STROMAE

Bio

Paul Van Haver (born 12 March 1985, Brussels), better known by his stage name Stromae, is a Belgian musician, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Stromae was born to a Rwandan father and a Belgian mother. He established himself in both the hip hop and electronic music genres. Stromae came to wide public attention in 2009 with his song "Alors on danse" (from the album Cheese), which became a number one in several European countries.

On top of the understandable “local boy makes good” pride, there is the way the Brussels-based pop star — better known as Stromae — personifies Belgium’s weird social and cultural mix: he offers something for everyone in a famously fractious country. He’s a French-speaker with a Flemish last name and half-Rwandan ethnic heritage. His music combines the latest electronic dance grooves with old-school, sad-song “chanson,” and addresses political and social issues with humor. His non-threatening, nerdy persona still seems cool and cutting-edge. Imagine Tintin throwing down rhymes while doing a Michael Jackson moonwalk, and you get an idea of Stromae’s appeal.