Okay, here’s the extracted, translated, and formatted content:
Jeangu Macrooy doesn’t have to be bored for the time being. The singer is in Carré this summer with the musical Hadestown and will then go on a theater tour with his new album. Last week he released a protest song for the LGBTQIA+ community.
“It’s very intensive,” Macrooy tells NU.nl about the average of seven Hadestown shows he plays per week. “But I’m not stressing, though. My album was already finished before the rehearsals for Hadestown started. Then we’ll rehearse for the album tour. Only the new single Independent Girls & Nasty Evil Gays had to be done in between, because I wanted to release it in time for Pride.”
The 31-year-old Macrooy already made an impression in the musical world last year with his first leading role in Jesus Christ Superstar. He didn’t have the ambition to appear in all kinds of musicals then. But there was one he really wanted to do.
“My colleagues at Jesus Christ Superstar asked me which musical I would like to do,” says Macrooy. “I’ve been a fan of the music of Hadestown for years, so I mentioned that one. Two weeks later, Carré suddenly announced that they were going to do this. My manager immediately emailed to ask if I could audition.”
Macrooy was initially offered a different role, but he specifically wanted to play the main character Orpheus. “He is close to myself. He is also a songwriter who thinks you can improve the world with music. It’s really a dream role.”
The rave reviews flew around Macrooy and his colleagues after the premiere in late June. “I never really know how to relate to reviews. But I couldn’t help but read them all now. I have a lot of appreciation for the stage and apparently I can contribute something that is appreciated. That’s encouraging, especially in a field that is still relatively new to me,” he says.
‘The rights we have acquired are not necessarily permanent’
In addition to the musical work, the singer is also working on his own music. His fourth album Young, Awkward & Lonely will be released in the fall, from which he has already regularly released a single in recent months. The outspoken protest song Independent Girls & Nasty Evil Gays is the newest of these. In the satirical song, he takes on misogynistic and homophobic statements and politicians.
“I have the feeling that the world has become more hostile to queer people. But you also see a trend of misogynistic messages that appeals to young men,” he refers to influential influencers like Andrew Tate, whom Macrooy imitates in the video clip for the song. “It’s frightening. It’s important to realize that the rights we have acquired are not necessarily permanent. We must continue to fight for them and we must continue to speak out.”
“I wanted to write the lyrics with humor to emphasize how outdated and ridiculous some ideas about the queer community and women are,” continues Macrooy. “Now the people in my bubble have heard the song. But I also hope that it will reach people outside of it, who may think differently about it now.”
Ultimately, the singer hopes to connect. “Much of what I write feels a bit like I’m shouting out of my window: am I the only one who feels this way? When so many people respond positively to it, you feel less alone in that feeling. Just like when you’re at a demonstration and see how many people have come for the same reasons.”
Jeangu Macrooy – Independent Girls & Nasty Evil Gays
No more choosing between being a singer-songwriter or a showman
His album Young, Awkward & Lonely is named after the single of the same name. On it, he tries to make peace with having missed things by hiding his sexual preference in Suriname until he was twenty. At that age, Macrooy moved to the Netherlands and came out. Still, he doesn’t see his record as a coming-of-age story.
“The album is mainly the story that comes after that. I’m still young, but no longer a child. How do I, as a thirty-year-old, now look at myself, the people around me and the world around me? The title also refers to the inconveniences in life that remain. It’s not like you reach a point where you know everything. You continue to learn and grow.”
In the fall, Macrooy will be touring the theaters with the new album. He starts the shows small, but then goes all out with a full band and three singers from the Zo! Gospel Choir. “In essence, I’m still a boy with a guitar who writes songs. I often felt like I had to choose between being a singer-songwriter or a showman with a band. Now I know it can be both.”