Stromae announces US tour

Belgian music sensation Stromae, whose career has quickly grown internationally, has announced a tour of North America leading up to a mega-gig at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Stromae, who will play next month’s Coachella festival in California, had previously announced his October 1 appearance at the coveted New York venue whose headliners are generally seen as having reached a level of stardom.

The Alors On Danse singer on Monday unveiled nine additional dates the weeks before the performance — Miami, Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit, Toronto and Montreal.

While most of the shows will be at venues much smaller than 18,200-capacity Madison Square Garden, his last stop before New York will be at the 21,273-capacity Centre Bell arena in Montreal.

Stromae has attracted a growing international audience after phenomenal success in the French-speaking world, with his album Racine Caree the top-seller in France in 2013 and again in 2014.

Stromae, who turns 30 on Thursday, has won over diverse crowds with his danceable yet intelligent tracks that notably have touched on his absent father who was killed in the Rwandan genocide.