Jeangu Macrooy (pronounced as shàngú makrói) was born November 6, 1993 and … Read Full Bio ↴Jeangu Macrooy (pronounced as shàngú makrói) was born November 6, 1993 and raised in Paramaribo, Suriname. At the age of thirteen his parents bought him his first guitar and two years later Jeangu and his twin brother Xillan started writing and performing their own music. In 2014 Jeangu decided to continue his musical career at the other side of the ocean, in the Netherlands. A musical collaboration with producer/composer Perquisite took off and he was signed to his label Unexpected Records.
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 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"

In April 2016 Jeangu’s debut EP ‘Brave Enough’ was released. The day of the release Jeangu was named ‘Serious Talent’ by 3FM radio, and the week after he played his first single ‘Gold’ at Dutch national TV talk show ‘De Wereld Draait Door’, where he has become a frequent guest ever since. ‘Gold’ was later used in a commercial for television network HBO. During the summer of 2016 Jeangu and his band played a multitude of festivals, after which he toured the Netherlands with Popronde in autumn. He also provided the support for Blaudzun, Remy van Kesteren, Bernhoft and Selah Sue, resulting in a total of 120 shows in just 12 months. The year 2016 was concluded with a performance at Noorderslag and a nomination for an Edison Award in the category ‘Best New Artist.’

Jeangu’s Perquisite produced debut album ‘High On You’ is more energetic and danceable than its predecessor. Melancholy still prevails in songs like ‘Circles’, but generally the focus has shifted to a more raw sound that drives songs like ‘Crazy Kids’ – a duet with twin brother Xillan – and ‘Head Over Heels’. ‘Antidote’ and ‘High On You’ show Jeangu’s affinity with soul music. It is on tracks like these that his powerful voice is intensified by the addition of brass arrangements that can be heard on the majority of the album. The common thread throughout the record, however, is still Jeangu’s unique vocal capacity, that hypnotises in the low range and moves the listener in the high range.

‘High On You’ was released on Unexpected Records on April 14th, 2017. The record entered the Dutch album charts, was nominated for the Edison Pop ‘Best Album’, and received critical acclaim from the press. Algemeen Dagblad gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote: ‘He’s only 23, but has a soul veteran-like depth in his voice. ‘High On You’ might be the best Dutch debut album of 2017.’ De Telegraaf added: ‘Your mouth will drop with surprise and admiration. What a way to start your career!’. Oor Magazine called Jeangu ‘a newcomer that will really excite you’.

The release of the album was celebrated with two club tours throughout the Netherlands of fifteen shows in total of which thirteen were sold out. In the summer of 2017, Jeangu played an abundance of festivals with his band, including North Sea Jazz and Lowlands. In December Jeangu flew back to Suriname, where title song ‘High On You’ had been at the number one chart position for seven weeks straight, for the first time since he moved to The Netherlands. He played there with his full live band for a thrilled 1500-piece audience. Back in The Netherlands, the year 2018 kicked off with a show at the Eurosonic showcase festival.