Stromae returned with an aptly named album, “Multitude”: the Belgian, cited in four categories, is at the top of the nominations, unveiled on Monday January 9, for the 38th Victoires de la Musique, scheduled for February 10.
The artist, back after a break imposed by a burn-out, is entered for the trophies of male artist, album (“Multitude”), song (“Hell”) and audiovisual creation for the “Sons of Joy” music video.
We listened to “Multitude”, Stromae’s new album: so, are we dancing?
Stromae will not be out of place on February 10 at La Seine Musicale, at the gates of Paris, since last year he officiated as master of ceremonies for the 37th Victories. “I have a competitive side”, confided Stromae in March 2022 to AFP. That’s good, here he is in pole position.
“Undefeated”
Forgotten the depression, aggravated by the side effects of an antimalarial, which had nailed him to the ground a few years ago, in the wake of an exhausting world tour.
At 37, Stromae has taken off again. To launch the successor to his album ” Square root “ (2013, that of the consecration), he created the event by interpreting on the 20 hour news of TF1 “Hell”, a shocking piece on depression and the suicidal thoughts that accompany this evil. “So much the better if it allows some people to want to treat themselves, to put words to things that were not identified until then”he said to AFP in March.
The Stromae “case”
He now begins his concerts with “Invaincu”, a hymn to life after his slump. “In ‘Invaincu’, I talk about the fight we can all have in the face of illness, in the broad sense, but I’m still a challenger, although more subdued than before. I see Billie Eilish, Aya Nakamura, Adele who are getting great scores and I want to try too, to measure myself, it’s about the ego “he described again.
Belgium in the spotlight
He did well on the French market, finishing third in the best-selling albums in 2022 behind OrelSan and Ninho.
For the Victories, Stromae is ahead of OrelSan, with three nominations, and another Belgian, Angèle, with three nominations as well. We will hear about Belgium on February 10, since Pierre de Maere, another artist from this country, comes forward with two nominations, while Mentissa, also Belgian, is mentioned once.
Two nominations go to the trio formed by Ben Mazué, Grand Corps Malade and Gaël Faye for their “Ephemeral” project. Often competitors in the Victoires, the three artists are true friends in life. The three companions locked themselves in the south of France for a few days to write and sing. From this parenthesis was born this album which contains a beautiful nugget with a funny song on the kidnapping of Benjamin Biolay against a backdrop of Victoires de la Musique… A Biolay also absent from the nominations this year.
In 2022, the Victoires de la Musique had been crushed by OrelSan and Clara Luciani. The rapper had scored a hat-trick in the male artist, song (“The smell of gasoline”) and audiovisual creation categories for his documentary “Never show that to anyone”. The singer had achieved a double with the trophy of female artist and the price of the album (“Heart”).
The 38th Victoires de la Musique will be broadcast on France 2 and France Inter.
