Papaoutai

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"Papaoutai" (Papa où t'es, French for "Dad, where are you?") is a song written and performed by Belgian musician Stromae. The song was released as a digital download in Belgium on 13 May 2013 as the lead single from his second studio album Racine Carrée (2013). The song peaked at number one in Belgium and France and became the best selling single of 2013 in Belgium. A remix of the song featuring Angel Haze also appears on the album.

The song was performed live at the 2013 NRJ Music Awards, where it featured will.i.am. The song is also featured on the 2014 dancing game Just Dance 2015 for PAL regions and is available as DLC for NTSC regions.

Video Papaoutai

Music video

The music video accompanying the release of "Papaoutai" was directed by Raf Reyntjens and released on YouTube on 6 June 2013 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-two seconds. The video shows a young boy (played by Karl Ruben Noel) trying to interact with his father (played by Stromae), who sits motionless, his expression and body resembling that of a mannequin. Father and son are dressed in identical outfits consisting of garishly patterned aqua shirts and shorts, knee socks, and orange bowtie. The boy looks longingly through the window at other parents and children who likewise wear matching outfits that identify them as pairs: a mother and daughter dressed similarly to Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz do a dance while walking their identical dogs; a garbageman and his son collect rubbish together while doing another dance; while still another father (played by Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis, one of the creators of Krumping) does an aggressive, threatening dance at his reluctant son before the boy finally begins to imitate him.

Frustrated, the son does various dances in front of his own father until one of his efforts provokes the father to smile. Outside, father and son do their own dance together, but it is soon revealed that the boy is dancing alone and his father is still stiff and unresponsive. In frustration, the son joins Stromae on the sofa, assuming a rigid, lifeless position identical to his father's.

The song and video refers to the absence of Stromae's father, who was killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and Stromae's fear of being unable to be an effective father with no memory of ever having a father of his own. The video has received over 540 million views on YouTube.

Maps Papaoutai

Covers and parody

A translated English language cover by CUT_ titled "Papaoutai (Stromae Cover)" was released in April 2014 charting in SNEP French Singles Chart.

American A cappella group Pentatonix and violinist Lindsey Stirling covered the song on Pentatonix's album PTX Vol. 3, released on 23 September 2014.

Lamaoutai (Llama, where are you?) is a spoof created in November 2013 about the kidnapping of Serge the Llama from a circus in Bordeaux.