Semblant means 'pretense' or 'feigning'. It's most often used in the phrase "faire semblant," which means 'to pretend' or 'to make believe'.
In "Comme D'habitude," the singer repeatedly talks about "faire semblant" – pretending to be happy, pretending everything is fine, and even pretending to be in love. This word perfectly captures the song's central theme of a couple living a life of pretense, making it both interesting and deeply meaningful to the lyrics.
Comme d’habitude literally means “as usual,” and that simple phrase sets the mood for the whole song. M. Pokora paints the morning-to-night routine of a couple who keep acting like everything is fine even though the love has cooled. From pulling up the blanket so his partner does not get cold to sipping coffee alone in a silent kitchen, the narrator checks every box of a normal day, yet each action feels hollow.
The real heartbreak hides in the pretending: smiling at work, laughing with friends, sharing a bed at night, even making love… all comme d’habitude. Beneath the ritual there is a lonely man masking tears and a distant partner who also plays along. The song turns an everyday schedule into an emotional roller-coaster, reminding us how routine can be the perfect disguise for fading passion.
M. Pokora is a French singer, songwriter, and dancer born Matthieu Tota on September 26, 1985, in Strasbourg, France.
He got his start on the reality show Popstars with the group Linkup before going solo in 2004 as Matt Pokora. A 2005 lawsuit from R&B singer Matt Houston forced him to shorten his name, and "M. Pokora" stuck for the rest of his career; the stage name itself comes from a conversation with his Polish grandmother about humility, "pokora" in Polish.
Since then he has become one of France's biggest pop stars, blending pop, R&B, and dance influences across albums like R.E.D. and Pyramide. His 2016 album My Way, a tribute to the legendary French singer Claude François, went straight to number one in France. Off stage, he is married to the actress and singer Christina Milian.