Paul van Haver (1985 -), best known as Stromae, is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer born in 1985. His musical style is a blend of hip-hop and electronic music, heavily influenced by Congolese music and Belgian New Beat music. He rose to fame in 2009 for his hit single “Alors on danse”. He received the award for Best Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Awards in 2013.
Stromae began making music while still in school and he formed a rap group aged 16 with his friends. After high school, he attended the film school of Brussels where he decided to focus fully on his music career. He has created his own record label and collaborated with artists such as Kanye West, the Black Eyed Peas and Lorde and Coldplay. His second album, Racine Carrée, topped the charts in France and Belgium and sold over 2 million copies.
His songs deal with themes such as the addictiveness of social media, modelling and superficiality and growing up without a father. Stromae has suffered periods of depression and anxiety since his success and he has at times questioned whether he would ever make music again. He has publicly spoken about his avoidance of public appearances and struggles with mental health.
Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromae https://mosaert.com/projects/stromae https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/55625/1/stromae-new-album-multitude-l-enfer-tf1-live-performance-interview-2022