It was quiet for seven years around the Belgian singer-songwriter Stromae. We all remember the well-known songs he released on his second album Racine Carrée in 2013 with songs like Papaoutai and Formidable that were huge hits and became platina. After that, there were a few more single songs and he focused on his fashion label and his wife's work as a stylist, and in terms of music, he had made a final contribution in 2019 on Coldplay's album with the song Arabesque. In recent years, Stromae struggled with mental health issues,depression, suicidal thoughts and despite having to endure that battle, he turned it into music, his strength and made songs for his third studio album entitled Multitude which will be released at the beginning of March this year. October 2021 saw the release of the single Santé which is the second song on this album. The issue is about diversity of people who often go unnoticed in their work, but who do equally important work. In doing so, it immediately makes a good statement with this song.

After Santé, which was already a surprising comeback, Stromae comes up with a second song titled L'enfer, a song in which he talks about his own difficult period in recent years and what it is like to walk around with dark thoughts in your head. The song has an extra dimension in these coronation times because many people, young and old, are struggling with depression and feelings of loneliness. Because Stromae brings this subject up for discussion through this song, not only do you reach a lot of people, because the song can be heard everywhere, but it is his own story in which people recognize themselves and make it more debatable and also encourage people to talk about dark thoughts. Whether you are a famous artist or a young student, you are all vulnerable and you can experience depression, loneliness or thoughts of suicide.

Below you can watch the interview Stromae recently gave on French television in which he discusses the new album Multitude in which he says he was inspired by his mother who travelled all over the world and that he is also someone who draws inspiration from different things to make his music. It is always different styles that he incorporates into his music. His music often contains heavy themes which are in turn characterised by his upbeat music styles with beats. Stromae indicates that he is not only multitude, but that we all are. Life is not black and white, he says, but there will always be moments when things are different, with ups and downs. He also talks openly about the difficult period he has been through and he does so by singing the song while sitting at the desk during the interview.

It immediately hits you when he utters the first sentences of the song. In which he tells that you only feel your mother soul when you go through that loneliness and that you know that you are not the only one, but that many people know this feeling and also struggle with that loneliness. But even though you know that, you still feel alone. Very clever and at the same time wonderful that he opens up so vulnerably and also very heavy to go through those feelings of dread again. Things that played in his head that made him go through hell as he says. Stromae was also a guest in the Netherlands yesterday on the program Matthijs gaat door in which he gave a performance with the song L'enfer. The performance had entered the living rooms of many viewers and the reactions were positive. On Twitter Stromae he became number 1 on Trending Topics.

On March 12, 1985, Paul van Haver was born, later known under the stage name Stromae. Stromae was born in Belgium (Etterbeek) and had a Rwandan father who was murdered in 1994 during the genocide in Rwanda and a Belgian mother. Stromae has been interested in music at a young age and started taking music history and drum lessons at the music academy. When he reached the age of 18 he started a rap group called Suspicion. He did that together with rapper J.E.D.I. They made the song Faut qu't'arretes le rap. It remained with this one song by this duo and J.E.D.I. the collaboration ended. Stromea went to work at a hotel next to his studies, but school results did not come and he decided to focus further on music.

This resulted in his first album titled Juste un cerveau, un flow, un fond et un mic. He made several pieces of music for various artists and then broke through in 2009 with his own song Alors on dance. In several countries this became a number 1 hit for which it was nominated no less than 6 times for the title "Hit of the year". He also won the European Border Breakers Award in 2011. This prize is awarded to artists who break abroad to other countries. As previously described in this blog, his second album Racine carrée was released in 2013. In 2014 he released the song Ta fête which is the fourth track on the album Racine carréé. In 2014 he released the song Ta fete, which is the fourth song on the album Racine carréé.

This song became known because it was played as a regular song for the Belgian football team the Red Devils during the World Cup in Brazil. In the same year he also launched his own clothing brand Mosaert. In 2015 he married Coralie Barbier who is also his stylist. In 2016, he indicated that he wanted to end his music career, but started to focus more on directing different music. Nevertheless, it became increasingly quiet around Stromae and he developed health problems and suffered from psychological complaints. And then come back with a comeback with the song Santé in 2021.

Stromae on tour

Stromae will also tour the Netherlands on April 13, 14 and 15, 2023 in the ZiggoDome. More information can be found here. https://www.mojo.nl/
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