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Jeangu Macrooy
Surinamese singer-songwriter From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jeangu Macrooy (Dutch pronunciation: [ʑɑ̃ːˈɡy maːˈkroːi]; born 6 November 1993) is a Surinamese-Dutch singer-songwriter and actor. He was born in Paramaribo and has been living in the Netherlands since 2014. Macrooy's music is described as modern soul. His audience is mainly based in the Netherlands, Suriname, and increasingly in Belgium, France and Germany. He was due to represent host nation the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam with the song "Grow", but the contest was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he represented the country in the 2021 contest with "Birth of a New Age".[1]
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Career
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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.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4] Macrooy's debut EP Brave Enough, produced by Perquisite, appeared in April 2016, and his first single "Gold" was used in an advertisement for HBO.[5] A year later, in April 2017, Macrooy released his first solo album, High on You which was co-written and produced by Perquisite. 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.[6] 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, which was also produced by Perquisite, was released in February 2019.[7][8] In the summer of 2019, he went on his first own headliner tour to three major cities in Germany: Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin.[9] He also played at the internationally renowned Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg.[10]
His song "High on You" has gained great success in Suriname topping the Nationale Top 40 Suriname.[11]
2020–2022: Eurovision Song Contest and "Summer Moon"
On 10 January 2020 it was announced that Macrooy would represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam.[12] After the show's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that he would represent the country once again in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.[1] Jeangu is the third Dutch Eurovision act with Surinamese origins, as Humphrey Campbell (Eurovision Song Contest 1992) and Ruth Jacott (Eurovision Song Contest 1993) were also both born in Suriname before moving to the Netherlands.
On 4 March 2021 Macrooy's entry, entitled "Birth of a New Age", was released. The song was the first ever Eurovision entry to feature lyrics in Sranan Tongo.[13] 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, all of which were awarded by the juries while he received none from the televote.
On 11 November 2022 Macrooy released his third studio album, "Summer Moon", which he made together with producer Bud Kolk. He drew the album artwork of the album himself, just like he did with the covers of 'Brave Enough' and 'High On You'.[14][15] In terms of sound, Jeangu partly returned to the soulful sound of his debut album, but Summer Moon also has electronic and disco influences. The album was nominated for the Edison Pop Awards in the category Best Soul/R&B/Funk album. In March 2023, Jeangu released Space. The single was named TopSong by NPO Radio 2, the fourth in his career to date. Later that year he and his band launched the Summer Moon tour.
2022- Present: Jesus Christ Superstar, "Young, Awkward & Lonely" and Hadestown.
At the end of 2023, it was announced that Jeangu will play the role of Jesus in the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, directed by Ivo van Hove. The theater spectacle ran from January 2024 to November 2024 and received rave 5-star reviews in all national newspapers. Jeangu was also nominated for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Major Musical at the 2024 Musical Awards.
From June 29, 2025, Jeangu can be seen in the role of Orpheus in the musical 'Hadestown'. The Broadway musical will be on show all summer at the Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam.[16]
Jeangu’s fourth studio album "Young, Awkward & Lonely", produced by Jasper Zuidervaart (Chef’Special), is scheduled for release in the fall of 2025; the first four singles have already been released and have been positively received.
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Television appearances
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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, alongside Ruben Hein, several songs by Paul Simon and Elton John, 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, alongside Tommie Christiaan (Jesus), Brainpower (Saint Peter), Glennis Grace (Mary), and Arjan Ederveen (Pontius Pilate).[17] The broadcast, which took place in Amsterdam-Zuidoost 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, Edson da Graça, Lale Gül, Lucille Werner, Jetze Plat, and Marcel van Roosmalen. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was filmed with a virtual audience.
Even tot hier
On 29 April 2023, Macrooy performed a song in the television show Even tot hier. He sung a parody on his song “Birth Of A New Age”. The parody was about Olga Commandeur leaving television after 23 years.
In April 2023, he also appeared in an episode of the television game show Alles is Muziek.
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Personal life
Macrooy has a sister and a twin brother, Xillan Macrooy, who is also a singer and used to be one of the backing vocalists in Jeangu Macrooy's live band. The two have also collaborated on the songs "Crazy Kids" from Jeangu Macrooy's debut album 'High On You' and "Second Hand Lover" from Macrooy's sophomore album Horizon.[18]
Jeangu has spoken about the importance of being an openly gay role model for young Surinamese people, a country where queerness is often still considered a taboo subject.[19]
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Extended plays
Other albums
- Stars on My Radio (2013) (album credited to Between Towers)
Singles
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Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
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