Jeangu Macrooy will represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Birth of a New Age. The singer released the song for the first time in a livestream that could be followed on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook on Thursday night.
Macrooy co-wrote the Song Contest entry with Pieter Perquin, better known as Perquisite, who also produced last year’s entry, Grow. The chorus consists of a sentence in Sranantongo, the language of Suriname, in which Macrooy sings that no one can break him.
Speaking to Cornald Maas, Macrooy explained that he wanted to honour his origins in the song. For him, the song is about living an authentic life and showing resilience in difficult times.
Macrooy was chosen by the AVROTROS selection committee last year to represent the Netherlands at the Song Contest with his song. However, the event was cancelled due to the corona crisis. Each participating country was given the opportunity to send the same artist again, but a different song had to be provided.
The Netherlands does not have to perform in the semi-finals, as the organising country is automatically qualified for the final. The festival will be held in Rotterdam after Duncan Laurence won on behalf of the Netherlands in 2019.
Macrooy will compete against 25 other countries in the final. A total of 41 countries are competing, 15 of which remain in the semi-finals. The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on 18, 20 and 22 May in Rotterdam Ahoy.
Belgian director Hans Pannecoucke will also be responsible for directing Macrooy’s performance this year. After the successful edition in 2014, when The Common Linnets came second, he was constantly asked back. So he also portrayed Trijntje Oosterhuis, Douwe Bob and Waylon.
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