Stromae Returns

One of the things I find most amazing about music is its ability to be a very personal form of expression. Musicians are able to ineffably convey their emotions, pouring their thoughts and feelings into songs and pieces they produce. The reason I’m writing about all of this is that I recently came across an album called ‘Multitude’ by the Belgian singer-songwriter, Stromae. This name, undoubtedly, will ring a bell for many of you French students out there. ‘Multitude’ is a very intimate album that tells of the personal hell that Stromae underwent the past decade and celebrates his overcoming of hardships.

Stromae (fun fact: it’s an anagram of ‘maestro’), or Paul Van Haver, rose to fame after the release of his internationally acclaimed single, ‘Alors on dance’ (2009), which rose to No. 1 in many European countries. His second album, ‘Racine Carrée’ (2013), was also incredibly successful and became the first in over a decade to reach over 2 million sales in France. However in 2015, after tours of the album, Stromae largely disappeared from the public eye. His rapid rise to fame and the immense pressure that came with it took a severe psychological toll on the musician. He struggled with depression and anxiety and often suffered from panic attacks. In 2015, he was forced to cancel a tour of Africa after having suicidal thoughts caused by an anti-malaria drug. His newest album, ‘Multitude,’ celebrates the victory of simply being alive and his return to the music scene.

‘Invaincu’ (the first track of the album), whose title translates to ‘unvanquished,’ is a song of resilience. “T’as plus de victoires d’défaites” is the very first verse. “You have more victories than defeats.” His third and fourth verses: “Tu crois qu’tu vas m’la mettre? Même pas en rêve.” “You think you’re gonna put me down? Not in your wildest dreams.” In these verses, Stromae is speaking directly to his personified troubles: depression, anxiety, etc. Despite the many hardships and roadblocks he faced, he has emerged undefeated and victorious. It’s also interesting that although the lyrics of this song are personal, given that Stromae wrote them within the context of his own life, they can be applied to the lives of his audience as well. The lyrics hold the dual nature of being both personal and applicable to all. The “troubles” that Stromae is addressing can be anyone’s. This makes the song particularly poignant given the pandemic and the suffering and hardships many have experienced recently. In addition, the music in itself, without lyrics, is uplifting. The resonant chorus promises to smother all sorrow and sadness.

This song is just one of many in the amazing album, so I would definitely recommend giving the rest of them a listen. Bonne journée is a favorite of mine.

Complete album:

Sources:

The Bulletin: https://www.thebulletin.be/stromae-nearly-committed-suicide-after-taking-malaria-drug
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/2022/03/11/stromaes-new-album-tackles-mental-health-misogyny-while-sidestepping-culture-wars-1684655.html