Representing Ukraine, “1944” won the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was composed and recorded by Susana Alimivna Jamaladinova, who is professionally known as Jamala.
This marks the first time a song with Crimean Tatar lyrics won the contest. The song is about the discriminatory persecution of the Crimean Tatars in the context of the rule of Joseph Stalin over the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was established in 1922 and dissolved in 1991.
Eurovision 2016 results
| song competition: Eurovision organizer: European Broadcasting Union |
| edition: 61st date: May 14, 2016 venue: Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden broadcaster: Sveriges Television (SVT) entries: 42 |
| directors: Daniel Jelinek, Robin Hofwander, Sven Stojanović hosts: Petra Mede, Måns Zelmerlöw |
WINNERS
- “1944” by Jamala of Ukraine
- “Sound of Silence” by Dami Im of Australia
- “You are the Only One” by Sergey Lazarev of Russia
- “If Love was a Crime” by Poli Genova of Bulgaria
- “If I Were Sorry” by Frans of Sweden
- “J’ai cherché” by Amir of France
- “LoveWave” by Iveta Mukuchyan of Armenia
- “Color of Your Life” by Michał Szpak of Poland
- “I’ve Been Waiting for This Night” by Donny Montell of Lithuania
- “What’s the Pressure” by Laura Tesoro of Belgium
Jamala
Jamala grew up in a family of musicians. She was born in Osh, Kyrgyzstan to a Muslim Crimean Tatar father and an Armenian mother.
When Jamala made her first professional recording in 1992, she sang by 12 folk and children’s Crimean Tatar songs. She attended Simferopol Music College in Simferopol, Ukraine and the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music in Kyiv, Ukraine.
On March 23, 2011, Moon Records Ukraine released Jamala’s debut studio album “For Every Heart“. Its lead single “You are Made of Love” was released on February 14, 2010 followed by the second single “It’s Me, Jamala” on October 18, 2010 and “Smile” on November 23, 2010.
CONAN Daily 