To mark the 10th anniversary of the release of Racine Carrée, Stromae launched a limited collector’s edition featuring a 96-page book with previously unseen photographs and texts retracing the story of one of the most influential albums in Francophone music. It’s an essential edition for longtime fans as well as a new generation of listeners — one that will undoubtedly help extend the album’s legacy for decades to come.

Bold Studio, a Brussels-based creative studio, approached me to create the cover artwork. Olivier and Vincent asked me to reinterpret the portrait of Stromae from the original album cover in my signature white monochrome style. Working in this white monochromatic style requires extreme precision and sensitivity. The drawing is built from very pale shades of grey that create volume, light, and shadow in a realistic, almost photographic way. I work by layering extremely subtle tones — nearly invisible to the naked eye — which gradually build up the shapes and volumes, like an image slowly emerging into view. The result feels both very soft, thanks to the delicacy of the tonal transitions, and very present because of the attention to detail and the highly realistic finish.
Creating the cover for the 10th-anniversary limited edition of Racine Carrée was a true honor. One might think everything has already been said about this album. With more than five million copies sold worldwide, nearly two million physical records sold in France, and over 1.5 billion streams for the hit “Papaoutai” — close to four billion streams for the album as a whole, including 800 million in France — the numbers are staggering.
To me, Stromae is a complete artist with a unique yet widely resonant vision. He is a truly popular artist whose style runs through everything he does: music, lyrics, video, fashion, and more. His work captures the very best of humanity, both in its strength and in its vulnerability. Collaborating with Bold Studio’s team was a wonderful experience. It reminded me just how undeniable Belgian creativity and kindness truly are.