Stromae
Back in 2017, I started to learn French. But I forgot why I learnt that, as there’s nothing I try to pursuit. Even if I want to dwell in Europe, France was not my option, and never been an option. Do I even like the cultures? Well, I don’t hate it. I’m just not into French living, unless the croissant or maybe any culinaire that I’ve never tasted before. Or maybe I just wanted to act like a petty bourgeoisie? Who knows?
Actually, acquiring French didn’t benefit me either. However, I’m pretty sure that I love learning languages, but don’t ask me why I invested a lot of time to learn French instead of Dutch (I really want to experience to live in The Netherland though, yet I don’t learn Dutch that much).
I could say, I learnt French for a mere hobby, which is far from the rigorous routines of linguistic classrooms. Because all I’ve been doing just finish the lessons on Duolingo and immerse myself in French music, eventho the lyrics were a mystery to me. But, hey! I was having a blast! And the most important thing here is — by learning from French music, I found Stromae!
And this article will be about my adoration for this Belgian exceptional performer.
Inventing him — makes me feel like I am the Indonesian Christoper Colombus, who invented this phenomenal dude (amongst my pack). I know, some people in Europe or America casually listen to this dude. He might be considered a pop-stream artist. But who cares? I’m so proud to be niche-st girl amongst my banal people who barely listen to French songs (me, unconsciously, adapting a petty elitist behavior).
At first, I listened to his album: racine carrée. And mind that, I’m not the album type of girl, who would voluntarily listen from the beginning to the end of the album. Simply because… most of musicians just have one or few songs in their album. And the rest of them (I’m sorry) are shit.
But I tracked Stromae’s songs one by one in this album, because all of them are sssssssssssoooooooooooooo gooooooooooooood. I played them over and over. Now, humain à l’eau, carmen, and tous les mêmes become my favorites!
There, I started to learn that Stromae is not only performing the art of composing music. But also, he’s a truly genuine thought-provoker with all of his lyrics.
As my first encounter with his work, understanding humain à l’eau was one of the initial moments why I really love him so much. In the first line of the song, he raps “moi humain Papou”. Shout out to genius.com, now I know Papou with the capital P means Papuan.
Did Stromae just say Papuan as Papuan who live in Indonesia and New Guiniea????!!!
Although, I am not a Papuan myself; as an Indonesian, once I feel truly recognized by a well-known foreigner (because most of foreigners only know Bali :/).
But of course, Stromae is not that petty just celebrating a random black community in Southeast Asia and Oceania, he satirically criticized the audacity of how white supremacy (system and the people) belittle, dehumanize, and destroy black community inhabitants' system. I love every line in the song. I love the irony, the hyperbole, the symbolism, the paradox, even the bluntness. I truly love his unapologetic rage.
Ça pue le coup d’état!
I told you once again. I hadn’t known much knowledge in French. But I could get the concise knowledge from this song that got me into rabbit hole of racism issues. Humain à l’eau eventually did more than any textbook I’ve ever read in my school in the sense of stimulating my curiosity. At that time, racism wasn’t a familiar keyword in my head. Racism definitely happens in Indonesia, but it was not my country’s popular discourses. So, knowing Stromae’s work made me start to be inquisitive to the resistant movement by black community.
Ok, back to Monsieur Paul van Haver, I began to try to know more about him. Every article that mentions Stromae, I would always click (me, exaggerating). I watched a lot of YouTube videos about him. And I found his concert in Montreal.
(120) Stromae — Racine Carrée Live (Full Concert) — YouTube
My narrow-minded ass thought that he’s “just” a good composer and a good song writer. But of course, that’s not true. He is a whole-packaged performer! You can see his dedication in his stage presence, his astounding choreography, his interactive humble and witty show. Even the details and the technicality of the concert were so meticulous. He’s the epitome of a passionate man in job.
I was undoubtedly (and still am) jealous with the crowd.
Do you know the most moving thing after I watched that on YouTube? I felt blessed (and still do) because the video is fucking free. I know Stromae can get the ad sense money, but please. I adore Beyonce but she doesn’t put her cinematic concert record as free as what Stromae did on YouTube. So, Stromae deserves some respect for feeding us (the proletarians) such superiority of an entertainment show.
See? He’s really consistent with his voice and value. Not only in his racinee carée album, but also in his recent album, Multitude. He celebrates people who barely get recognitions. In fils de joie, he pays tributes to the sex worker by telling it from a child perspective of a died prostitute woman. Another one is Sante, which literally celebrates the blue-collar workers. Ok, I’ll stop there because:
- we haven’t talked about the musicality that I can’t elaborate much, but just vibe with.
- we can make a series of books just by talking all of his songs. Maybe Mosaert want to hire me someday? (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
Well now, it’s been 6 years I know Stromae and my French is getting better (at least I can order other pastries beside kwasAnk). Acquiring this seggsy roman language might not grant me a postgrad scholarship in any universities in France, but I realize learning French actually benefits me to find Stromae. Then, finding Stromae becomes the fun part for me learning social issues in a wider perspective. For so many people it sounds trivial. But his works have a great meaning for me, as a third-world citizen who eventually realized that — we truly live in an unjust society, yet won’t ever surrender.
So, visiting Stromae’s work over and over while I’m still learning French — will always lead me to new contemplation; how I, as his lyric reader and his avid listener, always relate it to my own voice and value.
Finally, let me close this writing with my favorite heartwarming stanza from Bonne journée:
Le bonheur est bien la seule chose qui quand on la partage se multiplie
(Happiness is the only thing which when we share, it multiplies)
Je vois la vie en rose. Dis moi, est-ce que tu la vois aussi?
(I see life in pink. Tell me, do you see it too?)
Si l’bonheur des autres te rend malheureux c’est qu’t’es un rageux
(if the other’s happiness makes you sad, you’re a hater)
et si l’malheur des autres te rend heureux, c’est qu’t’es un rageux
(and if the other’s misfortune makes you happy, you’re a hater)
T’as peur d’être triste quand t’es joyeux
(you’re afraid of being sad when you’re happy)
Et tu veux être joyeux quand t’es triste
(and you wanna be happy when you’re sad)
Tu profites jamais vraiment de ce moment présent
(You never really enjoy this moment)
En fait, t’es juste dépressif
(in fact, you’re just depressed)
Tout ce que j’sais, c’est qu’s’il s’tourne vers le soleil
(all I know is that if we turns to the sun)
L’ombre est derrière lui
(the shadow is behind us)
Et s’il est pas né de la dernière pluie
(and if we weren’t born from the last rain)
Il sait qu’après l’orage viennent les éclaircies
(We know that after the storm comes the sunlight✨)
Shout out to chel writes with her Literature Class with Taylor Swift which has inspired me to write this!
