Susana Alimovna Jamaladinova (Crimean. Susana Alim qızı Camaladinova; better known as Jamala; born 27 August 1983, Osh) is a Ukrainian singer of Crimean Tatar origin, People's Artist of Ukraine (2016), winner of the New Wave 2009 and Eurovision 2016 music contests. She performs songs in the styles of jazz, soul, funk, folk, gospel, pop and electro, and takes part in opera productions and shows.
Creative contribution
She has released six studio albums, two collective albums, one live album, three mini-albums, and one maxi-single with songs in Ukrainian, English, Russian, and Crimean Tatar. She starred in the film The Guide by Ukrainian director Oles Sanin. She won the 8th New Wave Song Contest in Jurmala and the 61st Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. She has received nine statuettes of the Yuna music award, two Elle Style Awards, Person of the Year, Best Fashion Awards, Red Apple Awards, Eurostory Awards, Marcel Bezençon Award and Cosmopolitan Awards.
Life and work
Early years
Susana was born in Osh, Kyrgyz SSR, to Alim Jamaladinov, a Crimean Tatar, and Galina Tumasova, an Armenian. Soon after, the family moved to Melitopol, and in the late 1980s, to the village of Malorichenske, near Alushta. She grew up in a family of musicians - her mother worked as a teacher at a music school, and her father was a conductor by training.
From an early age, Susana took part in various children's competitions, such as Starry Rain (1992) and Living Springs (1993). In 1992-1998, she studied piano at the Music School No. 1 in Alushta, after which she entered the Simferopol Music School, graduating in 2001, and then the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv, where she received her academic education. At the final exam, she performed the role of Violetta from the opera La Traviata by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi and received the highest score, and thus received a diploma with honours. Interestingly, even before entering the Kyiv university, jazz coryphaeus Igor Bryl offered Susana to enter the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, but her father forbade her to enter this educational institution.
2001-2009: "Beauty band" and "New wave"
Read more: New Wave 2009
During her studies, Susana took part in various Ukrainian and foreign festivals, such as "Voices of the Future" (2000, Russia), "Crimean Spring" (2001), "Do#Dj junior" (2001), "Il Concorso Europeo Amici della musica" (2004, Italy). She sang in the women's a cappella quintet Beauty Band (2001-2007), as part of which in 2006 she took part in Do#J Junior, where she was noticed by choreographer Olena Kolyadenko and invited to play a solo role in her own musical Pa (2008). Thus, Olena Kolyadenko became Jamala's first producer.
After graduating, Susana had to choose between classical and jazz. She sent her own recordings to the Zurich Opera House. At that time, she already had an offer to do an internship at the famous La Scala Opera House in Milan, and was already determined to choose opera, when she unexpectedly received an offer to participate in the 8th International New Wave Competition. Susana agreed and entered the competition under the pseudonym Jamala, which is the first part of her surname. During the three days of the competition, she performed the song "History repeating" from the repertoire of the British duo Propellerheads, the Ukrainian folk song "Oh Verhe My, Verhe" and her solo song "Mamenkin Son". As a result, she and Indonesian contestant Sandi Sondoro scored 358 points each, thus sharing the victory in two.
2009-2012: the beginning of her career
After the New Wave contest, Jamala continued her collaboration with Olena Kolyadenko, but later ended it due to creative differences. In 2010, Ihor Tarnopolskyi became her new producer, and the collaboration with him lasted until May 2021.
Shortly after winning the contest, she received the Person of the Year award in the Ukrainian Idol nomination, and Cosmopolitan magazine called her the "discovery of the year". In 2009-2010, she took part in the Christmas Meetings with Alla Pugacheva, performed in Maurice Ravel's opera The Spanish Hour and in an opera production by Vasily Barkhatov based on the Bond films, and this performance was praised by the famous British actor Jude Law.
On 28 February 2010, the Inter TV channel aired a documentary featuring the singer, Anatomy of the Voice. Jamala", in which scientists attempted to investigate the processes in the body of a person who sings. In the spring, Jamala received the ELLE Style Award in the Singer of the Year nomination, and in the summer she visited Los Angeles, where, at a meeting with Walter Afanasieff, she rejected his offer to move to the United States, fearing that this famous American producer and composer would limit her creativity.
In the autumn of 2010, Jamala took part in the national selection for the 56th Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Smile". She won the first semi-final[19] and in the final, according to the results of the voting, she took third place, losing to Zlata Ognjevic and Mika Newton, who won the contest. The outcome of the selection stirred up the public because of suspicions of voting fraud. The main reason was that 29,644 messages were sent for Mika Newton from 1,966 phone numbers, while 10,800 messages were sent for Jamala from 6,365 phone numbers[20]. The results of the inter-network voting also came under suspicion. On 28 February, NTU decided to hold a second vote for the three finalists of the national selection, but Jamala and Zlata Ognjevic rejected the proposal because they did not believe in the transparency of the voting system.
On 12 April 2011, Jamala's first solo concert took place at the October Palace, where she presented her first album, For every heart, released under the Moon label. Work on the album lasted almost a year - the recording of the first songs began in the spring of 2010. It includes twelve main and three bonus songs that she performed at the New Wave competition. The album was arranged and produced by Ukrainian musician Yevhen Filatov, and the lyrics were written by Ukrainian poet Tatiana Skubashevska. The album also includes the Crimean Tatar folk song "Pencereden", which Jamala dedicated to the memory of her grandmother Edie, and two songs created during her studies at the conservatory - "Find me" and "Without you".
In 2011, the UEFA management offered Jamala to write a special song for Euro 2012. On 2 December, at the draw ceremony for the final part of the championship, the singer presented the song "Goal", written by Tatiana Skubashevska and produced by Yevgeniy Filatov.
Odesa International Film Festival, 2012
In 2012, Jamala took part in the vocal show "Stars in Opera", which is an adaptation of the British format "Popstar to Operastar". The show was filmed and broadcast by 1+1 TV channel. She was paired with student opera singer Vlad Pavliuk. Over the course of seven broadcasts, they sang from world hits and Soviet classics to operetta and opera. In the last, eighth broadcast, the winners of the show were announced: Jamala and Vlad Pavlyuk, as well as Alexander Ponomarev and Irina Kulik. That same year, Jamala received the Best Fashion Awards in the special Inspiration category.
2013-2015: cinema and style change
On 19 March 2013, the singer's second album All or Nothing was released simultaneously on more than 60 digital platforms. Yevhen Filatov and Milosz Jelić were involved in the album's production. It was the first time Jamala recorded soul in Russian, written by Russian writer of Ukrainian descent Victoria Platova. Jamala co-wrote the lyrics to most of the English-language songs with Elena Chubuklieva, the former lead singer of the Sirena band. The album also includes the Crimean Tatar folk song "Unutmasan". Jamala personally presented the album on 26 April at a solo concert in the October Palace. The same spring, the album was released on a gramophone disc and received the ELLE Style Award in the Singer of the Year nomination.
In the second half of 2013, Jamala took part in the MTV EXIT campaign to combat human trafficking. As a narrator, she appeared in the documentary Life for Sale, in which she told the stories of three migrant workers from Ukraine.
In the spring of 2014, Jamala received the Red Apple Awards in the Art category for her contribution to the development of culture and peace. In the autumn, the film The Guide by Ukrainian director Oles Sanin was released, in which Jamala played the role of Olga Levitskaya, an actress and singer at the Kharkiv Drama Theatre, and performed the song "You're my thrill"[en]. Even before the film's release in cinemas, the singer presented the song "Why?", which she dedicated to the memory of Ukrainian kobzars and lyre players killed in the USSR in the early 1930s. The same year, Jamala starred in the television musical Alice in Wonderland directed by Maksym Papernyk, playing the role of Gusena. The musical was shown on New Year's Eve on Ukraina TV channel.
On 1 October 2014, the singer's third, this time her mini-album "Thank You" was released, produced by Yevhen Filatov and the singer's guitarist Sergey Eremenko ("Perfect Man"). The album includes the Ukrainian-language song "Zaputala", which the singer presented on 25 September. The album has a mostly electronic sound and contains six songs written by the singer herself, Maria Q, Art Antonyan ("My Lover") and Victoria Platova ("Zapustala", "Song about Friendship").
That same autumn, Andriy Khlyvnyuk invited Jamala to collaborate. The three of them, together with Dmytro Shurov, recorded the song "Zlyva", which was presented on the eve of the anniversary of the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine at a thematic forum at the Mystetskyi Arsenal dedicated to the fateful events of the previous year[36]. The song became the theme song for the film The Winter That Changed Us and the TSN project 94 Days. Euromaidan through the Eyes of TSN". Also, the duo of Jamala, Andriy Khlyvnyuk and Dmytro Shurov and their song "Zlyva" won the Best Duo and Best Song nominations at the YUNA music awards in 2016.
In 2012-2014, Jamala took part in the Usadba Jazz Festival three times in St Petersburg and Moscow. She was the headliner of the international jazz festival "Alfa Jazz Fest" in Lviv and the international festival of opera, operetta and musical "O-Fest" in Kyiv.
On 12 October 2015, the singer's fourth album "Breath" was presented on Radio Aristocrats. The album was produced by Yevhen Filatov. The lyrics and music were written in collaboration with Victoria Platova, Art Antonyan, Roman Cherenov, known as Morphom, and the band The Erised. "Breath also contains songs based on poems by Ukrainian writer Lina Kostenko and Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva. The album won the Best Album nomination at the 2016 YUNA music award, and the song "Others" became the soundtrack to the TV series of the same name by Russian director Alexander Yakimchuk.
2016-2017: "Eurovision"
Read more: Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016
Jamala's performance in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016
On 26 January 2016, Jamala announced that she would take part in the national selection for the 61st Eurovision Song Contest and, following the results of the draw, on 6 February, she performed in the first semi-final of the national selection, performing her song "1944", dedicated to the tragic events of the past, in particular the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people. According to the results of the audience and jury voting, Jamala reached the final of the national selection, where she won.
In April, together with other musicians, she took part in the recording of Usain Bekirov's album Taterrium, where she performed an instrumental part in the songs "The song in the folk style" and "Boyna".
While participating in the song contest in Stockholm, the singer received the Eurostory Awards 2016 for the best line in the contest song, as well as the Marcel Bezençon Award in the Artistic Award category. After the singer's second rehearsal on the Eurovision stage, Russian music critic of Armenian origin Artur Gasparyan named Jamala's song, performance and vocals the best at this year's contest.
The winner of Eurovision 2016 on the cover of the Kultura i Zhizn newspaper
On the night of 15 May, Jamala won the Eurovision Song Contest with 534 points, and on 16 May, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko awarded her the honorary title of People's Artist of Ukraine. During her time at the song contest, Jamala signs a contract with Universal Music Group, which releases her album "1944" in Europe on 10 June and in the United States on 10 July.
On 20 July, the album is broadcast on UA: Pershyi and Hromadske TV channels premiered the TV film Look at Yourself by journalist Bohdan Kutepov about the singer's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest.
In the autumn, Jamala took part in the filming of the seventh season of The Voice, and presented the song "Lured", which she recorded together with the Ukrainian ethnic group DakhaBrakha. On 8 December, the film My Grandmother Fanny Kaplan directed by Olena Demyanenko was released in Ukraine, with the song "Promise" from the album Breath as the theme song.
Rehearsal for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017
At the beginning of 2017, Jamala won the Best Solo Artist, Best Song and Best Duet nominations at the YUNA-2017 music awards, the Culture nomination at the 2016 Woman of Ukraine national award, and the Pride of the Country nomination at the Viva! The Most Beautiful 2017". In the spring, as part of the Flower Expo Ukraine exhibition in Kyiv, she received a certificate from the Dutch company StoKolex to name a new variety of tulip after her.
In early April, the documentary Jamala.UA directed by Anna Akulevich was released, and at the end of the month, the singer married social activist Seyit-Bekir Suleymanov.
In May, Jamala took part in the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest. In the first semi-final, she presented a symphonic version of the song "1944", which became the soundtrack to the film "Someone Else's Prayer" by Ukrainian director and actor of Crimean Tatar origin Akhtem Seitablaev[60], and sang "Lured", and in the final - "I believe in U", which she dedicated to Ukraine.
In June, the filming of the film "Sky" directed by Oleksiy Panteleev began, where the singer plays one of the roles, and in July, the documentary "Jamalas' Struggle" ("Jamalas kamp") by Swedish television journalist Elin Jensson was presented in Kyiv, which has already been shown in Sweden on SVT1.
2018-2019: "Wings"
Judges of the Ukrainian national selection for Eurovision 2018
On 7 March 2018, the Ukrainian animated film The Stolen Princess: Ruslan and Lyudmila" directed by Oleg Malamuzh, for which Jamala recorded the musical composition "You are my love". Jamala also took part in the dubbing and recording of a song for the American animated film Wreck-It Ralph 2: Inferno, in which her voice will be used to speak as the distiller Injecta. That same spring, Jamala received the All-Ukrainian Woman of Ukraine 2017 award in the Show Business category and the ELLE Digital Awards in the Person with the Most Media Coverage category.
On 12 October, the band presented its fifth album, Wings, which was created with the help of Ukrainian jazz pianist Yukhym Chupakhin and guitarist of the band Okean Elzy, Vladimir Opsenitsa. The disc consists of 10 songs, 7 of which are in Ukrainian and 3 in English. In support of the album, Jamala went on tour to eight cities in Ukraine from November to December.
On 16 December, during the final of the Kazakh vocal show I'm a singer, where Jamala was a judge, she presented the Kazakh-language version of the song "Samga" by Kryla. The same month, the documentary Crimea: Russia's Dark Secret" about the occupation of Crimea by Russia and human rights violations on the peninsula was released in the same month, in which Jamala gave an interview to director Jamie Doran[en].
On 13 January 2019, the hip-hop carol "Good Evening", featuring Jamala, was premiered on Generous Evening. The idea was conceived by rap artist Yarmak, who invited Jamala and five other artists, Alina Pash, LAUD, Mr Makoundi, and members of the kAchevnyky band Den Da Funk and Fame, to create the carol. On 1 February, she presented the English-language single "Solo", written by Adis Eminic, Vanessa Campagna and sound producer Brian Todd. In April, the single entered the top 10 of two British charts: Upfront Club and Commercial Pop.
In the spring of 2019, Jamala took part in the filming of the fifth season of The Voice. The Voice.
Discography
More information: Jamala's discography
Studio albums
2011: For every heart
2013: All or nothing
2015: Breath
2016: 1944
2018: Wings
2021: We
Concert albums
2012: For every heart: Live at Arena concert plaza
Collections
2019: 10
2020: My own
Mini-albums
2014: Thank You
2016: 1944
2021: 5:45
2022: The Call
Remix albums
2019: Solo
Music videos
Year Title Director Cinematography
2009 "History repeating" Alan Badoev Yaroslav Pilunsky
2010 "You are made of love" (rus.)(eng.) Kateryna Tsaryk Yuriy Korol
"It's me, Jamala Charlie Stedler Fraser Teggert
2011 "Smile" Maxim Ksyonda Serhiy Mikhalchuk
"Find me" John X. Carey
2012 I Love You Sergei Sarakhanov Yevhenia Drach, Mykola Bulavsky
2013 "Cactus" Denis Zakharov Denis Zakharov
"All these simple things" by Alexander Milov
"Your eyes in autumn" (English) (Russian) Victor Wilkes Yaroslav Pilunsky
2014 "Why?" Denis Zakharov, Oles Sanin Serhiy Mikhalchuk
2015 Entangled Anatoliy Sachivko Mykyta Kuzmenko
"The Others Mikhail Emelyanov Viktor Fedoseev
2016 The Way Home Anna Kopylova Denys Lushchyk
"1944" Anatoliy Sachivko Mykyta Kuzmenko
"Promise Denis Zakharov, Olena Demyanenko Oleksiy Moskalenko
2017 "I believe in U" Igor Stekolenko Denis Lushchyk
"I miss you"
2018 "You are my love" Oleg Malamuzh Theodore Neshchadym
"Wings (Ukr.) (Kazakh) Anna Kopylova Anton Fursa
"The great pretender" Anna Buryachkova Svitlana Aparina
2019 "Solo"
"The Price of Truth Kateryna Tsaryk, Agnieszka Holland Yuriy Korol
"Take It Away (with alyona alyona) Anton Shtuka Ivan Fomichenko
2020 Regrets (with alyona alyona) Dmytro Cherniavskyi Anton Fursa
"Endorphins" (with Pianoboy) Maxim Kotsky Dmytro Chernyavsky
2021 I Believe in You Anna Kopylova Anton Fursa
Filmography
Filmography
Year Title Role J. G. Wan
2014 The guide Olga Levitskaya
2017 Jamala.UA plays herself
2019 Polina and the secret of the film studio singer
Waiting for Heaven
Television
Title Year Role Channel Notes J.
Behind the scenes 2009 Playing myself Inter Interview programme
Like the Cossacks... 2010 Singer in an inn Inter TV musical
Anatomy of the voice. Jamala 2010 Playing herself Inter Documentary TV film
The Truth of Roman Skrypin 2010 Playing himself TVi
Anatomy of fame 2010 Playing oneself 1+1
The true story of Red Sails 2010 Cuban singer Inter TV film [
Formula Drive 2010 Playing Myself (mother-in-law) New Channel
Live Music 2010 Playing to the Rain (Russian)
Make me laugh 2010 Playing herself New Channel Talk show
National selection for "Eurovision - 2011" 2010-2011 Plays herself (contestant) The First Vocal Show
Dreams come true 2011 Playing herself New Channel Talk show
True la-la 2011 Playing herself (singer) Inter Vocal Programme
Flight analysis 2011 Playing with yourself Inter
Show No. 1 2011 Playing with yourself (coach) Inter Vocal show
15 Minutes to Tomorrow 2011 Playing Myself K1 Talk show
MTV Day "Face Control" 2011 Playing with yourself MTV Ukraine
Flight debriefing 2011 Playing with yourself Inter New Year's issue
Stars at the Opera 2012 Playing with yourself (participant) 1+1 Vocal show
Musical battle: Russia vs. Ukraine 2012 Playing herself (singer) NTV (Russian) Vocal show
Liven 2012 Playing herself (singer) Dozhd (Russian) Talk show
I love Ukraine 2012 Playing herself (singer) 1+1 Episode 12 (2nd season)
Billboard Chart Show 2012 Playing herself (participant) M1
Star Factory. Russia - Ukraine 2012 Playing herself (singer) Pervyi Kanal (Russian) Vocal show
Queen Tribute 2012 Playing herself (singer) Inter
I Love Ukraine 2012 Playing herself (participant) 1+1 Episode 17 (2nd season)
Everyone is dancing! 2012 Plays herself (singer) STB Episode № 14 (5th season)
Tviy format 2013 Plays herself (singer) M1
Mizmizlar 2013 Playing herself ATR
Flower. A voice in a single copy 2013 Playing Myself Inter Documentary TV film
Online concert. All or nothing 2013 Playing herself (singer) M1
Dissenting opinion 2013 Playing itself TVi
Live sound 2013 Playing herself (singer) Moscow 24 (Russian)
Between the lines 2013 Playing herself Day-TV
Life for Sale 2013 Narrator Channel 5 TV documentary
Time Machine 2013 Playing herself (singer) ICTV Episode 9
Alice in Wonderland 2014 Gusin Ukraine TV musical
Freeze-frame 2014 Playing herself TVi
"Welcome" with Alla Krutaya 2014 Playing Myself Ukraine Interview programme
Big New Year's concert 2014 Plays Yourself (singer) Ukraine New Year's concert
#bestconcert 2014 Plays herself (singer) TET New Year's concert
People. Hard Talk 2015 Plays herself 112 Ukraine Interview programme
Jamala. Concert in Lviv 2015 Playing herself (singer) ZIK Jamala's concert
"High Life" with Kateryna Osadcha. 10 years 2015 Playing herself (singer) 1+1
My profession 2015 Playing herself M1
The X-Factor 2015 Playing Myself (singer) STB Episode № 19 (6th season)
National selection for "Eurovision - 2016" 2016 Playing herself (contestant) UA:Pershyi & STB Vocal show
My Truth 2016 Playing myself STB Documentary TV programme
Hromadske.Pro 2016 Playing Myself (singer) Hromadske TV
Ukraine has talent. Children 2016 Playing herself (singer) STB Episode 9 (1st season)
The Voice 2016 Plays herself (singer) 1+1 Episode # 14 (6th season)
Look at yourself! 2016 Playing Myself UA: First & Hromadske TV Gonzo musical
Nyhetsmorgon 2016 Plays herself (singer) TV4 (Swedish) Morning show
News London Live 2016 Plays herself (singer) London Live (British) Morning show
New Year's musical - 2017 2016 Playing herself (singer) STB New Year's concert
The Voice 2017 Playing Myself (coach) 1+1 7th season
National selection for "Eurovision - 2017" 2017 Playing herself (judge) UA: First & STB Vocal Show
EMA - 2017 2017 Playing herself (singer) RTV SLO (Slovenia) National selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Jamalas kamp 2017 Playing yourself SVT1 (Swedish) Documentary
Jamala. I believe in U 2017 Playing herself (singer) 1+1 Jamala's concert
Dancing with the Stars 2017 Playing herself (singer) 1+1 Issue No. 2 (5th season)
The Voice 2018 Plays herself (coach) 1+1 8th season
National selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Playing Myself (judge) UA: First & STB The Voice Show
I'm a Singer 2018 Playing himself (judge) 31 Channel (Kazakh) Vocal show
Crimea: Russia's Dark Secret 2018 Playing himself Al Jazeera English Documentary TV film
National selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 Playing Myself (judge) UA: First & STB Vocal show
The Voice. Children 2019 Playing Myself (coach) 1+1 5th season
Awards and honours
2009:
Winner of the international competition for young performers "New Wave".
"Discovery of the Year" according to Cosmopolitan magazine.
"Person of the Year 2009" award in the nomination "Idol of Ukrainians".
2010:
Showmania 2009 award in the nomination "Discovery of the Year".
ELLE Style Award-2009 in the nomination "Singer of the Year".
2012: fashion award "Best Fashion Awards" in the special nomination "Inspiration".
2013: "ELLE Style Award-2012" in the nomination "Singer of the Year".
2014: Red Apple Awards in the Art category for her contribution to the development of culture and peace.
2016:
YUNA-2016 music award in the nominations "Best Solo Artist", "Best Album" ("Breath"), "Best Song" ("Zlyva"), "Best Duo" ("Zlyva" by Andriy Khlyvnyuk, Jamala and Dmytro Shurov).
Eurostory Awards 2016 for the best line in the contest song at the Eurovision Song Contest - "You think you are gods, but everyone dies".
Marcel Bezençon Award in the Best artistic performance nomination.
Winner of the 61st Eurovision Song Contest.
honorary title "People's Artist of Ukraine".
title of "Honorary Citizen of Kyiv".
Cosmopolitan Awards in the special nomination "Inspiration of the Year".
2017:
YUNA-2017 music award in the nominations "Best Solo Artist", "Best Song" ("1944"), "Best Duo" ("Lured" by Jamal and "DakhaBrakha").
All-Ukrainian award "Woman of Ukraine-2016" in the category "Culture".
Viva! The Most Beautiful 2017" in the nomination "Pride of the Country".
2018:
All-Ukrainian award "Woman of Ukraine-2017" in the nomination "Show Business".
Digital Awards from ELLE magazine in the nomination "Person with the most media coverage".
2019:
YUNA-2019 music award in the Best Performer nomination.
2020:
YUNA award "20 iconic songs in 20 years" (for the song "1944").
2021:
Jamala received a personal star on the Walk of Fame in Kyiv.
2022:
Award from the Atlantic Council of the United States for "Distinguished Leadership"
Family.
Alim Jamaladinov is the singer's father, a Crimean Tatar. When the Crimean Tatars were deported to Central Asia, his family ended up in Kyrgyzstan. There he was born, grew up and met Jamala's future mother, Galyna Tumasova. It happened at a music school, where she was a pianist and he was a choral conductor of his own ensemble, which performed Crimean Tatar folk music and music of the peoples of Central Asia.
Halyna Tumasova (Tumasyan) is the singer's Armenian mother. Halyna's grandparents were forced to leave Karabakh, where they came from, for Central Asia because their family was dekulakised. At the time, Halyna's father Mykhailo was only five years old. Halyna herself was born in Kyrgyzstan and became the seventh child in the family. At the time, her grandmother was already forty-five years old, and her grandfather was sixty-five.
Alim Jamaladinov always wanted to return to his ancestral homeland, the village of Kyuchuk-Ozen in Crimea. However, in the 1980s, deported Crimean Tatars were banned from returning to Crimea, and even more so from buying property. Then the singer's parents decided to divorce. Jamala lived with her father and older sister Evelina in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, while her mother rented a room in the village of Malorichenske and taught at a music school. Four years later, she managed to buy a house, which her family moved into, and later the entire Jamaladinov family.
Seyit-Bekir Suleymanov is the singer's husband, a Crimean Tatar. He was born on 29 October 1991 in Simferopol, Ukraine. He studied at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and completed courses at the Kyiv School of Economics. He works as an economist and is also involved in socio-political projects to address the problems of Crimean Tatar youth. On 27 March 2018, the couple had a boy, Emir-Rahman, and on 19 June 2020, a second boy, Selim-Girai.
Civic position
Euromaidan and ATO
In December 2013, Jamala visited the Euromaidan to support the protesters. Since February 2014, she has been participating in events dedicated to the unity and integrity of Ukraine, including the filming of the video message "Ukraine is United", the social project "Ukraine. With Faith in the Heart", in a charity tandoor in Kyiv, and in the information campaign "Crimea is Ukraine".
"You have never seen or heard me shouting about my charity, because I believe that it is my duty not only as a singer, it is my civic duty to be a human being and help people.
Original text (in Ukrainian)
"
- Jamala. Radio Vesti (13 September 2014)
Also in the spring of 2014, she presented the song "Why?", which she dedicated to the historical events in Ukraine in the early 1930s. And in the summer of the same year, at the 13th New Wave International Song Contest, she called for peace in the world and in Ukraine.
"When I agreed to take part in the New Wave Festival, I understood that I would be performing in Europe. And I couldn't help but take advantage of this. I just had to express my position in any way I could - with a song, a Ukrainian film, a costume. "
The annexation of Crimea
During the occupation of Crimea and its subsequent annexation by the Russian Federation, Jamala repeatedly condemned these actions and stressed that Crimea is Ukraine, supporting the country's sovereignty. She also provides financial support to the CrimeaSOS NGO. In the spring of 2016, she joined an action aimed at saving the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR.
On 5 February 2016, Jamala presented the song "1944", with which she represented Ukraine at the 61st Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm and won. The song is dedicated to the tragic events of the past, including the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people. The singer emphasises that the purpose of the song is to awaken people's memory of the terrible tragedies of the past so that they avoid them in the future.
LGBT rights
In July 2016, on the Swedish TV channel TV4, she declared her support for the LGBT community. Later that year, in an interview with the British publication Q&A, Jamala confirmed that she was trying to protect sexual minorities from human aggression and violence:
"My family went through a lot of suffering, which is why I wrote the song '1944'. For the same reason, I am so attentive to any manifestations of injustice. When I was a child, they also tried to restrict me because of my nationality. Today I defend LGBT communities from human aggression and harassment. "
On LGBT rights in Ukraine:
"The situation is complicated, just like in other countries. But we are gradually trying to improve it, and a few months ago, we held an Equality March in the centre of Kyiv. "
Animal rights
In 2017, the company supported the UAnimals humanitarian initiative, took part in the All-Ukrainian March for Animal Rights and advocated for a ban on the exploitation of animals in circuses.
"Wild animals should live in the wild, not entertain people. Lions in the circus are exotic animals that have a hard time living in our environment, they live in constant suffering. We must stop the abuse of animals! This is unacceptable in the 21st century!"
Ukrainian traditions
In 2018, she joined the charity photo project "Sincere. Holidays" charity photo project dedicated to Ukrainian folk costumes and their popularisation. The project was implemented by Domosfera shopping centre, Gres Todorchuk communication agency and the Ivan Honchar Museum, a national centre of folk culture. All profits from the sale of the calendars were donated to the museum's reconstruction. Each month in the calendar is dedicated to a traditional Ukrainian holiday, which is indicated by attributes and elements of the outfit.
Notes.
All of Jamala's paternal great-grandfathers lived in this village before the forced deportation of the Crimean Tatar people by the NKVD in May 1944.
Interesting facts
The repertoire of the Kyiv-based prog band Mat noir includes the single "I love you, Ja", dedicated to Jamala.
Jamala speaks Ukrainian, Russian, Crimean Tatar and English. She professes Islam.
