Combining influences as diverse as Jacques Brel, Cuban son, Congolese music, house, and hip-hop into danceable songs with thought-provoking lyrics, Stromae is a Belgian vocalist, songwriter, and producer. Known for his clean-cut look and trademark bow tie, Born Paul van Haver in Brussels on March 12, 1985 to a Belgian mother and Rwandan father, van Haver was raised by his mother and developed an interest in music at an early age. When he was 11, Paul became a student at L'Académie Musicale de Jette, and started playing the drums. In 2005 he took up rap music, and after briefly performing as Opmaestro, he took the stage name Stromae (an anagram for "Maestro") and launched a short-lived hip-hop combo named Suspicion.
By 2007, Stromae was back to working as a solo act, and he recorded his first single, "Juste un Cerveau, un Flow, un Fond et un Mic...." It was in 2009 that he got his real big break -- while working at a Belgian radio station, he created the song "Alors on Dance" using his home-recording setup, and the manager of the station was impressed enough with the track to play it on air. Response from listeners was enthusiastic, and Stromae struck a deal with Polygram Records:...
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