Jeangu Macrooy is a name that European music lovers have been hearing a lot lately. A young guy from the Netherlands managed to attract attention in a short time. Macrooy's music can best be described as contemporary soul. Its main listeners are in the Netherlands and Suriname. But it is also recognizable in Belgium, France and Germany. The singer was supposed to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was held in Rotterdam with the song "Grow". But the competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the guy did not give up and represented the Netherlands at Eurovision 2021 with the song "Birth of a New Age". Now all of Europe sings it. The guy has no end to journalists, photographers and admiring fans.
Childhood and youth of Zhangyu Makroy
Jeangu Macrooy (pronounced Shàngú Makrói) was born on November 6, 1993 and raised in Paramaribo, Suriname, a former Dutch colony in South America. The official language of Suriname is Dutch, so Zhangyu is fluent in this language. Many Surinamese have been moving to the Netherlands for work and study, and have been for decades. Zhangyu Jerrel's father even lived and worked in Amsterdam for a few years before returning to Suriname and starting a family.
When Zhangyu was thirteen, his parents bought him his first guitar. It has become a favorite item in the house. The boy literally did not let her out of his hands and learned to masterfully master the instrument. Two years later, Zhangyu and his twin brother Xillan began composing and performing their own music. Even then, the guy knew that he would connect his future life with music. Since 2014, Zhangyu has continued his musical career on the other side of the ocean, in the Netherlands. A musical collaboration began with producer and composer Perquisite. Later he signed a contract with the famous label Unexpected Records.
The beginning of the creative path of Jeangu Macrooy
In April 2016, Jeangu Macrooy's debut mini-album "Brave Enough" was released. After the release, Zhangyu was named "Serious Talent" by 3FM radio. And a week after he played his first single "Gold" on the Dutch national talk show "De Wereld Draait Door", he became a frequent guest on TV. Later, the same hit was used in an advertisement for the HBO channel.
In the summer of 2016, the singer and his band played many festivals, after which they went on a tour of the Netherlands with Popronde in the fall. He also provided support for Blaudzun, Remy van Kesteren, Bernhoft and Selah Sue. As a result, 12 concerts were held in just 120 months. 2016 ended with the performance of the artist at the Noorderslag festival. Here he was nominated for an Edison Award in the Best New Artist category.
Zhangyu Makroy's first album
The debut album of the singer “High On You” turned out to be energetic and danceable. But elements of melancholy still prevail in such songs as "Circles", "Crazy Kids", "Head Over Heels". Some of the works were sung as a duet with his twin brother Xillan. "Antidote" and "High On You" demonstrate Zhangyu's affinity for soul music. It is on these tracks that his powerful voice is enhanced by the brassy arrangements that characterize most of the album. However, the common thread throughout the recording is still Zhangyu's unique vocal ability. It hypnotizes in the low range and transports the listener to a completely different world in the high range.
"High On You" was released by Unexpected Records on April 14, 2017. The record entered the Dutch Albums Chart. It was nominated for "Best Edison Pop Album" and received critical acclaim from the press. Algemin Dagblad gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "He's only 23 years old, but there's a veteran depth to his voice." "High On You" was nominated as the best Dutch debut album of 2017." The Telegraaf added: “Your mouth will open in surprise and admiration. The perfect way to start your musical career!”. Oor magazine called Zhangyu "a newcomer who will really turn you on."
Album release
The release of the album was marked by two club tours in the Netherlands. The singer gave fifteen concerts, tickets for which were sold out in a matter of days. In the summer of 2017, Zhangyu played many festivals with his band, including North Sea Jazz and Lowlands. In December, Zhangyu flew back to Suriname. He played with his band in front of an excited audience of 1500 people. Here, the title track "High On You" held at number one on the charts for seven consecutive weeks. Returning to the Netherlands in 2018, he performed at the Eurosonic Showcase.
Creative tandem Jeangu Macrooy with his brother
The artist has a twin brother who is only nine minutes younger than him. Zhangyu is very close to Xillan (that's his brother's name) not only in terms of creativity. From childhood, they are accustomed to do everything together, and share all the joys and troubles for two. But when it comes to music, and they have a special style of working together. According to their mother Jeannette, the boys have always had their own way of writing lyrics. It developed in the process of drawing pictures in childhood. They always used one sheet for work. Zhangyu painted on the left side of the sheet, and Xillan on the right.
And later, that's how they wrote songs and lyrics. One started with a certain line, the other with the next, and so on. The brothers first separated when Zhangyu moved to the Netherlands to study music. It was very difficult for both of them, especially for Xillan. While Zhangyu followed his passion, Xillan remained unchanged. Thankfully, they are now reunited as Xillan has also moved to the Netherlands. Xillan also has his own band called KOWNU. Their biggest fan is, of course, Jeangu Macrooy.
Zhangyu Makroy: interesting facts
The singer is a very proud and active advocate for LGBT rights in his homeland. Even though he was more open to the LGBT community than many of his neighbors and friends. Zhangyu admits he felt a bit trapped in Suriname. This was also one of the reasons why he moved to the Netherlands.
He and Xillan usually spoke in contrived accents. In this way, they attracted the attention of others. Even in their first songs they successfully used it.
His first tour took place at the age of 17. The brothers started a band called Between Towers while attending the Suriname Conservatory. With the help of their father, they gave concerts in small cafes throughout the capital.
He quickly made a name for himself in the Netherlands. It took him about three years to achieve popularity. The artist was twice nominated for the Edison Award. She is the Dutch version of the Grammy Awards. He also had several successful singles such as "Gold" which was used in an HBO commercial for Game of Thrones.
Zhangyu Makroy is a reading coach. He likes to dive into a book from time to time. And in 2020, Zhangyu was named one of three "reading coaches" who will encourage Dutch students to pick up a book. Together with rappers Famke Louise and Dio Jengu, the singer invites children to read three books in six months. The campaign ran from November 2020 to May 2021. Zhangyu chose to read books by contemporary American and English authors, which he himself read with pleasure.
