Jeangu Macrooy (; born November 6, 1993) is a Surinamese singer-songwriter. He was born in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

and has been living in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in the eastern city

Enschede Enschede (; known as in the local Twents dialect) is a municipality and city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region. The eastern parts of the urban area reaches the border of the German city of Gronau ...

in the region

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...

since 2014. Macrooy's music is described as modern

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

. His audience is in the Netherlands, Suriname, and increasingly in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, France and Germany. He was due to represent host nation the Netherlands in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

with the song " Grow", but the contest was cancelled because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Instead, he represented the country in the 2021 contest with " Birth of a New Age".

Career

Early career

In 2011, together with his twin brother Xillan, Macrooy formed the band Between Towers. Their first and only album, ''Stars on My Radio'' came out in 2013. After having studied at the Conservatory of Suriname in Paramaribo for two years, he moved to the Netherlands in 2014 to study songwriting at the ArtEZ Conservatory in

2015–2019: Album releases and tours

During a performance at the conservatory, Macrooy met music producer

Perquisite Employee benefits and (especially in British English) benefits in kind (also called fringe benefits, perquisites, or perks) include various types of non-wage compensation provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries. Insta ...

and signed with his record label

Unexpected Records Unexpected Records is a Dutch record label founded by composer/producer Perquisite, who was part of the hiphop duo Pete Philly & Perquisite. History The label was founded in 2001, in Amsterdam, with the main goal of focusing on Hip hop, Nu jazz ...

shortly after in December 2015. Macrooy's debut EP ''Brave Enough'' appeared in April 2016, and his first single "Gold" was used in an advertisement for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. A year later, in April 2017, Macrooy released his first solo album, '' High on You''. The album peaked at number 69 on the

Dutch Albums Chart The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expande ...

. Both releases were followed by club tours in the Netherlands and performances as a

supporting act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

at concerts abroad. He was the opening act for

Curtis Harding Curtis Harding (born June 11, 1979) is an American singer and songwriter. Primarily a soul artist, his "slop 'n' soul" style carries the influence of genres including blues, gospel, psychedelia, R&B, and rock. His first album, ''Soul Power'' (201 ...

and

Ayo The interjection Ayo! is a common variation of the word Yo!. Ayo, Ayọ, Ayọ̀ and AYO may also refer to: People Ayọ is a common Yoruba given name, it can be given to a female and a male. ''Ayọ'' in Yoruba means ''Joy''. * Ayo Akinola, A ...

in Germany, and for

Trombone Shorty Troy Andrews (born January 2, 1986), also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is an American musician, producer, actor and philanthropist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known as a trombone and trumpet player but also plays drums, ...

in Belgium, France and Germany. He has also performed at some of the major music festivals of the Netherlands, including the

North Sea Jazz Festival The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival w ...

and

Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

. In December 2017, Macrooy returned to Suriname for his first concert with his band in Paramaribo. His single "Dance with Me" was used as the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

of the Dutch drama film ''

Open Seas Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' (Y ...

'', which premiered in 2018. Macrooy's second album, titled ''Horizon'' was released in February 2019. In the summer of 2019, he went on his first own headliner tour to three major cities in Germany:

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, Hamburg and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. He also played at the internationally renowned

Reeperbahn Festival The Reeperbahn () is a street and entertainment district in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife (the other being Sternschanze) and also the city's major red-light district. In German, it is also nickn ...

in Hamburg. His song "High on You" has gained great success in Suriname topping the

Nationale Top 40 Suriname Nationale Top 40 Suriname is a weekly record chart in Suriname. It is updated every Thursday by the Natio40 Foundation (Dutch: ). Background The first Top 40 appeared on April 12, 2013. It is based on radio airplay, music store sales, and repor ...

2020–present: Eurovision Song Contest

On January 10, 2020, it was announced that Macrooy would represent the Netherlands in the

. After the show's cancellation due to the

, it was announced that he would represent the country once again in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the , ...

. Jeangu is the third Dutch Eurovision act with Surinamese origins, as

Humphrey Campbell Humphrey Campbell (born 26 February 1958) is a Dutch singer and record producer of Surinamese descent, known for his participation in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest. Early career Campbell moved to the Netherlands in 1973 before Suriname's i ...

(

Eurovision Song Contest 1992 The Eurovision Song Contest 1992 was the 37th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Carola. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ...

) and

Ruth Jacott Ruth Jacott (born 2 September 1960) is a Surinamese-Dutch singer. Jacott transitioned from musical theatre to popular music in 1993, when she represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Her song, "Vrede" (Peace), was one of ...

(

Eurovision Song Contest 1993 The Eurovision Song Contest 1993 was the 38th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Millstreet, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song " Why Me?" by Linda Martin. Organised by the European Broadcastin ...

) were also both born in Suriname before moving to the Netherlands. On March 4, 2021, Macrooy's 2021 entry " Birth of a New Age" was released. The song was the first ever Eurovision entry to feature lyrics in

Sranan Tongo Sranan Tongo (also Sranantongo "Surinamese tongue," Sranan, Surinaams, Surinamese, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language that is spoken as a ''lingua franca'' by approximately 550,000 people in Suriname. Developed originally amo ...

. As Netherlands was the host country of the 2021 contest, Jeangu was automatically qualified for the final, where he placed 23rd out of 26 participants, receiving 11 points.

Television appearances

''De Wereld Draait Door''

Macrooy has been a regular guest on the Dutch talkshow ''

De Wereld Draait Door ''De Wereld Draait Door'' (; English: "The world keeps on turning") also known by the acronym DWDD was an early-evening talk show on Dutch television, broadcast every weekday at 7:00 p.m. on NPO 1. It is the Netherlands' longest-running, reg ...

'' (DWDD). Besides performing his own music, he has paid tributes to other artists including

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

, and the

Blue Diamonds Blue diamond is a type of diamond which exhibits all of the same inherent properties of the mineral except with the additional element of blue color in the stone. They are colored blue by trace amounts of boron that contaminate the crystalline la ...

. He also performed

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's " The Times They Are a-Changin'" in a special retrospective broadcast of the show. Throughout the show's 2018–2019 season, Macrooy sang several songs by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, who had announced their farewell tours earlier in 2018.

The Passion

On 28 March 2018, Macrooy was part of the Dutch national TV production '' The Passion'', in which he took on the role of

Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

, alongside (Jesus),

Brainpower Gerrit-Jan Mulder, known professionally as Brainpower (born 5 February 1975), is a Dutch rapper who writes, records and performs in both English as well as his native Dutch. He was born in Belgium and grew up in the Netherlands. He started mak ...

(Saint Peter),

Glennis Grace Glenda Hulita Elisabeth Batta (born 19 June 1978), known professionally as Glennis Grace, is a Dutch singer. In 2005, she Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, 50th editi ...

(Mary), and

Arjan Ederveen Arjan Ederveen Janssen (born 9 September 1956) is a Dutch actor, comedian, TV scriptwriter and TV director. He participated in the TV series '' Theo en Thea'', '' Kreatief met Kurk'' and '' 30 minuten'' and played in the musicals ''Hairspray'' a ...

(Pontius Pilate). The broadcast, which took place in

Amsterdam-Zuidoost Amsterdam-Zuidoost (; "Amsterdam-Southeast") is a borough (''stadsdeel'') of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It consists of four residential neighborhoods—Bijlmermeer, Venserpolder, Gaasperdam and Driemond—as well as the Amstel III/Bullewijk B ...

that year, attracted 3.5 million viewers.

''De Nationale 2021 Test''

On 30 December 2021, Macrooy was a guest on NPO's ''De Nationale 2021 Test'' along with

Lisa Loeb Lisa Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites,'' the first number 1 single for an artist ...

, , Lale Gül,

Lucille Werner Lucille Martine Werner (born 12 October 1967) is a Dutch television presenter and politician. She is best known for hosting close to 2,000 episodes of the word game show '' Lingo'' in the years 2005–14. Werner started her career at the Hollan ...

Jetze Plat Jetze Plat (born 10 June 1991 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch para-cyclist in the H4 class. He also competes in the paratriathlon. Career Plat was born with two stunted legs. In 1995, Plat started using a handcycle, to cycle to school. Later he star ...

, and . Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was filmed with a virtual audience.

Personal life

Macrooy has a twin brother, Xillan Macrooy, who is also a singer and one of the backing vocalists in Jeangu Macrooy's band. The two have also collaborated on the song "Second Hand Lover" from Macrooy's album ''Horizon''. Jeangu has spoken about the importance of being an

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

role model for young Surinamese people, a country where gay culture is often considered a taboo subject.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Other albums

*''Stars on My Radio'' (2013) (album credited to Between Towers)

Singles

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macrooy, Jeangu 1993 births Living people People from Paramaribo Surinamese composers 21st-century Surinamese male singers Surinamese expatriates in the Netherlands Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2020 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2021 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the Netherlands Gay musicians Surinamese LGBT people 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people