Jamala, singer, representative of Ukraine in Eurovision contest

25.02.2016 16:26

When I sang this song, I felt as if I freed the souls of people who died during deportation

Jamala will represent Ukraine in Stockholm in the 61st Eurovision 2016 contest. She won the national selection with her song "1944" receiving about 38 percent of the viewers’ votes who cast their votes.

The singer gave an interview to Ukrinform where she talks about her song which theme caused a scandal in the Russian political circles and, consequently, the resonance in all the world's leading mass media; the environment of the selection process and the future of conversing with the Russian team in the Eurovision Song Contest; about Jamala’s intent to surprise, amaze in this large-scale music competition.

THE SONG IS ABOUT LOVE AND SORROW

- Jamala, you wrote very bright and beautiful lyrics, you performed it amazingly well at the national selection. Congratulations on your victory! Nevertheless, why have you chosen the very theme of 1944 event for Eurovision?

- My wish to participate in the selection process arose spontaneously, just a week before it started. And the song "1944" I wrote a year and a half ago. I put it aside then, I did not list it even in my new album "A Breath", which was released four months ago. The song has become such a strong and complex emotional moment for me that I kept it in a separate folder with separate signature and I was afraid to get back to it. Because the topic is very personal, very sad and I certainly did not want to be once again upset, burdened and touch upon it again. But at some point I realized that, firstly, it has very worthy although a non-format musical component for such a contest along with an important message – the song tells the story of thousands of people via one person’s life story. It is always extremely important for any creative project: whether it’s a song or a painting, a feature film and so on. When one succeeds in achieving the integrity of form and content – it’s a win.

And so it turned out this way - desire to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest coincided with the realization that I have a song for the competition. It came subconsciously, it was not specifically planned, it was absolutely sincere.

THERE IS NOTHING MORE GENUINE THAN LOVE FOR ONE’S HOMELAND, THE FAMILY ROOTS

- Perhaps the song itself has pushed you to long for Eurovision participation. It contains so much love and so much soul!

- You know they say to me: Jamalochka, you're such a good singer of love - sing about love. And I also do sing about love! This song is about a love when it appears only when you understand, just spread your palms of your hands and receive it. This is the great love for the native land, the great love of your people, about a woman who has cherished this love throughout her whole life. After all my grandmother Nazylkhan never returned to Crimea. You perceive in what lies a tragedy? Her children, four sons got back home, but she did not live up to that moment...

- This is your message for her addressed there to heaven.

THE SONG IS LIKE MEMORY, DEDICATION AND LIBERATION OF THE SOUL OF MY GRANDMOTHER NAZYLKHAN WHO HAD BEEN DEPORTED FROM CRIMEA, ALL THE FATAL VICTIMS OF THE DEPORTATION

- Yes. The song is like memory and dedication and me setting her soul free. That's the way how I felt after the semi-finals when I sang this song as if I liberated the souls perished during the deportation of the people who were never allowed to return to Crimea, and I freed myself too from this yoke. We must remember such events, we shouldn’t keep silence about them. It is not right when people disappear without leaving a trace making their souls relentless and seeking to visit us in a dream.

And I am very glad that Ukraine has shared this pain and that every Ukrainian empathizes with it. I have received a lot of letters after this song was aired! And people write about their experiences - that there were repressions and deportations in Western Ukraine, and each letter says that their family has similar stories. Do you comprehend? And how one dares to say that it is of no use to anyone? And what are we talking about! There is nothing more real than love for one’s homeland, the roots, family. These are the most genuine feelings that a person can experience.

You can get married, fall in love, divorce, forget each other and so on - and perpetually sing about broken hearts. But your genealogy will stay with you until the end of your days. This is what connects us with you and keeps us alive - behold this invisible thread in our family relationships that was unwound for us from the past. There is a phrase: "We are formed in our childhood", I believe it describes the phenomenon well.

- Your PR-director Denys Kozlovsky has made attempts to translate the chorus of the song from the Crimean Tatar language – a quote by your grandmother. Translation sounded: "I could not spend my youth here because you took away my world." Is it correct?

- Yes, it is quite correct.

- And he also told me that nothing what the Russians accuse of is found in the lyrics - neither political background nor the words such as "deportation", "Crimean Tatars", "Russia" are not written there.

- But it's even a little bit funny. There's no such a word. They can convene plenty commissions to consider my text under the magnifying glass - and they’ll fail to find there a word about politics. They won’t find them there because there is none. These words contain only love and sorrow, there really is not even a reproach and specific objects, but it’s a story being told in the third person. This is my story about the historical event that occurred in 1944.

- Jamala, did you write the original lyrics in English and Crimean Tatar?

- No, initially it was written in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar. And later I translated it into English.

EUROVISION IS NOT BRAZILIAN CARNIVAL

- You mentioned that viewers have supported you. Did it surprise you that most Ukrainians voted for your song in the national final?

- It was quite unexpected. I have been in a state of shock for two days in the positive meaning of these words. And this is a very comfortable condition - and excitement, and shock, and the feeling of incredible responsibility. Such trust given to me is very important.

- Yesterday was your day of silence - you did not give any interviews, did not respond to phone calls. You regained your senses after the competition, restored your energy after emotional stress. Was it hard to await the vote result?

- Any competitions are very difficult, believe me. And on Sunday there was such a tension! And all the contestants were so cool! All of them are my colleagues and this fact made it even more worrisome. It was strange that we were all rivals and we would be picked out. To be honest, it was somehow degrading. You know when they all attend each other concerts - and then suddenly they found themselves on the same stage in the competition ...

In the beginning it looked like a wonderful music festival. And it was a festival, which Ukraine should certainly be proud of because the level and the quality of our musical selection process were appreciated by the entire world. Almost all the media wrote that it was a very cool selection process, and each found his own favorite. It's so great!

- And whom did you like the most, liked their songs?

- I had a few favorites. I liked SunSay and The Hardkiss, and Pur: Pur, and Brunettes Shoot Blondes. I backed them all,we all tried to cheer one another. It was very touching.

- What about comments made by Andriy Danylko and some other musicians that your song is not entirely tailored for Eurovision, did they upset you much? They believe that it is important to create a fun, festive atmosphere there.

- I listened to various songs at Eurovision, with different messages and moods. If it were a contest of jolly songs, in my opinion, it wouldn’t just suit anyone - neither the organizers nor the participants. It would be dull and uninteresting. Otherwise, go to the Brazilian carnival - everything is in rhythm and in the same tone. And always fun!

- So do you stand for various songs can be performed at Eurovision, as well as serious ones?

- Yes. This is a competition of countries that show their own character, their own peculiarities. I as a musician can hear it – in which tone Britain sounds, in which tone Serbia sounds, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in which tone France sounds. It always can be heard. They have a dignified certain style, from year to year they try to perform cool. And Ukraine, in this sense, is very unstable in terms of the quality of performance – once it performs good, then it performs very bad, then again good, and then again performs very bad ..

- Once we had one first place, and once with the entrant “Green Jolly” we were almost at the end...

- Yes, we have had a very uneven path all these years. Apparently, due to the fact that there was no clear format of the qualifying rounds. This year we have done everything based on the system how it is carried out in most countries, where the qualifying rounds take place. And everything has become clear. Although, I would have made the national selection in one round, because it seems that in the second round you should sing another song. And because of this, there is a feeling of little unoriginality – like one performance has been already shown, and now let's compare it with the second performance. It seems to me that it’s not a good idea. If you have chosen a song, then this song is sent to the contest!

And which performance will be in Stockholm - for this, thank God, three months are still left to find the dress, to prepare the performance. I believe it’s not right to prepare everything in a hurry two weeks before the final so that to see the whole country and to do this in the appearance in which you will represent it in Stockholm. We had just too little time even to sew the dress that I designed for myself.

- So did you design it by yourself?! The dress is fantastic.

- Thank you very much. However, I want to sew another one, but everyone who looked at the design of this dress when I showed it said: at least three weeks needed, we have no time. So all Ukrainian designers have rejected. They say we will not risk as it is a very difficult job.

As a result, I sewed a dress with LAKE - this is our Ukrainian brand, while artist Rustem Skybin designed the embroidery – flowers, and Ruslan Panchuk embroidered it over the impossibly small period of time. Although, they also told me that minimum two weeks were needed - and the dress should have been ready by that time to start to embroider... In short, I accepted all the comments on the dress, but I did not plan to take this dress to Stockholm.

- This means that there will be absolutely new dress in Stockholm?

- Sure. Everything will be new, everything will be different. I will surprise, surprise and surprise! And this should take place gradually.

THE MORE SCANDAL IS UNFOLDING IN RUSSIA, THE MORE THE WORLD MASS MEDIA IS BECOMING INTERESTED

- Jamala, your victory in the qualifying competition caused more resonance in Russia, than in Ukraine and with a clear political context. Is such a reaction important to you? Did it have any impact on you?

- I believe that they should not have reacted in such a way. We need to accept mistakes of the past, the historical mistakes committed by the Soviet regime. At present, of course, nobody is looking for the guilty. But this fact took place, it was officially recognized as a crime even in the times of the USSR. No need to aggressively respond to it, you just need to accept it and that's all. The more scandal is unfolding in Russia, the more the world mass media is becoming interested

- Which one, for example?

- Reuters, Associated Press, France Press, Deutsche Welle, BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Le Figaro, Billboard. You can see the list, it’s endless! And this is over these two days. This is their reaction.

- Do you expect the support of the Crimean Tatars in the Eurovision Song Contest?

- Of course. Sure!

- Even if they will vote on behalf of Russia?

- Of course, this is the only opportunity they have.

- In your opinion, which communication will you have at Eurovision with the Russian team? Russia will be represented by Sergey Lazarev.

- I have known Sergey since the "New Wave" ... Look, this is an international competition! Of course, we all will communicate, see each other. I’ll try to avoid political topics as much as possible. I'll try not to give way to provocations...

- Jamala, can you let us in at least some details of preparations for the contest. Who will prepare the performance? Whom will you involve in it?

It will be beautiful – there are no doubts! We are all determined to win!

- Still very little time has passed, still nothing is clear. It’s clear that basically it will be the STB team, because they are our main partner in preparations for the final competition. But still I do not know exactly how it will be. It will be beautiful – there are no doubts! We are all determined to win! The whole team that works with me is determined to win.

- If you win, then in what city would you like to host the next Eurovision Song Contest?

- In Kyiv!

- Well, let’s wait for this. We wish you victory, Jamala! We'll all be supporting you! Good luck to you - and all of us!!!