JAMALA – THE SUN OF TAVRIDA
Ukrainian singer of Crimean Tatar origin Jamal considered an inconvenient performer. And all because she doesn’t shock the audience with cheap scandals, doesn’t sing “sticky” songs and doesn’t promote her name with duets with popular colleagues. Her songs are filled with meaning and taken from the depths of the soul, and her unconventional five-octave vocals mesmerize the audience. And this is the only thing the Ukrainian winner wants to do for the rest of her life.
Musical family
From early childhood, the life of the future singer was not characterized by carelessness. Born Susana Jamaladinova(this is Jamala's real name) in the Kyrgyz city of Osh in 1983. Her paternal ancestors were deported from Crimea to Kyrgyzstan in 1944. And my mother’s ancestors (Armenians by nationality) had to leave Nagorno-Karabakh after dispossession. Jamala's parents met 
at the music school, where Galina was a pianist, and Alim was the conductor of her ensemble, which performed Crimean Tatar music, as well as melodies of the peoples of Central Asia. The Jamaladinov family celebrated their daughter’s first birthday in Melitopol, Ukraine. Jamala’s father dreamed of returning to his historical homeland in Crimea, but in the 1980s there was an unspoken ban on the movement of Crimean Tatars to the peninsula and, moreover, the sale of housing to them. Then Jamala's parents decided to file a fictitious divorce. The father stayed with his two daughters to live in Melitopol, and the mother went to the village of Malorechenskoye (Kuchuk-Uzen) not far from Alushta, where she rented a room and began teaching music. After 4 years, she managed to buy a home and reunite with her family.
In love with jazz
From the age of three, Susana sang at all family holidays and friendly gatherings; she instantly fell into the image that she invented for herself, copied famous performers, and reproduced their vocal parts by ear. Papa Alim regularly brought home folk music - Crimean Tatar, Iranian, Azerbaijani... Therefore, he still considers his first teachers and authorities in 
in the world of music, it is the parents. Even before bed, my mother played a record for her daughter so that she would fall asleep peacefully. As soon as the music ended on one side, the girl woke up and started crying.
Susana was lucky enough to meet arranger Gennady Astsaturyan, who instilled in her a love for the art of jazz. At first, he forced the girl to listen to recordings of the great. Of course, such unchildish vocals were initially a burden for young Jamala. But Gennady did not deviate from the planned plan. One day he gave her a cassette with Ella’s songs and told her to memorize them for the next meeting. At that time, Susana did not know English, but this did not stop her teacher. The aspiring singer had to learn all the songs by ear, taking up the task with maximum responsibility. When she came to Astsaturyan to perform jazz compositions, he did not even listen, giving her a new cassette. He knew very well that the persistent Susana would teach her too. Thanks to this preparation, she entered the Simferopol Music School without any problems. During classes, the girl studied classics, and then hurried to the basement, where she played in her jazz group “Tutti”.
Looking for a teacher
The next stage in Jamala’s life path was the Kiev National Academy of Music, where she entered the opera vocal class. But there the girl had to face serious problems, 
because of which she wanted to quit studying several times. The fact is that due to the authoritarian pedagogical approach of one of the teachers, Susana’s cords often failed to close due to nervousness, and she lost her voice. The teacher allowed herself to insult the student, telling her that her voice was only suitable for shouting on the beach: “Barbecue!” As a result, the girl switched to another teacher - Natalya Gorbatenko. After that, she became the best student on the course and graduated from the academy with honors.
New wave of Jamala
They immediately made her an offer, which not every graduate receives. Susana was invited to work at the Swiss Opera House. But her boyfriend, her first and crazy love, did not want to let the girl go. He even invited her to marry him in order to keep her in Ukraine, but she did not want to start a family in such a situation. I dreamed of going on an internship at La Scala in Milan and devoting my life to opera. However, fate decreed otherwise.
Jamala has been participating in singing competitions since she was 15 years old. At the international show “Voices of the Future” in Nizhny Novgorod, she was awarded the Grand Prix. But the turning point in the singer’s creative life was 2009 and her victory in the “New Wave” competition in Jurmala. She presented to the audience and the jury a cover version of the song “History Repeating” by the British group Propellerheads, performed the Ukrainian folk song “Vershe, my vershe” and her own composition “Mama’s Son”.
First try
After such success, Jamala began to actively tour, participate in television shows and received the “Person of the Year” award in the “Idol of Ukrainians” category. She was invited to perform 
main role in the opera “The Spanish Hour”. Then there was participation in an opera play on a Bond theme. Then the British actor Jude Law simply fell in love with her voice. And in 2011, Susana decided to participate in the all-Ukrainian selection for an international competition, for which she wrote her new song “Smile”. The singer reached the final, but after voting lost to Zlata Ognevich and Mika Newton, who became the winner of the internal selection. The voting results provoked a scandal and suspicions of fraud. The national television company decided to hold a repeat vote, but Zlata Ognevich also refused to participate in it.
All or nothing
In the spring of 2011, Jamala released her debut album “For Every Heart”. Most of the songs in the collection are Susana’s original compositions, one of which she performed in her native language. 
The singer’s second studio album, “All Or Nothing,” was not long in coming. Having such extraordinary vocals, he does not write instantly recognizable songs. She does not try to reach the maximum audience and win commercial laurels. Jamala does not strive for quick popularity, she tries to create only the music that is close to her, passes all the compositions through herself and always believes in what she sings about.
While she does not feel like a successful singer and believes that real fame comes over the years, like real wisdom, and the love of viewers and listeners, the favor of the public is tested by time. calls successful those artists whose music and thoughts they continue to return to after decades, whose work is necessary and relevant.
Acting debut
In 2014, Jamala decided to try herself in a new role and accepted the offer of the famous director Oles Sanin to star in the film “The Guide”, action 
which takes place in 1933. After the premiere, the director called the leading actress a wonderful actress with a great future. It is interesting that after the screen tests no one supported Oles Sanin’s choice, but he immediately recognized acting talent in the modest oriental girl. By the way, during filming, the debutante was most worried about how she would play the kiss scene, which her father would later see. Impressed by her work in the film “The Guide”, she wrote the song “Why do my eyes ache?” At the same time, the performer began to actively participate in public events and speak out in support of the unity of Ukraine after the outbreak of hostilities in the country.
Winner
Despite the fact that she promised herself not to participate in the competition anymore, in 2016 she decided to forget old grievances and move forward. After traveling around Sri Lanka, she took up her preparations with new strength and inspiration. Jamala wanted to use your creativity and vocal skills to tell the whole world about the tragedy of her people. This is how the song “1944” appeared, dedicated to the deportation of the Crimean Tatars after the liberation of the peninsula by Soviet troops. 
Jamala's grandfather survived this horror. He was 16 years old when the doors were opened in Crimean houses, given 15 minutes to get ready and told that they were being evicted. There were more than 180 thousand people.
Serious passions erupted around this composition. There was a possibility that they would see a political context in the song and remove it from the competition. Fortunately, this did not happen and Jamala managed to convey his message to an international audience. She received high marks from the competition jury and television viewers. The sum of these points brought Jamala a well-deserved victory in the. She became the second Ukrainian singer (after) who was awarded this creative award and international recognition. Since childhood, Jamala has moved forward, not stopping in the face of difficulties, not being afraid of experiments, and, finally, she was rewarded for this. She was also awarded the title of People's Artist of Ukraine.
On stage the singer is expressive and bright, but in life she is very restrained, punctual and calm. admits that in such a difficult time for her homeland, she cannot write cheerful songs, her soul is filled with other emotions, but she believes and waits...
DATA
She likes to read books about the lives of famous musicians, she is also interested in various genres of cinema, she improves her English, performs 
with concerts, participates in charity events, never loses touch with the Crimean Tatar community and tries to exceed her capabilities in any matter, because she is a born perfectionist.
One of my favorite singers Jamals- American performer of Ukrainian origin. The Grammy Award nominee managed to make a surprisingly clear statement about Ukrainian music and culture on the world stage far from her homeland. This is precisely why Jamala admires her. In this she sees real patriotism - without PR and slogans.
Updated: April 7, 2019 by: Elena
32-year-old Ukrainian singer of Armenian-Tatar origin Jamala became the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. How is Jamala’s biography and personal life?
Jamala's real name is Susanna Alimovna Jamaladinova. The pseudonym “Jamal” was formed from the first part of her last name.
Susana Jamaladinova is a Ukrainian opera and jazz singer (lyric-dramatic soprano), performing original music at the intersection of jazz, soul, world music and rhythm and blues, electronic music and gospel.
Jamala's first fame came from her performance at the International Competition for Young Performers “New Wave 2009” in Jurmala, where she received the Grand Prix.
In May 2016, Jamala became the winner from Ukraine at Eurovision in Stockholm with the song “1944”, dedicated to the topic of deportation of the Crimean Tatars.
Susanna Jamaladinova was born on August 27, 1983 in the city of Osh (Kyrgyz SSR, USSR). Father - Alim Ayarovich Jamaladinov, Crimean Tatar, mother - Galina Mikhailovna Tumasova, Armenian, whose family comes from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Her childhood was spent in Crimea, in the village of Malorechenskoye near Alushta, where she and her family returned in 1989 from the places of deportation of the Crimean Tatar people.
The parents met in Kyrgyzstan within the walls of a music school. Her mother is a pianist, and her father is a choral conductor, who had his own ensemble performing Crimean Tatar folk music and music of the peoples of Central Asia.
Her sister married a Turkish man and lives in Istanbul. Jamala herself professes Islam.
From early childhood, Jamala began to study music. She made her first professional recording at the age of 9, performing 12 children's and folk Crimean Tatar songs in the studio.
After graduating from music school No. 1 in piano in the city of Alushta, she entered the Simferopol Music College named after. P.I. Tchaikovsky.
Then Jamala graduated with honors Kyiv National Music Academy named after. P.I. Tchaikovsky in opera vocal class.
Jamala planned to devote herself to classical music and go to work as a soloist of the famous Milanese opera La Scala, but a serious passion for jazz and experiments with soul and oriental music changed her plans.
Jamala first performed on the big stage at the age of fifteen. Over the next few years, she took part in dozens of vocal competitions in Ukraine, Russia and Europe and received a number of prestigious awards.
After performing at the jazz festival of young performers Do#Dj junior 2006, where she received a special award, the famous choreographer Elena Kolyadenko invited her to perform the main role in the multi-genre musical “Pa”.
An important event in her career was her performance at the International Competition of Young Performers “New Wave” in Jurmala in the summer of 2009.
Contrary to the statements of the main director of the competition about the “unformatted” participant, she not only made it to the finals, but also received the Grand Prix, sharing first place with the Indonesian performer.
Despite a busy touring schedule, Jamala continues to study classical music.
In the summer of 2009, she performed the main role in Maurice Ravel's opera The Spanish Hour, and in February 2010 she took part in Vasily Barkhatov's opera production based on Bond, where her performance was noted by the famous British actor Jude Law.
Jamala lives in Kyiv. Parents live in the village of Malorechenskoye near Alushta. They have a private boarding house. The singer’s grandfather lives in Crimea.
Little is known about Jamala's personal life. But it is reported that Jamala is not married.
According to the singer, she is not amorous and has not yet experienced a great feeling in her life. Only once was there a young man, without whom Jamala, as she put it, felt very bad.
The singer said that her mother more than once wondered when she would fall in love. The girl does not have any special criteria for the future candidate for her heart; the main thing is that the young man is sincere.
The second semi-final of the Eurovision music competition took place in Stockholm. Ukrainian singer Jamala showed her number - bookmakers call her the main competitor of Sergei Lazarev in the fight for first place. “Lenta.ru” talks about Jamal and her song “1944”, the most discussed at the competition.
Jamala (Susanna Jamaladdinova) has been studying music since early childhood. She is 32 years old, she was born in Osh (Kyrgyzstan), where her great-grandmother was deported during the deportation of the Tatars from Crimea. My great-grandfather and all the men on my grandmother’s side died at the front. Her father is Tatar, her mother is Armenian.
In 1989, Susanna’s family managed to return to Crimea, to the village of Malorechenskoye (formerly Kuchuk-Uzen), where their ancestors lived. It took six years to buy a house and move the family. It was impossible to find someone who would agree to sell the house to returning Crimean Tatars, so the mother, whose nationality did not raise suspicions, was in charge of the purchase. The parents even had to temporarily divorce in order to clean out the “Tatar trace” in the mother’s documents. According to the singer, it was morally very difficult to decide to take such a step.
Susanna graduated with honors from the National Academy of Music named after P.I. Tchaikovsky in Kyiv in opera vocal class, but preferred pop music to a career as an opera singer.
Fame came to her in 2009 after winning the “New Wave” competition for young performers in Jurmala - Jamala was awarded the Grand Prix. In 2011, her first English-language album For Every Heart was released. At the same time, the singer makes her first attempt to get to Eurovision. According to her, she was supposed to win the Ukrainian qualifying competition, but did not make it due to judicial fraud.
Five years later, having released four albums, Jamala tried again. She composed the song “1944” about two years ago for the album “Podikh” (2015), but this song was too different from the rest of the material in sound and mood, and was not included in the album.
The lyrics of the song are quite abstract, but according to Jamala, it is based on the story of her great-grandmother Nazylkhan, who was deported to Central Asia in 1944 with five small children in her arms. My great-grandfather fought in the Red Army at that time. Nazylkhan's little daughter Aishe died on the way. The soldiers accompanying the train did not allow the child to be buried and threw him onto the side of the road like garbage.
The news that Ukraine will go to Eurovision with a song about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars caused a strong reaction among Russian politicians and parliamentarians. Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Ruslan Balbek called Jamala's performance a dance on bones. Deputy of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly Vitaly Milonov spoke of the song as a provocation on the part of Ukraine. The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Vadim Dengin, expressed the hope that the Eurovision leadership will not allow the song into the competition.
When strangers come
They come to your house
They're killing you all
And they say: “we are not to blame.”
Where is your mind?
Humanity is crying.
You think you're gods
But everyone is mortal.
I didn't grow up here.
We could build a future
Where people would be free
To live and love.
The happiest time.
Where is your heart?
Humanity is rising.
You think you're gods
But everyone is mortal.
Don't swallow my soul, our souls.
I'm not satisfied with my youth,
I didn't grow up here.
I couldn’t get enough of my homeland.
Jamala has not been to Crimea, where her parents live, for two years (“my arrival there could be used against me”). Near-political scandals do not please her. The singer says that the audience from Petrozavodsk, Samara and other Russian cities who come to her concerts are “even closer to her than the Ukrainians.”
On May 15, 2016, the winner of the international song contest “Eurovision 2016” was the singer Jamala, who has Armenian roots, with the song “1944”, which tells about the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea in 1944.
Jamala, whose real name is Susanna Jamaladinova, is a Ukrainian opera and jazz singer (lyric-dramatic soprano), performing original music at the intersection of jazz, soul, world music and rhythm and blues, electronic music and gospel. The singer became famous for her performance at the International Competition of Young Performers “New Wave 2009” in Jurmala, where she received the Grand Prix.
Jamala was born in the city of Osh (Kirghiz SSR, USSR). Her father is Alim Ayarovich Jamaladinov, a Crimean Tatar, her mother is Galina Mikhailovna Tumasova, an Armenian. She spent her childhood in Crimea, in the village of Malorechenskoye near Alushta, where she and her family returned from the places of former deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, to which her Eurovision composition is dedicated.
“The history of my Armenian roots begins with Karabakh itself, from where my grandfather’s parents had to leave for Central Asia. Grandfather was 5 years old at that moment; his family was dispossessed. In Kyrgyzstan, he was engaged in silkworming. Mom is the seventh child in the family. She was born when my grandmother was 45 years old and my grandfather 65. My brother in Moscow once tried to build our family tree to understand who was at its base. It turned out that my great-grandmother on my mother’s side was a relative of the great Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.
When people ask me about my roots, I list several nationalities. However, despite the fact that I grew up on Crimean Tatar land, I always communicated a lot with Armenian families, spent time with them, and was among them. My aunt even jokingly shared my sister and I: “Evelina is a Crimean Tatar, and Susanna is an Armenian.” An important meeting in my youth was my acquaintance with the Armenian composer and arranger Gennady Astsaturyan, respected in Crimea. He taught me all the basics, made me listen to complex music, and made arrangements for me. I became a member of the Astsaturyan family, attended Armenian evenings and tried all the national dishes. There was even a joke that Susanna understands Armenian, but she just doesn’t speak it. At 24, I almost married an Armenian. And dad would like to see a Crimean Tatar as my husband,” said Jamala.
“As soon as the plane landed in Yerevan, I immediately felt that I was home. The historical homeland of my grandfather is Karabakh, but, unfortunately, I was not able to visit there. However, in just 2 days in Armenia I saw a lot of interesting things. I recommend everyone to visit Armenia!” - shares his impressions of Jamal’s visit to Yerevan.
The main news of the past weekend in the music world was the victory of the Ukrainian singer Jamala at Eurovision 2016.
Jamala is not the singer's real name
The true name of the star is Susanna Jamaladinova. Nickname Jamala the singer came up with it by shortening her last name. This happened before the New Wave 2009 competition: having arrived in Jurmala, the girl quickly became one of the undisputed leaders of the competition and won the New Wave Grand Prix, sharing first place with the Indonesian Sandy Sandorro. Alla Borisovna Pugacheva after Jamala performed the song “Mama’s Boy,” she gave the young singer a standing ovation.
To return home, the star’s parents had to divorce
Although Susanna connects her destiny with Crimea, she was born in Kyrgyzstan in the city of Osh, where her great-grandmother was deported during the deportation of the Tatars from Crimea. My great-grandfather and all the men on my grandmother’s side died at the front. The singer's father is Tatar, her mother is Armenian. In 1989, Susanna’s family managed to return to Crimea, to the village of Malorechenskoye (formerly Kuchuk-Uzen), where their ancestors lived. The family decided to move as soon as Jamala was born, but it took six years to buy a house and move the family. It was impossible to find someone who would agree to sell the house to returning Crimean Tatars, so the mother, whose nationality did not raise suspicions, was in charge of the purchase. The parents even had to temporarily divorce so as not to leave a “Tatar trace” in the mother’s documents. According to the singer, it was morally very difficult to decide to take such a step.