First, let’s get through the mouthful of a title I have up there. I decided to make a name for when I share artists I think you should be listening to. Music I think you need in your life. Now. So from now on I’ll just title the blog “MYNIYL” and the name of the artist/band. Anyways, with that out of the way, let me introduce you to somebody.

So a few months ago NPR did a story about this Belgian pop star. I really enjoyed the story and the music but by the time I got home, I forgot his name. Then the other day I stumbled across this news article and video on my Facebook and re-found Stromae.

Singing in French over infectious, piano-driven pop music, Stromae is fairly huge pop star in Europe. Relatively unknown in America, I was excited to find his music. And even without understanding any of his lyrics, I can understand most of the stories he’s telling us through the music. Emotions know no language boundaries. Well, enough words, let me allow his music to speak for itself. I want to start off with “Papaoutai,” a song that is about disconnection from a father (side-note: Stromae’s father was killed in the Rwandan genocide in 1994):

I really love his music videos. They really push the meanings behind the lyrics that I can’t understand. I also love the use of choreographed dance that is prevalent in all his videos. This next video, “Tous Les Memes,” is really incredible. From what I can tell, the song is about how the different genders react differently to situations. But what makes the video such a joy to watch is that Stromae plays both a male and female character. And he seamlessly switches back and forth between the two. The impressive choreographed dancing I mentioned earlier is also here. Just watch:

Just to show you how powerful a singer he really is, here’s a stripped down performance of “Formidable” live at a Seattle radio station:

So…go buy his most recent album: