Jeangu Macrooy – “The song reflects the positive attitude I have in my life now”

The seeds for Jeangu’s musical journey were planted when his parents gave him the gift of a guitar for his 13th birthday. Together with his twin brother Xillan a musical duo was formed. His musical ambitions, however, proved bigger than the small scene in his native Suriname could accommodate, leading to his move to the Netherlands at the age of 20.

It was there than Jeangu enrolled in music college, where he was discovered by and mentored musically by the producer Perquisite. Jeangu’s soulful debut album “High on You” (2017) was nominated for an Edison Pop Award (Dutch Grammy) and he gained rave reviews with performances at festivals such as Lowlands, North Sea Jazz and Eurosonic Noorderslag. Two sold out club tours followed. His second album “Horizon” (2019) received critical acclaim from both press and public, followed by national and international headliner tours and frequent appearances on national TV and radio.

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In January 2020 Jeangu was selected by Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at
the Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Grow”. After the cancellation of the contest in March 2020 due to the pandemic, it was announced immediately that Jeangu would continue his Eurovision journey in 2021.

His new song “Birth Of A New Age”, which was released in March, tells a story of resilience and the dawn of a new era. Jeangu’s Surinamese roots clearly come across in the song. Besides English, he sings in Sranan Tongo, the main language of Suriname. This part of the song is inspired by an old Surinamese saying: “Mi Na Afu Sensi, No Wan Man E Broko Mi”, which literally means: “I’m half a cent, you can’t break me”.

In the context of “Birth Of A New Age”, it stands for self-respect, empowerment and determination.
Jeangu says: “The song reflects the positive attitude I have in my life now”

“Birth Of A New Age” was written and produced by Jeangu Macrooy and Perquisite