Stromae, Ixelles and La Cambre
I had the opportunity to work with Stromae on two very special projects at a moment when “Alors on danse” was turning him into a European phenomenon. At that time, I was living in Ixelles in Brussels, not far from La Cambre (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre), a very selective art school where I studied. La Cambre has a strong reputation in Europe and maintains a highly selective admissions process, with a very small student body and a low acceptance rate, making it feel almost like a tiny creative lab in Brussels.
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→ View ProjectsFirst collaboration: tour bonus video “La Cheap Team”
The first time I worked with Stromae was on a bonus video, a documentary-style piece about his tour, included on the re‑edition of his album “Cheese,” produced by The French Fries, called “La Cheap Team”. This was shortly after “Alors on danse” reached number one across Europe, after he was nominated for Best Dutch and Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and after collaborating on a remix with Kanye West. Being involved in that bonus documentary offered a privileged, behind‑the‑scenes view of an artist who was rapidly becoming a major international reference in French‑language pop and electronic music.
Second collaboration: Victoires de la Musique video
Our second collaboration happened later, in a much more intimate setting: my apartment in Ixelles. Stromae came over and we worked side by side to create a video for Les Victoires de la Musique, the French music awards often described as the French equivalent of the Grammys or the Brit Awards. The ceremony is one of the major cultural events in France’s music industry, recognizing artistic achievement across genres, and has crowned artists from Stromae to many other iconic French and francophone musicians.
For this Victoires de la Musique piece, the visual concept revolved around country flags merging into each other, creating unexpected and sometimes provocative combinations. Stromae and I explored ideas like the Palestinian flag blending into the Israeli flag, along with other symbolic juxtapositions that carried layered meanings about conflict, unity, and identity. The result was a minimal yet powerful visual language: pure color fields and geometric forms that suggest complex geopolitical and emotional realities, designed to support his music rather than overshadow it.
Creative process in a Brussels apartment
Working from my apartment near La Cambre gave the project a DIY, atelier‑like energy. The proximity to the school’s experimental mindset, where I learned about traditional animation, definitely influenced how I approached motion design, treating the flags almost like abstract paintings in motion. Stromae was deeply involved and curious about the visual storytelling, and the collaboration felt more like two art students exchanging ideas than a traditional artist–director hierarchy.
This session in Ixelles was also technically intense: designing, compositing, and testing different transitions to ensure that each flag morph felt meaningful and readable within very limited screen time. The challenge was to keep the message subtle enough to invite interpretation, while still clearly referencing well‑known national symbols and tensions.
Why this project still matters
Looking back, these collaborations with Stromae are still defining moments in my career as a director and visual artist. They sit at the crossroads of music video, documentary, and conceptual motion design, at a time when Stromae was collecting major awards, including Victoires de la Musique and other European distinctions. Sharing this Victoires de la Musique video here on the blog for the first time feels like reopening a lost chapter that connects my years at La Cambre, my life in Brussels and Ixelles, and the early international rise of Stromae.
If only I had AI Render Pro
What makes this project even more fascinating to revisit today is how much the tools have evolved in just over a decade. Back then, every transition and morph was animated by hand in After Effects and 3D software, frame by frame, with a lot of trial and error baked into the process. It’s crazy to think how different the workflow would be with today’s technology.
If only AI Render Pro had existed at the time, a huge part of the heavy lifting could have been accelerated or completely rethought. Complex variations, looks, and symbolic compositions that used to take hours could now be prototyped in minutes, while still keeping full creative control as a director. If you are curious to see what is possible with current tools, check out AI Render Pro and explore the visuals and workflows it unlocks for music videos and experimental projects.
Q&A about this collaboration
Q: Who is Stromae, and why was this collaboration important?
A: Stromae is a Belgian singer, songwriter, and producer whose song “Alors on danse” topped charts across Europe and beyond, leading to major awards, nominations, and collaborations with artists like Kanye West. Collaborating with him at that pivotal moment meant contributing visually to the narrative of an artist who was redefining contemporary francophone pop.
Q: What are Les Victoires de la Musique?
A: Les Victoires de la Musique are annual French music awards organized with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, widely considered the French equivalent of the Grammy Awards and one of the country’s most prestigious music honors. The ceremony highlights artists across multiple genres and has become a major televised cultural event in France since its creation in 1985.
Q: What is La Cambre, and how did it influence this project?
A: La Cambre (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre) is a very selective public art school in Brussels, known for its small student body and high-level creative programs. Its emphasis on experimentation and visual research strongly influenced the way the flag‑based visuals were conceived and produced in my Ixelles apartment, just a short distance from the campus.
Q: Why use flags and political symbolism in a music award video?
A: Flags are instantly recognizable visual codes, and combining them allows subtle commentary on tensions, dialogue, and possible reconciliation between cultures and nations. In the context of a major music ceremony, these transitions served to echo the global reach of Stromae’s music while inviting viewers to delve deeper into the images behind the performance. For more technical breakdowns of motion design and music videos, you can also check this article on Element 3D and crazy cool music videos.
Further learning and outbound links
- Learn more about Stromae’s career, awards, and discography on his detailed artist pages and biographies on Wikipedia and other music resources.
- Discover the story behind “Alors on danse” and how it became a continental hit across Europe on its Wikipedia page.
- Explore the history and categories of Les Victoires de la Musique, the French music awards comparable to the Grammys.
- Read about La Cambre, the National School of Visual Arts in Brussels, its programs, and its highly selective admission process.
- If you are curious about my broader photography work and visual approach, you can read this interview for YouPic about my work as a photographer.
- For directors and creatives who want to push AI and tech in music videos further, have a look at A Director’s Guide to Googleflow: How to Craft Music Videos in 2026.
Discover more from Olivier Hero Dressen Blog: Filmmaking & Creative Tech
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