Jeangu Macrooy
 |
Jeangu Macrooy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 6 November 1993 Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Genres | Pop, soul, alternative |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, composer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Unexpected Records |
| Website | www |
Jeangu Macrooy (Dutch pronunciation: [ʑɑ̃ːˈɡy maːˈkroːi]; born 6 November 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 is described as modern soul. His audience is 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]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]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
[edit]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 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. 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 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–present: Eurovision Song Contest and "Summer Moon"
[edit]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". He drew the album artwork of the album himself.[14][15]
Television appearances
[edit]De Wereld Draait Door
[edit]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
[edit]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).[16] The broadcast, which took place in Amsterdam-Zuidoost that year, attracted 3.5 million viewers.
De Nationale 2021 Test
[edit]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
[edit]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.
Personal life
[edit]Macrooy has a sister and 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.[17]
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.[18]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL [19] | |||||||||||||||||||
| High on You |
|
69 | |||||||||||||||||
| Horizon |
|
— | |||||||||||||||||
| Summer Moon |
|
— | |||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
Live albums
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Live! |
|
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Brave Enough |
|
Other albums
[edit]- Stars on My Radio (2013) (album credited to Between Towers)
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUR [21] |
NL Single Top 100 |
NL Dutch Top 40 |
BEL (FL) | LIT [22] | |||
| "Gold" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | * | Brave Enough |
| "To Love Is to Hurt" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Brave Enough" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Step Into the Water" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | High On You | |
| "Crazy Kids" (featuring Xillan) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "High On You" | 1 | — | — | — | |||
| "Tell Me Father" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "How Much I Love You" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | Horizon | |
| "Dance with Me" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Shake Up This Place" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Second Hand Lover" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Grow" | 2020 | — | 48 | 29 | —[a] | — | Non-album singles |
| "Birth of a New Age" | 2021 | — | 30 | 37 | 90 | 94 | |
| "A Little Greener" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Worship" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Admit It" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Paris" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Space" | 2023 | 32 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Young, Awkward & Lonely" | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. "*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time. | |||||||
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Edison Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Album (High On You) | Nominated |
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Grow" was a 'tip' in the Ultratip Bubbling Under.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Herbert, Emily (18 March 2020). "The Netherlands: Jeangu Macrooy Will Represent The Netherlands at Eurovision 2021". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy — Unexpected Records". unexpected-records.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy in HBO commercial on Ziggo". The Missing Sync. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ "Suriname I'm coming home! – Jeangu Macrooy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Horizon – Jeangu Macrooy – Muziekweb". Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019 – via www.muziekweb.nl.
- ^ "Second album 'Horizon' is OUT NOW! – Jeangu Macrooy". Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy on tour through Germany — Unexpected Records". unexpected-records.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Reeperbahn Festival: Noch mehr Acts, die ihr beim "Dutch Impact" entdecken könnt | >>FastForward Magazine". Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Top 40 Suriname". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy vertegenwoordigt Nederland op het Eurovisie Songfestival 2020". songfestival.nl (in Dutch). 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "Netherlands: Jeangu Macrooy releases "Birth of A New Age" for Eurovision 2021". Eurovisionworld. 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy over nieuw album 'Summer Moon': 'Heel persoonlijk'". www.linda.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Macrooy, Jeangu (11 November 2022). "My new album Summer Moon is out now! – Jeangu Macrooy". Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Fans onthullen castleden The Passion 2018". The Passion (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ Macrooy, Jeangu (11 November 2022). "My new album Summer Moon is out now! – Jeangu Macrooy". Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Jeangu Macrooy confirmed as The Netherlands' Eurovision 2020 singer". wiwibloggs. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "Discografie Jeangu Macrooy". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ Macrooy, Jeangu (1 November 2022). "Pre-order my new album 'Summer Moon' on CD or cassette! – Jeangu Macrooy". Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Peak chart positions in Suriname:
- "High On You": "De Nationale Top 40 Geldig: 12 okt – 19 okt 2017" [National Top 40 Valid: 12 – 19 October 2017] (in Dutch). Nationale Top 40 Suriname. 13 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- "Space": "Top 40 – 27 juli t/m 03 aug 2023" [Top 40 – July 27 to August 3, 2023] (in Dutch). Nationale Top 40 Suriname. 3 August 2023. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "2021 21-os SAVAITĖS (gegužės 21-27 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1993 births
- Living people
- Musicians 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 singers
- Surinamese LGBTQ people
- 21st-century LGBTQ people
- LGBTQ Eurovision Song Contest entrants