Racine carrée is ten years old. And we’re ten years older. We have all grown up, matured. New people have arrived on Earth and they may have been given a listen to the dozen songs that a young Belgian patiently created in his attic, then honed as a team, before releasing in August 2013 what would become the greatest French-speaking success of the decade.

Today, the disc still shines in the firmament: more than 6 million* albums sold worldwide, close to 6 billion streams, more than 2 billion cumulative views on the music videos. The sales and streaming figures are dizzying, as is the list of prizes and distinctions won. And the 209 dates of the triumphal tour that followed the album are added to the list. From Brussels to Kigali, from Paris-Bercy to the Madison Square Garden, from Werchter to Coachella, 2 years of whirlwind on stages around the world where Stromae communed with more than 2 million spectators.

Yes, Stromae leaves nothing to chance; whether in his stage performances or during his speeches.

Racine carrée will have been a time marked by appearances as original as they are remarkable.

We still remember his unforgettable entrance as a motionless model during the 15th edition of the NRJ Music Awards, reproducing the highlights of the “Papaoutai” music video. Or the hidden camera carried out in the streets of Brussels for the music video of “formidable” when Stromae seemed to wander drunk, succeeding in fooling the world media and public.

Stromae’s face will have marked a whole generation, front the cover of several French and international magazines until his portrait in the New York Times; he knew how to immerse himself in his history to reach an audience that transcends all borders.

Ten years later, the pride and joy of the work accomplished still remain intact and this very special anniversary is an opportunity to look back and measure the journey taken.

Through a reissue enriched with a photo book – a logbook of the album and its XXL tour, Mosaert takes us back to the heart of this great adventure thanks to unpublished archives.