Stromae Concerts Tickets

ABOUT STROMAE

Stromae, aka Paul Van Haver, is a Belgian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician. He was born in Brussels and raised in the city's Laeken district, to a Belgian Flemish mother and a Tutsi Rwandan father, who was killed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide while visiting his family. It was while Stromae was at school that he first began rapping and formed a rap group with his friends.

The name "Stromae" is "Maestro" with the syllables reversed in the style of verlan – a form of French slang.

CAREER

2000-2008: Career beginnings

In 2000, Stromae began rapping under the name Opmaestro, before changing to his current moniker.

Aged 18, he formed the rap duo Suspicion with his friend and fellow rapper J.E.D.I. They released the single and video "Faut Que T'arrête le Rap..." before J.E.D.I. left the duo. In 2007, whilst studying at the Institut National de Radioélectricité et Cinématographie, Stromae released his debut EP, "Juste un Cerveau, un Flow, un Fond et un Mic...". The following year, he signed a 4-year record deal with Because Music and Kilomaître.

2008-2012: Breakthrough and international success

In 2008, Stromae also began working as a young trainee at the music radio station NRJ in Brussels. His single "Alors On Danse" caught the attention of music manager Vince Verbelen, who aired it for the first time on NRJ. The public reaction to the song was huge, with celebrities such as Anna Wintour, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Nicolas Sarkozy (the then-president of France) all voicing their enthusiasm for the track. Within a few weeks, the track had reached number one in Belgium. As a result, Stromae signed a worldwide distribution deal with Vertigo Records, a subsidiary of Mercury Records France (Universal Music Group).

By May 2010 "Alors On Danse" had reached number one in Belgium, France, Sweden, Greece, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Cheese, Stromae’s debut album, was released in June 2010. The album charted in eight countries internationally, gaining triple-platinum certification in Belgium, and gold in Austria, France, and Poland. It launched the radio singles "Alors On Danse",  "Te Quiero" and "House'llelujah". That September, Stromae released a remix of the track featuring Kanye West and Gilbere Forte.

That year, he won a European Border Breaks Award and was nominated for Best Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

2013-2017: Racine Carrée

"Papaoutai", the lead single from Stromae’s second album Racine Carrée, was released on May 13, 2013, and reached number one in Belgium and France, number two in the Netherlands, and number seven in Germany and Switzerland.

The album’s second single, "Formidable", was released in June 2013 and also reached number one in Belgium and France. It has been certified diamond in France, triple-platinum in Belgium, platinum in Switzerland, and gold in Denmark and Italy. Its video won the award for Music Video of the Year at the 2014 Victoires de la Musique.

Racine Carrée was released on August 15, 2013. It topped the charts in France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as reaching the top ten in Canada, and the top forty in Germany. The album have been certified 12-times platinum in Belgium, where it topped the charts for several weeks, and in France has been certified quadruple diamond, becoming one of the best-selling albums in France of recent years, having amassed over one million sales in just four months.

On 25 August 2013, Stromae joined Major Lazer's show at French festival Rock en Seine, performing "Papaoutai". That November, he won the award for Best Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

On 17 March 2014, Stromae's song "Ta Fête" was made the official song for the Belgian national football team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

That June, he performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, making his late-night television debut and kicking off his US tour in support of Racine Carrée. In November, he contributed to the song "Meltdown", which also features Pusha T, Q-Tip, Haim, and Lorde, and is on the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay pt. 1.

In March 2015, Stromae continued his tour of the US, performing at SXSW, Coachella, and Madison Square Garden that October, becoming the first exclusively French-singing performer to sell out that venue.

2018-present: New work and Multitude

"Défiler", Stromae’s first single in three years, was released on April 6, 2018. It coincided with the release of a new fashion line: Capsule 5.

In 2019, he co-produced and provided vocals, in French, for Coldplay’s song "Arabesque" from their album Everyday Life.

Stromae released the single "Santé" on October 15, 2021. It topped the Belgian singles chart and reached number three in France. "L'enfer", a second single, was released on January 9, 2022, reaching number one in Belgium and France, and number three in Switzerland.

Multitude, Stromae’s third studio album, is released on March 4, 2022.