Netherlands: Jeangu Macrooy releases "Birth of A New Age" for Eurovision 2021
Jeangu Macrooy will represent the host country, Netherlands in Eurovision Song Contest 2021. His song "Birth of A New Age" has just been released. Listen to it here
For the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, host country the Netherlands chose to continue the internal selection route by selecting Jeangu Macrooy. He was internally selected to represent the country with the song "Grow" before the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national broadcaster AVROTROS, have entrusted Jeangu once again with his responsibility and will once again represent the Netherlands on home ground in May 2021. Jeangu Macrooy will be singing "Birth of A New Age" at Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Since the Netherlands won in 2019, the country has automatic a place in the Grand Final of Eurovision 2021.
Birth of A New Age
Birth of A New Age tells a story of resilience and the beginning of a new era, and was written and produced by Jeangu Macrooy and longtime collaborator Perquisite. In the song, Jeangu sings in Sranan Tongo, one of the languages of his birthplace and the language which makes a debut on the Eurovision stage.
During the reveal of Birth of A New Age, Jeangu says:
- The song is an ode to everyone who stands up for themselves and dares to celebrate the power of their authenticity.
Jeangu Macrooy
Jeangu's musical journey started when he received a guitar from his parents for his 13th birthday. Together with his twin brother Xillan, he formed a musical duo. His artistic ambitions, however, proved bigger than the scene in his native Surinam and he moved to the Netherlands at the age of 20.
He later enrolled in music college in the Netherlands where he began collaborating with producer Perquisite. Jeangu's soulful debut album, "High On You", was nominated for an Edison Pop Award and he has since performed at prominent festivals such as Lowlands, North Sea Jazz and Eurosonic Noorderslag.
His second album, 2019's Horizon, is critically acclaimed by both press and public and preceded international headline tours and frequent appearances on national TV and radio.
The Netherlands in Eurovision Song Contest
The Netherlands is historically one of the 10 most successful Eurovision countries. They have participated in Eurovision Song Contest 60 times since their debut in 1956, with five victories:
- 1957: Corry Brokken – Net Als Toen
- 1959: Teddy Scholten – Een Beetje
- 1969: Lenny Kuhr – De Troubadour
- 1975: Teach-In – Ding-A-Dong
- 2019: Duncan Laurence – Arcade
Since 1975 the best result for Netherlands was in 2019, when Duncan Laurence ended first with the song "Arcade". They ended last in the contest 5 times: 1958, 1962, 1963, 1968 and 2011. Since the introductions of Semi-finals in 2004, they only qualified for the Grand Final 7 out of 16 times.
