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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

“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!”

“I was a big fan of G. Dep!”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”