It’s the highs and lows that make you grow. That’s one of the many nuggets hidden in Jeangu Macrooy’s Eurovision 2020 song “Grow”.
The slow-built ballad sits at the intersection of dark soul and gospel. At times it’s so pared back that it seems naked: Jeangu’s rich voice is completely exposed. Thankfully he shines in these moments, showing just how strong a vocalist he is.
The song comes with deep lyrics in which Jeangu dives into his inner self and apologises for his way of expressing his feelings.
“Don’t take it personally, don’t be offended, don’t mind my mood changing like the weather. God knows I tried to hold it all together. I’m getting old and it ain’t what I thought it would be,” he sings.
That journey feels completely autobiographical. Jeangu, an openly gay man who grew up in conservative Suriname, came to the Netherlands to study music. But he also arrived looking to find his place in the world. His lyrics suggest his travels haven’t always been easy.
The song adds elements and voices which build to a powerful crescendo, and finishes in a gospel-like final chorus. It’s classy and it’s finely produced — “Grow” actually does justice to its title.
Speaking of his song, Jeangu said:
“Emotions, good and bad, are a universal language. I hope this song makes people feel a little less lonely in their search for happiness. I think that openness and honesty about how we really feel will ultimately bring us closer. I believe in the power music has to bring people together. It’s the reason I do what I do.”
Are you loving this? Do you think that Jeangu can beat the host country curse? In the battle of the ballads, does this one take the cake? Let us know in the comments box below.
I find it so interesting because it doesn’t really have a refrain or anything. Makes me pleasantly confused..??
This is not bad! Could do really well with the juries.
Now it´s on second place im my ranking list (first is Switzerland)
Can there PLEASE be some attention for the first live performance of this song on DWDD? It is stunning, warm, soulful, and I can totally see it working on the live stage. The musicallity, the uplifting ending, the backing vocals.. WOW
https://youtu.be/Q1T96jNHjXE
The Netherlands. Beautiful song but the more explosive part is starting much to late. Please edit and start earlier with the up tempo
I think the song is okay but the personal touch of it bothers me in a way. Of course it is beautiful written but besides the personal story behind the song there is very little that makes it part of the competition other than spot number 20 to 25 or so.
So it is nice for the guy but no song for the Eurovision televoters.
Or could I be wrong? ?
OMG!!! TWO VICTORIES IN A ROW FOR THE DUTCHIES!!!!
Just another boring slow ballad… This is so minimalist that it could even be acapellla.
It´s really a grower an Jeangu is very handsome and has a great voice and the lyrics are very lovely.
The Netherlands 5/10
Can we stop hearing what Eurovision artists do in their beds?
When have we heard about that? Certainly not from Jeangu, not in his interviews and not in his song. You are imagining things, or else you have a very narrow mind.
This song is very beautiful. It shows that music can connect with the soul. Also, it is a ‘grower’, it grows on you, as the first time you listen you won’t have processed the emotional depth it invokes. It needs multiple times. It definitively has quality and the potential to become a top 5-song. On the other hand, it could go end at the bottom as well. It is not a song you can sing with, nor is it an easy listening. Staging will be very important to help spread the message of the song. It is not the typical… Read more »
Europe is in some kinda mood this year, so many sad and sleepy ballads
Netherlands you received from the public votes.. Im sorry, 0 points
Real masterpiece!
I think this is really fantastic, I see it towards the bottom of the leaderboard unfortunately, not sure it will do as well as it deserves, but maybe with acts like Iceland, Lithuania and likely the Russian song, this could really stand out.
I just come to an idea of song rating reaction..
1 group, songs i wouldn’t miss/would love to watch = Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, Serbia, Iceland, Armenia, Greece, Romania..
2 group, songs that I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy, but if they are in between group1 songs i would survive watching it and maybe get surprised = Norway, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Albania, Belgium…
3 group, songs that i want to skip, boring, sleepy, not interesting, just no.. go to the toilet or whatever.. UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Estonia, Georgia, Croatia, France, Slovenia, Austria..
I know what you mean Philip, but I find that songs can move up from one group to another is you give them a change. For instance Hey Mamma in 2017 I barely noticed, but then the staging and the live performance were so magical that it forever will be in group my 1A.
I like the lyrics and I love the fact that they actually dared to do something different and experimental. It’s not an ordinary song, it doesn’t have the climax that everyone expects, it doesn’t have the same structure as most songs. It’s hard to predict how it will work live. For some people it can seem boring, but others will find it very interesting. Personally, I probably need to listen to it more to really love it but I appreciate it from the start.
Totally agree! I don’t think you can predict where this will actually come in the ranking imo.
I feel offended by Netherlands, Ireland and Austria not actually bothering to send good entries this year.. they are all just meh okay whatever.. so not Top 10.. they are disrespecting my enthusiasm about eurovision and all the time i am dedicating to it.. it started well this year and as it is progressing it looks like we are going to have only the handful of interesting songs we heard at the beginning of the season.. at times, i don’t even have the interest to leave a comment anymore..
Maybe it’s good to look at the story behind the song. This is not some overproduced song made just for the contest. 🙂
In response to those saying the song takes too long to grab the attention of the viewer, I actually think the stripped back start of the song with just his voice in a big arena will stand out.
i don’t think anyone will be in the arena when they see Netherlands is about to perform.. especially if someone like Serbia performs after them..
This could be the next Molitva. If they can make the staging connect with the personal message of the song like Maria did in 2007 this could be the winner. The stage is designed by the host country so this could blow us away on the 16th of may.
I think we already have a new Molitva, it’s Divlji Vjetre. I think this might be the new Home. A slow, heartfelt Ballard from the host nation with a four-letter title.
It is a ok song, and his voice is beautiful, but for some reason it doesn’t ressonate to me…
I don’t like it as much as Arcade – Duncan Laurence and don’t think it’s the best (my opinion) plus winning is something we literally can not afford, money wise. But I do think it’s likable. People please stick to opinions and be kind. Remember what ESC is about. We don’t have to be racist or leave nasty comments. If that is what you do I don’t feel like you should be watching ESC in the first place because ESC is about countries coming together, acceptance and having a blast!
Not afford? Netherlands is one of the richest EU countries
Yeah, on paper :’)
Everyone will sleep on this but it will do well, mark my words. It’s a decent entry an the jury will reward quality points. For me though, something is missing. A climax. A wow-factor. Let’s see what they will do with the performance, but this can easily end up in top 10 if they nail it live.
It’s an OK song but just when I started to get into it and was expecting a big moment it suddenly stopped.
Same! It ends way to soon, there is no ”climax”
Zzzzzzzzzzz … boring!
People who finds this song boring are the ones that “LyRiCs ArE nOt ImPorTaNt iN eUrOvIsIoN”. And maybe they still like those trite cheesy super cliche boring for real ballads we’ve got until now.
Eurofans are a joke.
So boring …..
That’s part of why this is great. It sounds authentic.
Nice poem, bad song.
Not to me
So beautiful! I’m so happy with both Switzerland and The Netherlands today 🙂
Lol, so much praise for what must be the most boring song of the last 10 years heard on ESC.
Doesn’t that come down to your total lack of musical sense and ignorance? Every living being should be able to feel the musicality and creativity without just calling it boring.. Easy judgement girl
What stupid fing piece of SH….
A bit less lonely, ah ah a, ha ha!!!!!
Awesome marketing, just awesome. All of a sudden everyone’s so sympathetic with lonely, disabled, depressed and unattractive people LOL! Such lame excuse to abuse and use people’s weakness and fears for cashing in. Pathetic
Are you ok?
Is someone checking your pulse, kinda worried here.. Take your meds… Unattractive?? Hahahaha and girl, I’m a disabled person, don’t ffing come for me!!
This should be a top 5 in the final
This should not even be in the final. Such a bore would never qualify if it had to compete on the SFs.
I felt the song was missing something as it remained dull for a long time. I eventually had to check how much time left to see when we’ll reach the climax. Is it a bad song? No. Can it score Top 10? Perhaps. Is it unfortunate that Swiss entry left this completely in behind? Yes.
Another ballad from Netherlands? Seeing how they won with a ballad I don’t think they will win again. But it is a really cool ballad, might be the best one so far. Hopefully it does better than host entries usually does..
I love this song. For now it is my # 1. And Switzerland? Not original, Arcade was….
This song touches me on so many levels. I absolutely love the lyrics and his voice. Musically, it’s definitely a grower for me
The last thirty seconds or so sounds like this could really have been going somewhere. Only Slovenia’s song takes as long to get going as this does. I guess, these are the luxuries you can take with your song when you’re already qualified.
It takes so long to reach the climax. Next!
lol downvote me as much as you want. You people praise this average ballad like crazy but normal fans are not feeling it. Just look at the dislike bar on the official video. It’s even worse than Switzerland and it can’t even reach top 10 on Mr. Scoreboard. Talking about delusional.
95% of people at home will watch and listen to it for the first time. Who gives a damn about your “Grow” theory? If you can’t grab people’s attention for the first 1 minute, you can’t get their votes! The only hope for this song is the jury.
The song is 3 minutes, I guess 3 minutes are to long for u. I suggest you listen carefully to this song, u will noitice how brilliant this song is built up. And if u don’t get it then i listen to the song of Serbia( that a real masterpiece 😉 )
I can’t wait to see William and Denan’s reaction video for this. Deban is going to die (in a good way). This is the first song that gave me some goosebumps.
The Netherlands 5/10
The first time I listened I thought hmm okay. But I’ve listened to it a couple of times and I love it now, each time I discovered a new layer. The message is really beautiful and I can totally relate to it, everyone gets older, and it brings sad things, like the death of your (grand)parents which were the first people you were living with and trusted after being born (not in everyone’s case ofc), the people who were young and energetic when you were a child have now become old, tired, ill. Who are now only in old pictures… Read more »
I can understand why people say that it will end up at the right side of the scoreboard, and that it is a little boring. But that’s because you look through Eurovision glasses, where each song has to be a quick quick quick attention grabbing song where you immediately jump into the chorus in a short time…that’s how many was listening to it the first time; it has to be a quick banger which you can sing along. “Hopefully it will be a bop because we need it this year! Only then I will like it”. If that is the… Read more »
Thank you for writing this! I’ve been thinking lately about how this avid “search for the winner” spoils the fun for most Eurovision harcore fans, without many of them even noticing. The fair thing it would be for us to listen to the songs without trying to fit them in a particular box (“it needs to be jury-friendly”, “it needs to be accessible to a wider audience”, “it needs to be a bop”, “it needs to be emotional”, “it needs to have a climax”, it needs, it needs, it needs…), but giving them the chance to gain our affection and/or… Read more »
I’m kinda sold towards the end but much like the Swiss entry from today it is very slow to get going. I dunno kind of need to see this live to see what its chances are in the contest.
A double win for the Netherlands is in play. I can imagine this doing well with both the juries and televoters.
I’m so incredibly proud of my country and of Jeangu! The song is so pretty and subtle. I wish him the best of luck.
Wow. Straight into my Top.
Wonderful. Heartfelt. Sincere. Genuine. Relatable.
Me a few days ago: Finland, Sweden and Portugal have to pick their strongest songs to make this year have a solid amount of great songs.
Me today: Yeah, it would be cool if they bring their A-game, but I will be cool anyway.
What happened?
Switzerland, Israel, Romania and The Netherlands! 🙂
amazing, what a weak!!! People can’t complain about ESC2020, it’s a very diverse year with many different music genres!!
It makes me cry. I feel he talks to me, to everyone who is fighting against depression. He’s amazing and I’m grateful for this beautiful song.
And hey, he’s from Suriname. A South American-born brother shining like this is priceless for me. :’)
Yup, quality but this needs a 10/10 staging in order to do well and im not sure if they can deliver it.
We organize the whole shebang and you don’t know if the Dutch can deliver.. Strangest thing
Well
Israel organized 2019. Portugal 2018
Look what ahppenes..
Im talking about staging. Lets be honest, Dutchies are still not good in staging a song. 2014 was amazing, but after that? It’s nothing impressive that i have seen. Even Arcade could’ve had a better staging.
I think the Netherlands has had mixed staging if anything. For example, Waylon’s staging in 2018 was horrible. But Douwe Bob’s staging in 2016 was actually pretty good.
Just dire !! I fell asleep after the first line. 2 anda half minutes into the song before it takes off. Competing with France and Uk for bottom place.