Stromae
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Biography
Paul Van Haver (March 12, 1985), whose stage name is Stromae, derived from the word "maestro", is a Belgian pop singer and rapper known for his African and Caribbean influences. Born in Brussels, his architect father was killed during the Rwandan atrocities in his homeland in 1994. He formed a rap group named Suspician as a teenager and released an EP and video titled “Faut que t'arrête le rap.” He studied filmmaking in Brussels but decided to focus on music with the 2007 EP release Juste un Cerveau, un Flow, un Fond et un Mic. Following a stint on music radio, he signed a record deal and his first mainstream single was released. He gained international attention in 2010 with his first single “Alors on danse,” which topped Billboard's France Digital Song Sales Chart. He remixed the song with Kanye West and Gilbert Forte later that year. His version appeared on his first album Cheese (2010), which sold well in Europe as did his 2013 follow-up, Racine Carrée, which topped Billboard's World Albums Chart and the single “Papaoutai,” which topped the France Digital Songs Chart reached Number 6 on the Germany Songs Chart and went to Number 25 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart. In 2013, the singles “Formidable” and “Tous les mêmes” both went to Number 1 on the France Digital Chart. He toured America in 2014, shot several videos, and entered the world of fashion with a collection branded Mosaert. His song “Meltdown” featuring Lorde, Pusha T, Q-Tip, and Haim featured on the soundtrack of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014 and “Ta fête” was the official song of the Belgium football team at the 2014 World Cup. His 8:50-minute track “Défiler” was released in 2018 to accompany his Capsule 5 clothing line. The following year, he co-produced and sang on Coldplay’s “Arabesque,” included in their album Everyday Life. No new music would be heard until 2021, when he returned with the single “Santé,” reaching the top of Belgium’s Ultratop charts upon its release. "L'Enfer," the second single from his third full-length Multitude, appeared in 2022 and achieved pole position in both Belgium and France.