The Netherlands’ Jeangu Macrooy is premiering his Eurovision 2020 entry on Wednesday night on Dutch television… but it looks like someone has spoilt the surprise.
A new music video by the Dutch-Surinamese singer has appeared on his Apple Music profile tonight. It’s called “Grow”, and the beginning of the video matches the recently published teaser.
What song will the host country bring to #ESC2020???
Find out what @JeanguMacrooy has hidden up his sleeve for The Netherlands?? | @avrotros…
04/03/2020#Eurovision | #OpenUp | #Netherlands pic.twitter.com/jYP6u2rKwe
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) March 2, 2020
Watch the music video here. If you don’t have an Apple Music account, you’ll only be able to watch a 30-second snippet. The music video is premiering on the official Eurovision Youtube channel later today at 19.15 CET.
“Grow” is a slow-built ballad 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.
The song adds elements and voices which build a powerful crescendo which finishes in a gospel-like final chorus. It’s classy and it’s finely produced — “Grow” actually does justice to its title.
However, it’s important to note that neither Jeangu nor the Dutch broadcaster has confirmed that “Grow” is the Dutch Eurovision 2020 entry. It is possible that Jeangu has coincidentally released an unrelated new music video the morning of his Eurovision song release.
Jeangu will debut his Eurovision 2020 song tonight on the popular Dutch talkshow De Wereld Draait Door at 19:15 CET. The video will also be debuted online at the same time.
You can already watch the full video on AD.NL
Who is Jeangu Macrooy?
Jeangu Macrooy is a Surinamese singer-songwriter. He was born in the former Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. He moved to the Netherlands in 2014 to study songwriting at the ArtEZ Popacademy.
Since then, he’s built up a career in the Netherlands. Jeangu has released two studio albums, one live album, an EP and many singles. He regularly tours in the Netherlands, as well as Belgium, Germany and France.
Jeangu is a regular guest performer on De Wereld Draait Door. He performs his own music on the show, as well as tributes to artists such as Stevie Wonder, George Michael and Bob Dylan.
He 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. Jeangu explained, “I’ve got a stage to trigger change. I hope I can be meaningful for all those young people in Suriname who discover their sexuality and discover that they’re different.”
Jeangu isn’t the first Dutch Eurovision act with Surinamese origins. Singers Humphrey Campbell (Eurovision 1992) and Ruth Jacott (Eurovision 1993) were both born in Suriname before moving to the Netherlands.
How much do you like “Grow”? Will Jeangu break the host country’s streak of not-so-good finishes? Tell us in the comment section below!
Read more Netherlands Eurovision 2020 news here!
I don’t see Lionel’s comments anymore! lmao the evil has been defeated
When you start a comment with “Not to be racist BUT” you’re already racist bro.
Personal song, charismatic artist and voice, great lyrics, musically quality and different to most typical ballads. Under my opinion, it has the ingredients for a guaranteed top 10. Let’s see if being the hosting country doesn’t keep it from a good result. Good luck!
@William Lee Adams – may I urge you to delete this post. PLEASE! Hurry up
@William Lee Adams – I hope you know that I meant this horrific comment to delete – not your article(post).
It’s an outstanding song. Tbh, for a host country, this is a pretty good song!
1-4 Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden,
5-8 Belgium, Norway,
9-12 Albania, Czech Republic,
13-16
17-20 Estonia, Greece, United Kingdom,
21-24 Poland, Spain, Iceland,
25-28 Belarus, Romania, Ukraine,
29-32 Australia, France, Serbia, Slovenia,
33-36 Armenia, Georgia, Switzerland, Netherlands,
37-41 Croatia, Latvia, Moldova, Israel,
Listened to this song yesterday on Apple Music, instantly became my new #1. I knew Jeangu would come hard, didn’t think he’d come THIS hard though. Literally miles ahead of the competition.
The thing I’m going to say now is probably as horrible as your words: Please go to Wuhan, get corona and die!
He’s black and he’s gay…. OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!
It’s 2020 and things like that matter? You people are dumb. He’s just the Dutch representative….that’s what he is and that’s really all. Oh and his song? As u dutchman I’m really sad about how dull this song is.
Ok Bye now.
Multiple people in older comments have already talked about why having minorities at Eurovision is important.
I’m a minority as well and I want it to stop. People are people, colour, sexual orientation or whatever shouldn’t matter. Even their reason why it’s important provoques racism, sexism, ageism and whatever. I’m done with it!
Good for you, but not everybody has that luxury.
You don’t know anything about me or the luxury I do or don’t live in. Is deciding to be against discrimination of any kind a luxury? Discrimintaion is treating another person differently in the same situation, wether it’s positive or negative isn’t important. Let’s all just see any human being as another human being and spread love.
Well, they just put this song on the radio and discuss it as the one to be in the Songfestival
There wasn’t really any doubt.
Ok this one builds but never ever reach anywhere.. It would have needed 2 more minutes…. I like the lyrics a lot but and I can see the quality behind it. But this is going to end up last in the final!!! Yes u heard me: LaST!!!
It ticks all the boxes of the recent decade with host entries not having that immediate impact and ending up last in the final. If Austria 2015, Portugal 2018 and Israel 2019 didn’t make it out of that last spot, then this one won’t either…
If you honestly think any song other than France’s will be last in the final than you clearly don’t understand song quality.
I think this will be like Portugal 2018 – a thoughtful ballad by the host nation, respected by the fandom, but ultimately performing quite weakly on the night.
They didn’t want to win again, got that. But not to qualify, either?
I feel like I didn’t hear the same song with the other commenters. I didn’t like it at all and don’t get the hype. In my opinion it was too dull, the song didn’t grow at all although its name is “Grow”. It’s going towards the bottom of my list.
It’s confirmed that ‘Grow’ is our Eurovision entry!
It’s not the first time, sadly. I really think the Wiwi team needs to start dealing with it properly. I know they’re for sure disgusted with these comments. One good thing is that these kind of comments have been heavily downvoted lately. And that’s how I think downvoting should work, not to judge people that have different music taste, but to help the administrators going after those who are being toxic,
Stunning and powerful! Lyrically this is by far the best song so far this year.
I agree, the lyrics are brutally honest and beautiful.
I just listened now, I’m on a train and I’m about to burst out crying.
Thank you Netherlands.
So beautiful and powerful, but still intimate. I guess NL will be at my Top 3 for the second year in a row.
Dangerous choice of my country. It can go sky high or will do nothing. Personally I think it’s great!
Linus: “YOU ARE ALL TOO NEGATIVE, BE POSITIVE LIKE I AM”
Also Linus:
You know you can just report it, right?
How do you report them? It would be a good idea to perhaps put a “report” button next to the “reply” one?
I respect the quality of this song, but it is not my style at all. Currently for me, its 22nd, but I wish The Netherlnads the best of luck of this year..
Zzzz honestly, 30 seconds in and i was waiting for it to end. Was expecting something funky and fun from him.
Well done Netherlands. An amazing song again, class and quality!
It started off really boring… i was almost disgusted…. But got better halfway theough. He has a nice voice but the song is 7/10
How can 1 be disgusted at a quality song.. You’re just being a nasty queen..
A 100% sure that all under 20 are the ones to hate ballads. From which cave did you write this? OPEN UP?
https://www.geenstijl.nl/5152207/gelekt-songfestival-lied-nederland/
The song +clip.
Am I the only one who wanted the host entry to be sung in Dutch?
Yes you are 😉
Unfortunately most Dutch people hate our language, so I don’t see that happen any time soon
Melodically the background music reminds me of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ when Jeangu starts to sing ‘wide awake, the planet spins around a little too fast for me’. It’s definitely a grower. I like it. I appreciate the effort for sure.
@citizen, You are a racist. Period.
I literally live in the United States. The fact that you think I don’t understand bad crime is laughable. By the way, the vast majority of heinous offenses that happen in my country are done by people who we would consider “white”. Our police force is extremely corrupt though and often murders and beats non-white people even if they haven’t done anything.
That’s what American police say too but it’s clearly a lie. Surely, you’ve heard of ACAB before and know what it means. The fact that you honestly believe that just shows you’re a conservative bootlicker.
It’s like saying: Most pedophiles are white. I don’t want white people on ESC. History lesson: Do you know how many people have been killed by “white people” during WW2? Or in the name of God? Btw, how can you call yourself an ESC fan when your racist remarks are against everyhting ESC stands for? Just live and let live.
Normally, I’d say everyone is welcome to be an ESC fan. Not you. Your attitude is against everything Eurovision stands for. Get outta here.
Yeah, we don’t welcome racists here. If you’re not going to be accepting of all cultures, you’re not a Eurovision fan. Period.
@LinusESCfan Do any of the Eurovision contestants arrived in Europe this way? Did anyone of them “invade” anyone? Did they commit any crimes? Are they responsible for any evil acts? Did you read their biographies? What do they have to do with all this?
Linus is having a lot of free time.
I guess not even charlie brown wanted to hang up with him anymore.
The fact he has the gaul to say “invade” when reffering to refugees is incredibly stupid. I cannot believe that Wiwi hasn’t stepped in.
Any statement that starts with “not that I’m racist” usually ends up being really racist. Yours is no exception.
It’s really beautiful. Well done, Netherlands once again!!
Btw as a black person I am very glad to see the representation of us in modern ESC is getting wider. It wasn’t really like this before.
Yes I know that aspect of this year is really exciting me. I’m thrilled to see so many minorities this year. I know a lot of ESC fans like to act like it’s not a big deal or like having racial diversity is not important….but…I don’t think that ethnically European people (or who would be considered “white” in North America for example) understand just how much this means to people who aren’t. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in Europe or North America. People of African, Asian, Arab, etc descent get othered by the majority and seeing ourselves get included and… Read more »
And The Netherlands is where it started, with Milly Scott.
Representation DOES matter, and I wish more fans recognized that. I’m very happy for people of color seeing themselves reflected at Eurovision more and more. (And more to come: a little birdie gave me some insider info on who’s representing San Marino…not saying who, but you can probably figure it out…)
Yes, you’re racist.
I think after going through this thread it might be a good idea to ban LinusESCfan from the wiwibloggs website or at least from commenting.
What a song! I just love it!
I think juries with be behind this. And maybe depending on the staining (?), it may be a winner.
Impressive song , it will stand out if they get the staging right. Excited about how this will sound live. This could be a strong top-5 contender!
What a beautiful song. Quality and a great voice. Deserves a very high placing !
Open up, boomer.
@LinusESCfan Millions of black, Arab and people of other ethnicities DO live in Europe, they are born here, they never lived in another country and Europe is all they know. They have families here, they go to schools, they study – many of them have never lived in another country and don’t even speak the languages of their ancestors. How can you say that they are not Europeans just because their ancestors come from different places in the world? Do you really think that everyone who doesn’t look “European” to you, is an immigrant or a refugee who only cares… Read more »
Yessss Safiya! Wish I could upvote your comment more than once! Must get rid of toxic in the community!
Your ignorance is shameful. It was the Dutch who invaded Suriname. Where Jeangu came from originally.
LinusESCFan, A child LITERALLY DIED the other day as his or her parents were trying to flee:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/02/child-dies-as-boat-carrying-migrants-capsizes-off-lesbos
There are thousands of women and children among the refugees, the reason most refugees are men is because they are the only one who can survive the ardous journey to civilization. Imagine being a woman with a chid in your arms trying to cross the border or the seas
But the fact that you are bringing this fact up under an article about the Dutch artist shows that you are ignorant and racist. Please go away
omg seriously? not all terrorists are arab or African. its simply because of the inherently racist media, since they only report on arab or African terrorists. Do some research. Terrorism is not limited to race. You are a vile person. I pity those who have the displeasure of knowing you.
And the man who murdered innocent people sitting outside a cafe in Germany last week was a white German! OMG how do you explain it?! The explanation is simple – there are evil people who commit crimes, their skin color or ethnicity is not a cause. They are everywhere. Murders and rapes are commited all around the world everyday and only people who commit them are responsible for them. I am a white European like you, yet I don’t feel responsible for your racism at all. It’s your business.
Europe has had native terrorists too. Spain. Ireland. All white.
Most terrorists in the United States are white supremacists and they are the ones who are responsible for most of our mass shootings.
You just prove yourself wrong and wrong again.
@Citizen of Memel And what does Jeangu Macrooy (or any other black artist who represents any country in Eurovision this year) have to do with all that? He’s clearly not one of these people you are talking about. Is he responsible for them in any way? Can he stop them? Can he change the way they act? No. So why do we even talk about it? Let him be. He is a talented singer and that’s all that counts. He has right to represent his country just like anyone else.
Linus sounds like the type of person who would vote for Trump if he were American. I know. I live in the states and he sounds exactly the same as an American republican.
I would welcome Mexican people with open arms, actually. People escaping genuinely awful situations deserve to start over someplace safer.
You really need to stop talking because you just keep making yourself sound worse and worse. It doesn’t matter at all if YOU don’t think you’re racist. It’s OTHER people who get to judge that.
Well, no one said only you are racist. Many people are, including you.
And maybe these countries are represented by black people because they are Europeans and equal citizens like all of us? Eurovision needs talented artists, who cares about their skin color?
Trust me, I am already “invaded” and I absolutely love it. I am really happy to have friends who represent many different cultures.
Was this comment really necessary?
I am so glad people like our entry, I thought everyone was gonna hate on it for it being a ballad
Here is full video https://www.geenstijl.nl/5152207/gelekt-songfestival-lied-nederland/
Yay I’m glad people like this, was terrified you would crucify it just for being a ballad on instinct.
It’s such a great build, I predict with the home crowds cheers and good staging especially going into the final section this will look anthemic in May on the night stage. Good pick again Netherlands
It’s possible there won’t be any audience in the arena in May due to Coronavirus.
Really impressed with this. Netherlands is on a roll!
So interesting and cute. I think it will be on the left side of the scoreboard.
If it’s really the song for The Netherlands this year, damn this is good… just wow!
It builds up to slow for me guys :/
I don’t think it’s that great at all
dont attack me please
Nothing wrong with a personal opinion 😉
Hey, you’re allowed to have an opinion! At least you put it as an opinion and not a fact. I like that.
And they removed it!!! Got to listen three times. It’s a masterpiece I think
That’s the point –> Europa will hear the song 1 time.
I adore this song – so different to the other ballads and so much quality … his voice is just out of this world amazing