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 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]
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
De Wereld Draait Door
Macrooy talking about the documentary George Michael: Freedom on 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.
On 29 April 2023, Macrooy performed a song in the television show Even tot hier [nl]. 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
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]
