JIVA will represent Azerbaijan in the “Eurovision 2026” song contest. JIVA (Jamila Hashimova) is an Azerbaijani singer.
Modern.az reports that this information was provided on the official page of the contest.
Her creative journey began in 2003 when she won 2nd place in the “Baku Autumn” contest. She participated in the “Show Time” project in 2007 and managed to enter the top three in the “Eurovision” national selection week in 2011.
The singer has participated in various music projects. She performed with the famous RAST ensemble, led by People's Artist Rashad Hashimov, and appeared on stage at the “Montreux Jazz” festival. Later, as the soloist of the Hazz Band group, she combined jazz elements with modern pop music.
Since 2017, JIVA has continued her career as a solo artist. She performs songs in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English in the pop, dance, and R&B genres.
It should be recalled that a total of 100 applications were received for the selection stage for Azerbaijan's representation in the “Eurovision 2026” international song contest, and 186 songs were submitted within this framework. Of the submitted songs, 107 were sent by local authors and performers, and 79 by foreign authors.
In the initial evaluation stage, applications were reviewed by a professional team, and 18 candidates were invited to the next stage. Live auditions and individual interviews were organized for them. In this stage, candidates' vocal abilities, stage presentation, and potential for an international audience were evaluated.
As a result of the evaluations, a shortlist of three candidates was formed. The final decision was made based on the evaluation of a specially formed focus group, and JIVA was selected as Azerbaijan's representative for this year.
It should be noted that the “Eurovision 2026” international song contest will be held in Vienna, the capital of Austria. The first semi-final of the competition will take place on May 12, the second semi-final on May 14, and the Grand Final on May 16, 2026.
