Stromae will spend 4 nights at the Bell Center in Montreal

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Luc Van Haver sat in his hotel room above Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, talking about his brother Paul’s concert, the first of two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. . You may not know the name Paul Van Haver, but many of you will be familiar with his stage name, Stromae.

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Stromae is currently the biggest Francophone pop star on the planet. Born to a Rwandan Tutsi father and a Flemish mother, this absolutely unique Brussels-born artist released his dance electro his earworm Alors in 2010, almost Franco It jumped to the top of the charts for the first time in the world. In 2013, he released his second album “Racinecarrée”.

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He first flocked to Madison Square Garden in 2015, but as Luc Van Haver pointed out on Tuesday, seven years ago the show was far more fan-speaking French. This time it was a larger Anglo crowd. It will also be held in several other North American cities, including Toronto, Washington DC, and Boston.

Belgian singers are also huge here in Quebec. He has headlined his four nights at his center Bell. This is an unprecedented feat for Franco for his artist other than Celine Dion. Friday and Saturday shows are sold out. Few tickets available for Sunday and his December 14th.

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Luc Van Haver is his brother’s artistic director and executive and creative director of Stromae’s record label Mosaert. When asked to explain why Stromae was more successful worldwide than other contemporary French-speaking artists, Van Haver was initially reluctant to answer.

“To think that the stromae phenomenon can be explained is exaggerated for me and for Paul,” he said. “It would be presumptuous on my part to say that I have the recipe to explain why a French-singing Belgian artist is touring American arenas.”

However, he does have some thoughts on the matter — “the beginning of the explanation”.

“First, the focus is not only on the message Paul conveyed, but also how it was conveyed,” Van Haver said. “So when you release a single like his L’enfer from your latest album, it’s also very important to create a strong visual that works with the song’s message. I speak to the audience even if I don’t speak French. ”

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Thus, the powerful video that accompanies L’enfer. Starting with a close-up of Stromae’s eyes, the camera is gradually pulled back to show the full face, then the full body. Racine Carré and many of this year as he sings this very personal song.

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At the height of his success, he fell into a deep depression and stopped playing. That eight-year hiatus and the hell he experienced is detailed in L’enfer: “J’ai parfois eu des pensées suicidaires / Et j’en suis peu fier” of it).

Luc Van Haver had the idea to launch Ranfer by having his brother appear on France’s highest-rated nightly news show, and suddenly start singing a harrowing song mid-interview with the anchor. rice field.

But it wasn’t just the visuals that made Stromae a star. At its core, it’s often dark and sophisticated lyrics (very similar to the La Chanson tradition), in contrast to highly original dance music that blends elements of electro, hip-hop and African pop. It’s a way. Multitude borrows music from Africa, Portugal, the Caribbean and Latin America, all accompanied by incredibly catchy tunes.

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“The musical story of the new album is how we combine the sounds of contemporary pop music with folklore music from around the world. No. Rather, I wanted to create a mixture whose influences can be heard, but it remains something of what it is today.That is Stromae, completely original and new in music, lyrics and visuals We’re trying to make an artistic statement, and that excites us.”

Stromae has collaborated with Coldplay and the Black Eyed Peas, has appeared on American talk shows such as Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, and has received numerous offers to make an album in English. But that won’t happen, Van Haver said.

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“Dance Alor was a hit all over the world in French,” he said. “Then Paul realized, ‘I can make the world dance while I sing in French. French is the language of my heart, and to stay true to myself when I write. And there was a lot of pressure to sing in English, but Paul never wavered from his philosophy that he only sang in French, singing one of his hits in English. We didn’t try to make a version and break it in America.

“Paul has always been very firm on the subject, selling out American venues here with French songs.”

at a glance

Stromae It will perform at the Bell Center on November 25-27 and December 14 at 8pm. Friday and Saturday shows are sold out. For tickets and more information, visit evenko.ca.

bkelly@postmedia.com

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