject of his "Lesson Number 14" series on YouTube.[57]
Also in 2009, Stromae collaborated with DJ Psar on a French-language mix of "We Will Rock You" by Queen, entitled "We Will Strock You".
In 2010, Stromae's song "Alors on danse" was remixed by Kanye West. Stromae brought West on stage at Coachella in 2015 while he performed the song.[58]
Stromae collaborated with Lorde, Haim, Pusha T, and Q-Tip for the song "Meltdown", which uses the instrumental of his song "Merci", a track originally recorded for his 2014 album Racine carrée. The track was featured on the soundtrack for the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.[59]
Stromae collaborated with director Henry Scholfield to produce the music video for English artist Dua Lipa's single "IDGAF". The video was released on 12 January 2018.[60]
Stromae provided vocals for Coldplay's 2019 single "Arabesque" on their eighth studio album, Everyday Life.[61]
Stromae also collaborated with French rapper Orelsan on a song called "La pluie".[62]
Stromae collaborated with Camila Cabello in the music video for "Mon amour", where she contributed vocals in English and French for the video version in 2022.[63]
Other ventures[edit]
Stromae launched a fashion line, Mosaert (an anagram of his stage name), described as "hipster" and "retro kitsch". Stromae has said that he wanted to "create a bridge between British style and African aesthetic".[64] The first collection was a success, with stocks almost sold out after three days.[65] 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.[66][67] Capsule No. 3 was released on 7 April 2016, a music track was released on 31 March 2017 to promote the line.[68] 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.[69][70]
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".[46]
In 2020, Mosaert collaborated with Repetto, the French ballet shoe company. As a result of this, an exclusively-instrumental song was made by Stromae, entitled "Repetto x Mosaert".
Personal life[edit]
In 2015, Stromae had to cancel a tour through Africa because of anxiety caused by the malaria medicine Lariam (Mefloquine). He remained largely out of the public eye until 2022, when he released Multitude and participated in interviews and media appearances to support the album.[71] Since then he has avoided public appearances. In an interview in 2017, he stated that he still suffers from panic attacks and initially left open whether he would ever be able to make music professionally again.[72] Stromae is fluent in French, Dutch, English and some Spanish.
On 12 December 2015, Van Haver was secretly married to Coralie Barbier by Catholic priest Guy Gilbert, in a private ceremony held in Mechelen.[73] The couple's first child was born in 2018.[74]
Musical style[edit]
Stromae's music is heavily influenced by electronic music, especially Belgian New Beat music.[75] He has been touted as the "face of the New Beat generation".[76] He also considers Congolese music to be a huge influence.
Stromae has been compared to Jacques Brel, whom Stromae considers a big influence, with Stromae covering several of his songs.[77]
Studio albums