Orelsan
Aurélien Cotentin (; born 1 August 1982), better known by his stage name Orelsan, sometimes stylized as OrelSan (), is a French Rapping, rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor and film director. He has released four studio albums: his debut ...
, and produced by
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his part ...
. It was released on May 30, 2011 as the first single from his second studio album ''
Le chant des sirènes
''Le chant des sirènes'' is the second studio album by French rapper Orelsan, released on 26 September 2011 by 3ème Bureau, 7th Magnitude and Wagram Music.
In its first week, the album entered the French Albums Chart in third place with 15,529 c ...
'', and peaked at number 77 on the French Singles Chart.
The song's name is a reference to Raël, the founder of
Raëlism
Raëlism, also known as Raëlianism or Raelian Movement is a UFO religion founded in 1970s France by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël. Scholars of religion classify Raëlism as a new religious movement. The group is formalised as the Inte ...
, and is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
Music video
The music video was released on 24 August 2011 on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
. In the video, Orelsan takes the role of "RaelSan" and is seen wearing a black mask similar to that of Robin of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
, rapping to the song in constantly changing clips, all in which he is seen wearing the same outfit. 2 minutes into the video, while still rapping, Orelsan shapeshifts into
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his part ...
, Ablaye (the founders of the record label
7th Magnitude
7th Magnitude (french: Septième magnitude) is a record label founded by French record producer Matthieu "Skread" Le Carpentier and co-founder Abdoulaye "Ablaye" Doucouré. The label is known for having signed French rappers Orelsan and Nessbeal. ...
to which Orelsan is signed) and then
Gringe
Guillaume Tranchant (; born 20 February 1980), better known by his stage name Gringe (), is a French rapper, songwriter and actor. He is one half of the French hip hop duo Casseurs Flowters, along with Orelsan, with whom he has released two studi ...
, all of whom are still wearing the same outfit as Orelsan and still rapping, then shapeshifts back to himself, after which the three men split off Orelsan and all four make the same body gestures, before the video continues with Orelsan alone.
The video was nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 2012
Victoires de la Musique
Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...
awards.
Influence
Since the release of the "RaelSan" music video, Orelsan adopted RaelSan as his
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differe ...
and has performed under this character in several concerts since. RaelSan is portrayed as an alien life form with
superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural ...
s.
Orelsan released two end-of-the-year videos as RaelSan, titled "''Les vœux de RaelSan pour 2012''" ("RaelSan's Wishes for 2012") with Marek Tomaszewski on 31 December 2011, and "''Les adieux de RaelSan avant l'Apocalypse''" ("RaelSan's farewell before the Apocalypse") with
Gringe
Guillaume Tranchant (; born 20 February 1980), better known by his stage name Gringe (), is a French rapper, songwriter and actor. He is one half of the French hip hop duo Casseurs Flowters, along with Orelsan, with whom he has released two studi ...
,
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his part ...
, Ablaye, Manu Dyens, Eddy Purple and Dany Synthé on
21 December 2012
The 2012 phenomenon was a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count cale ...
, both directed by David Tomaszewski. In "''Les adieux de RaelSan avant l'Apocalypse''", RaelSan answers a question from a fan asking whether he is friends with Orelsinge, to which he replies by saying that they met at a
Doors
A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...
concert in 1994 before performing a fusion technique to form "Raelsinge".