Quotes from Stromae

Music is like a medicine.

It's my job to be ridiculous.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

I was a big fan of G. Dep!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

I think it's important to be sincere. And I could be the most sincere just staying in [my] mother language actually. And that's the reason why I stay composing and writing in French.

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.

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.

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.

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.