Jeangu Macrooy

Jeangu Macrooy (; born November 6, 1993) is a Surinamese singer-songwriter. He was born in Paramaribo and has been living in the Netherlands in the eastern city Enschede in the region Twente since 2014. Macrooy's music can best be described as modern soul. His audience is in the Netherlands, Suriname, and increasingly in Belgium, France and Germany. He was due to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 to be held in Rotterdam with the song "Grow", but the contest was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will represent the country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "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 Enschede.
2015–2019: Album releases and tours.
During a performance at the conservatory, Macrooy met music producer Perquisite and signed with his record label Unexpected Records 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. 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.
Both releases were followed by club tours in the Netherlands and performances as a supporting act at concerts abroad. He was the opening act for Curtis Harding and Ayo in Germany, and for Trombone Shorty 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 and Lowlands. 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 of the Dutch drama film "Open Seas" 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, Hamburg and Berlin. He also played at the internationally renowned in Hamburg.
His song "High on You" has gained great success in Suriname topping the Nationale Top 40 Suriname.
2020–present: Eurovision Song Contest.
On January 10, 2020, it was announced that Macrooy would represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam. After the show cancellation, it was announced that Jeangu will represent the country once again in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Jeangu is not the first Dutch Eurovision act with Surinamese origins, as Humphrey Campbell (Eurovision Song Contest 1992) and Ruth Jacott (Eurovision Song Contest 1993) were both born in Suriname before moving to the Netherlands.
On March 4, 2021, Macrooy's song Birth of a New Age was released. The song will be the first ever Eurovision entry to feature the language Sranan Tongo.
Television appearances.
"De Wereld Draait Door".
Macrooy has been a regular guest on the Dutch talkshow "De Wereld Draait Door" (DWDD). Besides performing his own music, he has paid tributes to other artists including Stevie Wonder, George Michael and the Blue Diamonds. He also performed Bob Dylan'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 and Elton John who had announced their farewell tours earlier in 2018.
The Passion.
On March 29, 2018, Macrooy was part of the Dutch national TV production "The Passion", in which he took on the role of Judas, alongside Tommie Christiaan (Jesus), Brainpower (Saint Peter), Glennis Grace (Mary) and Arjan Ederveen (Pontius Pilate). The broadcast, which took place in Amsterdam-Zuidoost that year, attracted 3.5 million viewers.
Personal life.
Macrooy has a twin brother, Xillan Macrooy. His brother 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 role model for young Surinamese people, a country where gay culture is often considered a taboo subject.