Rwandan-Belgian pop star Stromae’s song ‘Papaoutai’ has reached 1 billion views on YouTube. Released a decade ago, the song continues to captivate global audiences with its poignant lyrics and infectious beats.

The singer posted via his Instagram story, ‘Le clip vient de dépasser le 1 milliard de vues’ which means –the video has just exceeded 1 billion views.

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‘Papa où t’es?’ which translates –Papa where are you? released on June 6, 2013, is one of his songs from the album ‘Racine Carrée’. Stromae misspells the phrase to mimic the spelling of a child, as he was a child when he lost his own father.

In the song, Stromae talks about his personal experience growing up without a father, he wonders where his dad is and why he is not present in his life.

The song achieved great success worldwide, reaching the top position in multiple countries. It received accolades like a Diamond record in France, a Gold record in the USA, a triple Platinum record in Belgium and twice in Italy. Additionally, the song earned five nominations in the World Music Award and garnered recognition in many other places for its popularity and impact.

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Real name Paul Van, Stromae was born to a Flemish mother, Miranda Van Haver and Rwandan father, Pierre Rutare who was killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The 38-year-old singer, rapper, songwriter and producer gained public attention in 2009 with his song ‘Alors on danse’ which became a number one in several European Countries.

He has won several awards including three MTV Europe Music Awards, two World Music Awards, four NRJ Music Awards and two Victoires de la Musique. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2017.