Paul van Haver, better known by his stage name Stromae, is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer.
38 Facts About Stromae
2.
Stromae is mostly known for his music blending hip hop and electronic music.
3.
Stromae came to wide public attention in 2009 with his song "Alors on danse", which became a number one in several European countries.
4.
Stromae said in an interview that he has Somali heritage from his father's side.
5.
Stromae attended the Sacre-coeur de Jette, a Jesuit school in Jette, the College Saint-Paul in Godinne, after failing in the public school system at the age of 16.
6.
Stromae formed a small rap group with his friends while still in school.
7.
In 2000, Stromae appeared as a rapper called Opsmaestro, though he later changed his stage name to "Stromae", which is "Maestro" with the syllables reversed following the French slang practice, verlan.
8.
In 2007, during his studies at the film school of Brussels, Stromae decided to concentrate fully on his musical career.
9.
In 2008, Stromae worked as a young trainee at the music radio station NRJ in Brussels.
10.
Stromae is one of the ten winners of the European Border Breakers Award 2011.
11.
On 23 May 2011, during the recording of the French TV show Taratata, Stromae did a mashup of "Alors on danse" and "Don't Stop the Party" with the Black Eyed Peas.
12.
Stromae announced he would perform as the opening support act for the first of two concerts by the band in Paris on 24 and 25 June 2011 at Stade de France.
13.
The part where they returned and Stromae had to explain his case was not broadcast.
14.
On 25 August 2013, Stromae joined Major Lazer's show at French festival Rock en Seine, where he performed "Papaoutai".
15.
In November 2013, Stromae received the award for Best Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
16.
In June 2014, in support of Racine carree, Stromae made his US television debut on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers.
17.
Stromae then embarked on a tour across the United States and performed at the Best Buy Theater in New York City.
18.
Stromae contributed to the song "Meltdown" which features Pusha T, Q-Tip, Haim and Lorde herself.
19.
The singer had declared herself a fan of Stromae after attending his concert earlier that month.
20.
In March 2015, Stromae released a music video for the song "Carmen", which was directed by Sylvain Chomet.
21.
Stromae continued touring the United States, performing in March 2015 in several places including the SXSW in Austin, Texas.
22.
Stromae was among the line-up of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
23.
On 6 April 2018, Stromae released his first single in more than three years, "Defiler", to accompany the release of "Capsule 5" a new fashion line.
24.
In 2009, Stromae collaborated with Kery James on the song "Ghetto", featuring J-mi Sissoko.
25.
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".
26.
Stromae brought West on stage at Coachella in 2015 while he performed the song.
27.
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 carree.
28.
Stromae collaborated with director Henry Scholfield to produce the music video for English artist Dua Lipa's single "IDGAF".
29.
Stromae provided vocals for Coldplay's 2019 single "Arabesque" on their eighth studio album, Everyday Life.
30.
Stromae collaborated with French rapper Orelsan on a song called "La pluie".
31.
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.
32.
The name "Stromae" comes from switching the syllables in the word "maestro".
33.
Stromae launched a fashion line, Mosaert, described as "hipster" and "retro kitsch".
34.
Stromae has said that he wanted to "create a bridge between British style and African aesthetic".
35.
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.
36.
In 2015, Stromae had to cancel a tour through Africa because of anxiety caused by the malaria medicine Lariam.
37.
Stromae's music is heavily influenced by electronic music, especially Belgian New Beat music.
38.
Stromae has been touted as the "face of the New Beat generation".