Ukrainian Eurovision song winner Jamala will be performing at a peace concert in Malta on 8 July.
Since the war in Ukraine, Jamala has been campaigning for her country and has performed in peace concerts across the world. The One Love, Celebrating Peace event will be held at Malta Enterprise grounds in Pieta in aid of Ukrainian citizens who fled to Malta because of the war.
Jamala will be joined by a strong line up of Maltese singers to what is expected to be a celebration of unity, solidarity and peace.
Funds will also be raised for the building of ‘Becs’ Junior Secondary school in Ethiopia, in memory of 15 year old Rebecca Zammit Lupi who died in 2021 from a rare form of cancer.
Jamala’s music blends soul, jazz, electronica and pop genres beautifully and smoothly. Her sound and her live performance are the hallmark of Ukraine’s contemporary music scene.
The singer started her career at the age of nine, recording an album of songs for children. She has graduated from the National Music Academy named after Tchaikovsky in Kyiv, majoring in opera singing. Jamala was going to make a career in classical music, however her stunning victory at the International Contest of young singers The New Wave festival (2009), changed her path. Since her debut album For Every Heart (2011), she has never stopped experimenting with her sound, opening herself up to the listener anew each time.
So far, she has released 7 studio albums, a number of EPs and singles, all of them inspired by her personal feelings and experiences. Whether it’s a song with DakhaBrakha, a collaboration with Brian Todd or a soundtrack to the movie Mr. Jones.
Her triumph at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest further reinforced this position. She brought her victory to Ukraine with her song 1944 — a personal story inspired by her great-grandmother, who lost a child during the deportation of the Crimean Tatars. Upon winning the contest, she was given the People’s Artist of Ukraine. Among the singer’s awards are Ukrainian National Award Person of the Year (2009), the ELLE Style Award (2010, 2012) and numerous awards for her music at YUNA Music Award (2016, 2017, 2019).
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Jamala became the voice of the Ukrainian people outside her homeland. Once she evacuated her children, the singer started to fight for victory on her own front. Day by day, country by country, she takes part in charity events, concerts and TV shows, raising funds for refugees, children and the Ukrainian army.