On Friday 6 March, broadcaster İctimai Television announced that Azerbaijan had its artist for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in May.
JIVA will have the honour of representing Azerbaijan on stage in Vienna, on what will be the country’s 18th participation since its Eurovision debut at Belgrade 2008.
JIVA will sing for Azerbaijan in the First Half of the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 14 May.
During the selection process to represent Azerbaijan at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, a total of 186 songs were submitted. Among them, 107 songs were sent in by local composers and performers, while 79 were sent by international songwriters.
During the initial evaluation stage, all submissions were reviewed by a professional panel and 18 candidates were invited to an audition. At this stage, the candidates’ vocal abilities, stage presence and potential for an international audience were assessed.
Following the evaluation process, a shortlist of three candidates was decided upon. The final decision was made based on the assessment of a specially formed focus group, which selected JIVA to represent Azerbaijan at Vienna 2026.
All about JIVA
JIVA (Jamila Hashimova) is an Azerbaijani singer renowned for her strong vocals and the sincere performances she gives to audiences.
Her artistic journey began in 2003, when she achieved second place at the Baku Autumn competition. In 2007, she participated in the Show Time project.
The singer has since taken part in various musical projects. She performed with the renowned RAST ensemble, led by Rashad Hashimov, and appeared on stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Later, as the lead vocalist of Hazz Band, she combined jazz elements with contemporary pop music.
Since 2017, JIVA has continued her career as a solo artist. She records songs in the pop, dance and r&b genres, singing them in Azerbaijani, Russian and English. In 2025, another career high was achieved by the singer when she won The Voice of Azerbaijan, as part of Roya Aykhan’s team.
2026 isn’t her first encounter with the Eurovision Song Contest… In 2011 JIVA reached the top three of Azerbaijan’s Eurovision national final!
