Jamala, born Susana Jamaladinova, is a Ukrainian singer and word writer. She is known for winning the 2016 Eurovision Song Song Contest with her song "1944", and her music explores both personal and social themes.

Jamala was born on 27 August 1983 in Crimea, then part of the Soviet Union. She received musical training and studied opera at the Tchaikovsky Music Academy in Kyiv. Jamala began her music career at an early age and gained attention in 2009 when she won first place at the "New Wave" (The New Wave) singing competition in Latvia. In 2016, she represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest and won first place with her song "1944", which addressed the deportation of the Crimean Tatars during the Soviet era.

Jamala is also an artist who has openly criticized Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she left Ukraine with her family and settled in Australia. In 2023, she was placed on Russia’s wanted list for her public statements regarding the massacres in the Ukrainian town of Buca.

The song "1944" is a 2019 release by Jamala that addresses the exile of the Crimean Tatars in history. The song recounts the difficult times experienced by Jamala’s own family and the deportation of the Crimean Tatars during the Soviet period. "1944" reflects the collective suffering of the Crimean Tatars and, more broadly, of an entire people through a personal narrative.

This song stands out as one of the most profound works in Jamala’s musical repertoire. While the deportation of the Crimean Tatars and the hardships they endured form the central theme, the song also reveals Jamala’s deep connection to her roots. "1944" serves both as an act of respect for a people’s past and as a historical reminder conveyed through art.