Paul Van Haver is a rapper and songwriter of Belgian origin better known by his stage moniker ‘Stromae’. The highly talented star rose to the limelight in 2009 with the hit track “Alors on danse“ (from his debut album Cheese), which reached the top of the music charts in several countries across Europe. He basically does his music in the French language and thus it comes as no surprise that his second album Racine carrée recorded huge sales in France as well as other European countries.
Stromae Biography
Stromae began nursing his musical talents right from his teenage years and he formed a mini rap group with his friends while schooling at a Roman Catholic Jesuit school. He adopted the stage name ”Opmaestro” in early 2001 but he later changed it to “Stromae”. At the age of eighteen, he started another rap group known as “Suspicion” alongside fellow rapper “J.E.D.I.”. Together, they worked on the single “Faut que t’arrête le Rap” as well as its music video. However, J.E.D.I. opted out of the group right after that first release.
His music career officially took off in 2007 with the release of his debut EP “Juste un cerveau, un flow, un fond et un mic…”. The following year, he landed a record deal and was also employed as a trainee at NRJ, a music radio station in France. Stromae’s first official single “Alors on danse” was aired on NRJ and it received a highly positive response from the listeners including celebrities like Anna Wintour, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy. The single easily became a viral hit and it gained much wider attention within a short while. The song topped music charts in Belgium within a few weeks of its release and subsequently, it also reached no 1 in several European nations in the months that followed.
In 2010, Stromae scored a collaboration with music mogul Kanye West and Gilbere Forte for the remix of “Alors on danse” and he also released his debut album Cheese. The music star equally picked up a nomination at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards and was one of the winners of the European Border Breakers Award in 2011. He was also nominated for Best Belgian Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards.
In May 2013, Stromae released “Papaoutai” the first single off his second album. It became an overnight hit and went on to top charts both in France and his native country of Belgium. His highly anticipated second album Racine carrée was released on August 16, 2013, to a positive reception, and 2 months later, the singer picked up the Best Belgian Act Award at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Another hit single “Ta fête” was included in Stromae’s sophomore album and interestingly, it became the official song of the Belgian national football team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Stromae made his first appearance on United States television in June 2014 on Seth Meyer’s NBC show Late Night with Seth Meyers after which he embarked on a tour across the US. Among several other collaborations, he also worked on the song “Meltdown”, the opening track of the soundtrack of the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Stromae also made history in October 2015 when he became the first exclusively French-singing artist to sell out the Madison Square Garden.
Stromae Net Worth
While his music career has continued to prosper, Stromae has also delved into several other ventures most notably a fashion line “Mosaert” which was first launched in April 2014. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that the Belgian-born music star has amassed quite a great sum for himself. His net worth is pegged at an estimated $5 million.
Family, Parents
Paul Van Haver a.k.a. Stromae was born in Brussels on the 12th of March 1985 to Miranda Van Haver, a Belgian native, and Pierre Rutare, a successful architect and a Rwandan native. He has 3 brothers and a sister. Sadly, his father lost his life in the infamous 1994 Rwandan Genocide, while visiting his relatives. Consequently, Van Haver and his siblings were all raised single-handedly by their mother.
Is He Gay? Wife
There have been several speculations regarding Stromae’s sexuality since he was shot into the limelight. However, the international music sensation insists that he is straight and we also have good reason to believe so. He is currently married to a fashion designer and stylist, Coralie Barbier. The couple tied the knot on December 12, 2015, in a secret ceremony held in Mechelen, Belgium. They welcomed their first child in September 2018.
Stromae’s Height and Other Body Measurements
Stromae stands at an impressive height of 6 feet 3¼ inches (191 cm). He is known for his slim build and he has a bodyweight of 78 kg (172 lb). He has a chest circumference of 37 inches (94 cm) and his biceps and waist size are 12 inches (30.5 cm) and 30 inches (76 cm) respectively.