Susana Jamaladinova, better known by her stage name, Jamala, is a Ukrainian singer, actress and songwriter. She received worldwide recognition as the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with her song, “1944”.

She grew up in Kirghiz SSR, now known as Kyrgyzstan. Her ancestors were deported there in 1944 under the Soviet regime along with over 200,000 Crimean Tatars. These events provided inspiration for “1944”. The oppression of Crimean Tatars meant that her parents were forced to divorce for four years so that her family could return to Crimea. Her Armenian mother bought a house under her maiden name as Crimean Tatars, including her father, were forbidden to own property in the region.

Jamala, second right, pictured with (L-R) her sister, mother and father.

She graduated with honors from the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine as an opera singer, but chose pop music after winning New Wave 2009, an international song contest for young artists, with “History Repeating”.

She released several studio albums in Ukraine to mediocre success. In 2016, she broke into the mainstream European music charts by qualifying for and winning the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with “1944” in an emotional and deeply moving performance.