If you’re a listener of Mysteries of the EuroVerse, you know we are huge fans of Jamala, the Crimean singer who won Eurovision for Ukraine in 2016 with her charged and timely song, 1944. Jamala recently released QIRIM, a stunning collection of Crimean Tatar folk tunes arranged for a full orchestra. The project, a decade in the making, is particularly relevant in the midst of Vladimir Putin’s continuously raging war: whereas Putin would like to claim that Ukraine is merely part of Russia, QIRIM’s stirring songs, meticulously researched and orchestrated, are proof an indigenous culture that has existed for centuries. You can find out more about QIRIM, as well as the daring mission to save the album’s unreleased audio from Russian bombs, in our interview with Jamala in Episode 3 (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7fQvBK75mEe510UoAdA3S7?si=965899689f73440b).
Now Jamala has released her first video off of QIRIM, for the song ARAFAT DAĞINDAN. Filmed by a Kyiv based crew during Russia’s mass shelling campaign, the production of ARAFAT DAĞINDAN had to contend with constant power outages, sometimes lasting up to 18 hours a day. The video is immediately resonant from the opening shots– visually referencing the pilgrimage to the mountain at the song’s core, and tying it to the Crimean people’s history of constantly being forced from their homes. The video, directed by Eurovision 2023 creative director and Mysteries of the EuroVerse guest, German Nenov (see our interview here), is both rooted in current events but also speaks in a metaphorical language that is both timeless and visually arresting. The costumes, by Ukrainian stylist Yuriy Zhuykov deserve particular note on this front.
Jamala has been a prominent outspoken figure of Ukrainian resistance since Putin’s invasion, so much so that she was recently placed on Russia’s “Wanted List.” She was recently awarded, "The Shevchenko National Prize” - which is the highest Ukrainian state honor bestowed for works of culture and arts, and is the subject of the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Award-winning documentary, JAMALA: Songs of Freedom."
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