“I’m a little stressed, I’m not going to hide it from you, but I’m very happy to be here”, quickly releases Stromae, all smiles, at the microphone, in his white frilled shirt. After seven years of absence, the artist returned to the stage, at Palais 12 in Brussels, this Tuesday, February 22. He exclusively presented the songs from his new album. Multitude, including his hymn to life Unbeaten.
The 9,000 people (figure provided by his label Mosaert and his tour operator Auguri) at Palais 12 exult when he presses the word “Undefeated”, in a halo of light, for the first title of his concert. Unbeaten is therefore his hymn to life after his burnout, an extension of a marathon world tour which had drained him physically and mentally in 2015 (with the adverse effects of an antimalarial drug as an aggravating factor). A depression, escorted by “suicidal thoughts”told bluntly in helltitle already known.
This first show is called Preview because the Belgian still doesn’t do anything like anyone else. The artist thus unveils unreleased tracks to the public, while his next album Multitudethe most anticipated French-language album of 2022, will not be released until March 4. “This album is my expectation of the year, I’m an absolute fan”, confides to AFP Pierre de Maere, singer, new nugget of the Belgian scene, inspired by his elder.
“Well, how are you, wasn’t it too bad?”, he launches to his public twice when he unveils new songs. Delighted, accomplices, the spectators respond with an immense “noooo”. Stromae then has fun varying novelties, such as Health Where My love , and standard like great Where Papaoutai.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hS79xsgXlk
The singer compares points of view and puts on different costumes in his songs. In a new song – of which he does not give the title – his voice changes to give voice to a child of a prostitute, a client, a pimp or a policeman. Musically, Stromae is always hungry for sounds from around the world, a virus caught as a kid during trips with his mother around the world, particularly in South America.
Visually, his show opens with a mini-film, a mixture of 2001 a space odyssey and Star Wars where his avatar, already seen at the Victoires de la Musique on February 11, stars. A robot-dog, very real, also comes to play with him, at some point. While four musicians, lined up behind consoles, like even more futuristic Kraftwerk (but dressed like him), accompany him.
“It was great to find him, maybe it was a stress for him, but the new songs are very good, it went perfectly”, rejoices with AFP Arthur, 33, from Namur. There will be two other “previews”, Thursday February 24 at the Accor Arena in Paris and Sunday February 27, in Amsterdam before the landing of Multitude in tanks and on platforms.
Then the tour will resume, passing in April by Coachella, the biggest festival in the world in California, before returning alternately to Europe and North America (USA and Canada) until 2023. Because the international ambition is still there, as the proved his remarkable performance in early December on Jimmy Fallon’s American TV show.