Reblogged
clownicallybored
"'You hold each other and you have fun, it’s like dancing around a campfire.' The moves visualize, in a understated way, the song’s subject: solidarity and the labor of the hard-working people who make the world run. 'It’s about those who have tough work schedules, those who work while we party,' Stromae said. 'I wanted to pay tribute to the nurses and doctors who did such an amazing job during the pandemic and were so overworked. I actually start the song with my own cleaning woman, Rosa.'"
"Stromae’s Music Delves Into Dark Topics. His Return Is Right on Time." via the New York Times by Elisabeth Vincentelli, photography by Hanne van Assche
Some reflections
I've never really shared my own thoughts or anything about myself on this blog, since I never created it to be such a space. I think I've somehow retained a lot of followers on this blog even after the general demise of Tumblr - I'm assuming it's because people simply left the platform without unfollowing me, so I don't think many people will read this. Nevertheless, for the first time, I'm going to share some of my own reflections.
I've had this blog since 2014, a little after Racine Carrée was released. It reached some popularity around the peak of his fame, at which point he announced his departure from music. I've kept the blog updated here and there as he worked on Mosaert and some other projects. I continued to his old music as I followed what little work he shared over the years. During that time, I graduated from high school, majored in French in college (Stromae's music definitely had some influence on this decision), graduated with departmental honors for my senior thesis, and I'm headed to grad school this fall!
2022 Stromae feels more secure in his artistry and Multitude sounds more mellowed out than the sometimes emotionally turbulent tracks from his previous albums. As I'm navigating my twenties, I'm in a place to relate to and understand his old music more deeply now than Multitude. Thus, in a weird way, this continuation of his music career gives me some kind of hope and longing about my own adult life as I wade through my turbulent mid-twenties - not to mention it's a masterpiece.
I'm happy that Stromae, in a sense, grew into his fame. From his interview with Paper Mag, it sounds like he knew when to step back so that he wasn't giving the public more of himself than he could. I was sad when he was gone from music, but all the more reason I'm cherishing every minute of his new album.