Stromae Quotes

“I prefer to talk about our problems, to be proud of them, in place of trying to hide them. Because you can’t. And I prefer to dance, to smile on it, to laugh on it.”

― Stromae

“It’s a fact that Anglo-Saxon supremacy impacts other cultures. That is plain and simple.”

― Stromae

“I’m trying to stay normal, that’s all. But it’s hard.”

― Stromae

“I prefer the word ‘musician.’ I’m a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word ‘artist.’ I don’t know if it’s the same in English, but words like ‘artist’ and ‘star’ put people on a pedestal, which is not really good for my brain.”

― Stromae

“I do not want the things I do to be easy and predictable. I want them to be real.”

― Stromae

“There is always a good part in everything.”

― Stromae

“When I listen to an American singer, I wanna listen to his music in his language, because he’s more spontaneous – he’s more natural – and I need his point of view. And our point of view here in Brussels is French and Flemish.”

― Stromae

“I don’t want to have success to have success.”

― Stromae

“I do my music for me, second for my entourage, and at the end, for the people. It’s healthy to work that way.”

― Stromae

“If I was just trying to imitate an American or English singer, it would sound fake. I’m sure of it.”

― Stromae

“Who decided that when you dance you don’t have to think?”

― Stromae

“I have crazy, different influences in my songs. I want rap music, I want Congolese rumba, I want salsa, I want dance music, I want hip-hop music, all mixed into one!”

― Stromae

“When I’m on stage, that’s a job. It’s acting, it’s faking, just making fun of yourself, telling bad jokes – I’m pretty good in this – dancing, just to entertain.”

― Stromae

“Being famous is a bit dangerous sometimes.”

― Stromae

“There are artists in Belgium who try to imitate American artists. But it’s like, if you’re Belgian pretending to be American, you won’t be better than the American because you aren’t American. You have to do your own stuff.”

― Stromae

“I think the Congolese music is more important in the African community that Rwandan. You know, Rwanda is not musically really important in Africa. It’s interesting, of course. But Congolese rumba was so huge in Africa that everybody was inspired by it.”

― Stromae

“Music is like a medicine.”

― Stromae

“I was raised in Brussels as a Belgian but, at the same time, feeling that I wasn’t necessarily from here.”

― Stromae

“The first time I performed on stage, that was almost the first concert I went to, so that was pretty interesting and a bit weird at the same time.”

― Stromae

“I always need a reason to do something on stage, for me. I am not judging anyone: there is not a good way; there is not a bad way. You just have to justify everything.”

― Stromae

“People like Brel were sensitive and vulnerable; on stage, they dared to take risks.”

― Stromae

“WME and IMG both truly understand and value my music and Mosaert’s creative visions; they are forward-thinking, all-encompassing, and thoughtful in how they envision me continuing to grow.”

― Stromae

“I already visited Rwanda when I was five, but I don’t really remember my roots.”

― Stromae

“I’m just part of the people.”

― Stromae

“If we can listen to English music without understanding nothing, and dance on it, and feel the groove, feel the feelings, I’m sure everybody can do exactly the same for each language.”

― Stromae

“The prime minister in Belgium gave our album to Barack Obama. I was really surprised that he decided to give a CD of us.”

― Stromae

“I’m not so radical about Twitter, but I think it’s sometimes dangerous if you think that Twitter is real life.”

― Stromae

“Music is the only place that I can have no taboos. In real life I have a lot of taboos, and I can’t talk about everything easily.”

― Stromae

“I was talking in an interview about how I would love to have a ballerina flat for men. Repetto heard about it and decided to create one. It’s almost like a slipper.”

― Stromae

“No genre of music is better than another, whether it’s country, hip-hop, trap, classical, whatever. It’s all music.”

― Stromae

“I think a lot of people want to blame their fathers for not being good enough when they were growing up. I think it can be an excuse for not coming to terms with your own problems.”

― Stromae

“The last thing an Englishman wants to hear is a man from Brussels trying to imitate his language – you want to hear a different point of view. You may not be able to understand the details, but you can understand the feeling.”

― Stromae

“I think it’s good to eat a bit of everything, but when you eat too much junk food, it’s bad for you and for your brain. You don’t understand why, but you feel sad. It’s because of the junk food!”

― Stromae

“I have some English words on the first album, but any time I try to do it, you miss something. You think it’s just a simple translation from French to English, but it’s so different as far as the understanding.”

― Stromae

“I think that’s our problem in Europe: we used to be a bit negative on everything. That’s good sometimes, but when it’s too much… It’s not good.”

― Stromae

“I’m not making music for intelligent people or dumb people. I’m just making music for people.”

― Stromae

“I want to have not only the good side of life but the bad side of life. And the both combined is just my music. It’s funny at the same time as it’s sad.”

― Stromae

“To me, ‘Alors On Danse’ is the definition of clubbing. Because everyone is just trying to forget their problems, but actually, it’s so sad, clubbing. We try to sell happiness in clubs, but you can’t.”

― Stromae

“There are so many reasons to be sad in the club.”

― Stromae

“In Belgium, we know the U.S. culture through the television, but it’s not the truth. It’s interesting to see that Philadelphia is really industrial. I love industrial cities. Everybody hates them, but I think they’re the best places to be creative. The more gritty it is, the more I love it.”

― Stromae

“When I was a teenager, I was maybe a little bit angry.”

― Stromae

“I’m just like a photographer or a director. Of course I have an opinion, but I don’t think my opinion, or what I want to say… is so obvious ’cause that’s not my job. My job is just to give a point of view, not more than that.”

― Stromae

“It’s my job to be ridiculous.”

― Stromae

“Our ambition isn’t just to be big, it’s to be listened to and supported by people. And to have the success – if we deserve it, of course.”

― Stromae

“I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.”

― Stromae

“It’s good to think about real life, no? Because real life isn’t just dreams and happiness.”

― Stromae

“Success is a gift, but it’s a handicap at the same time, I think.”

― Stromae

“I’m a composer like every maestro on this earth.”

― Stromae

“At the time I learned drums, I wanted to be the drummer of Hanson. I wanted to be this guy because he was so young, and he was already drumming in the band, you know, so I just wanted to be like him. And later, I discovered hip-hop music at boarding school.”

― Stromae

“We are all human, and we are all able to listen to music that we cannot understand. I used to listen to English music like Notorious B.I.G., and I didn’t know what he’s talking about in all of his tracks, but I’m a fan. It’s rhythm and a groove that makes me dance, so I’m convinced that my music can work in the U.S.”

― Stromae

“I think it’s about the feeling more than a language. And I think that we and every culture in the world has to keep their own language just to bring something else, something different, and show a different vision of the world, actually. And that’s why I’m trying to keep my language.”

― Stromae

“My father is black – was black. My mother is white.”

― Stromae

“It’s just about feelings. And the thing is we – everybody lives exactly the same things. We are all humans, even if you speak Spanish or whatever you speak. That’s just – we are humans, and that’s really interesting. And I’m sure that we can understand each other even if you don’t understand my language.”

― Stromae

“I always have the same problem when I try to buy something straight off the rack: If I put on a medium, it’s perfectly fitted in the torso, but the sleeves are too short. If it’s a large, the sleeves are long enough, but it’s too baggy. So made-to-measure suits are especially important for me because I’m 6’2” and so skinny.”

― Stromae

“Everyone should have a suit that’s really well fitting – if a suit just doesn’t fit, it looks ridiculous. It can purposely be too large or too small, if that’s what you want, but it has to fit with your image and personal style.”

― Stromae

“You should be able to wear exactly what you want to wear.”

― Stromae

“I have four or five custom suits, including one that’s velvet, and a gray one I wear onstage. It’s wool.”

― Stromae

“We are proud of our ridiculousness. That’s what made our Surrealism. Proud and ashamed of everything at the same time. I think that’s my definition of Belgium.”

― Stromae

“I’m sure, ever since I was really young, that happiness is not a bottle of champagne and a girl and a limousine and a swimming pool.”

― Stromae

“Hip-hop, pop, dance – the common point is melancholy. That’s international, and I like this word because it’s not only about sadness or happiness – it’s both at the same time. And that’s human, and that’s life.”

― Stromae

“Who do you want to be: the radical man who can make a choice in one second, or the man who never takes decisions? That’s the question: who’s the best? Actually, there is no best.”

― Stromae

“I’m more the kind of man who never makes decisions. But impulsivity is not the opposite of courage; I think it’s possible to do both.”

― Stromae

“I knew of the Sapeur community for a long time, and they’re an important influence for me.”

― Stromae

“I was also so happy to learn how to do the Djatence. Djatence is when you show your clothes off in the street – it’s something between a dancing, showing off, and trying to get attention turned on you. It was a really cool experience with people who are more refined than I could imagine.”

― Stromae

“I’ve learned how to trust someone else’s ideas with mine.”

― Stromae

“That’s what’s interesting: When you release an album, everyone hears it their own way.”

― Stromae

“Maybe I just look at things as a humanist: I like looking at people in a realistic way more than looking at them in a positive way.”

― Stromae

“I get the feeling that my songs aren’t that dark. There is a cynicism but humour also – it’s not depression upon depression upon depression. It’s a blend.”

― Stromae

“As much as only playing clubs can become tedious, performing in huge venues can also become off-putting. To go from one to the other feels great. And sometimes playing clubs can be even more stressful, because you really have to think about what you’re going to tell the audience between songs.”

― Stromae

“Music is more than words. It’s a visual experience, too, and people really feel my music because of the way I move and put on a show.”

― Stromae

“I’m not making music for old people or young people.”

― Stromae

“I was a big fan of G. Dep!”

― Stromae

“Being honest and spontaneous is important when making music. But I’m also really logical when I compose.”

― Stromae

“I let Brel into my world. What I like about him is the simplicity of his language. It’s not so simple to be simple.”

― Stromae

“The way we always want to compromise between everything, I think that’s really Belgian. I think I’m really Belgian for that, because I never make choices. That’s my problem, actually.”

― Stromae

“I’m trying to focus on my job. I don’t think that being famous is a job. My job is composing, singing, performing, but not being a star.”

― Stromae

“Being a star is not a job, and that’s really important for me say.”

― Stromae

“I’m a bit crazy, yes.”

― Stromae