Eurovision 2026: Meet Azerbaijan’s JIVA and her song Just Go
- Joel Grace
- Apr 27
- 2 min read
We profile the 2026 entry from Azerbaijan including details on the artist, song, how it was chosen, odds, fan reaction and how the nation has fared at Eurovision.
Despite only making their Eurovision debut in 2008, Azerbaijan quickly established itself as one of the Contest’s strongest modern participants – earning a top 10 finish in seven of their 17 appearances.
Azerbaijan achieved a lot of early success, famously winning the contest in 2011 with Ell & Nikki’s Running Scared. The country also secured a string of high placements throughout the 2010s, including a second place finish in 2013 with Farid Mammadov’s Hold Me.
In recent years, however, Azerbaijan’s results have been more mixed, with the nation failing to qualify in their last three attempts, interrupting their earlier consistency.
Can 2026 artist JIVA return Azerbaijan to the Eurovision Grand Final spotlight with Just Go?
You can find out more about JIVA and her song below!
2026 entry: JIVA – Just Go
Azerbaijan will compete in the second semi-final, performing in second position in the running order
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 35th
Odds to win ranking: 35th
(Rankings as of 21 April 2026)
About the artist
Jamila Hashimova, known professionally as JIVA, was born in 1982 in Moscow, and is an Azerbaijani singer-songwriter who has been steadily building her profile on the Azeri pop scene.
Best recognised as the winner of season 3 of The Voice of Azerbaijan in 2025, JIVA is becoming known for her strong and emotive vocal delivery that aims for international appeal.
Just Go marks her first major international stage appearance, after releasing a handful of non-album singles across the past five years.
About the song
Written by Fuad Javadov, Just Go is a ballad performed in English and Azeri that explores JIVA’s experience of moving on from a toxic relationship.
The song is built on deeply emotional lyrics, expressing the pain and heartbreak from an unfaithful relationship. It then builds to gaining strength and insight after being determined not to allow herself to be hurt again.
The anthemic chorus has a strong melodic hook that is perfectly designed for the Eurovision stage.
Three weeks ago, JIVA released a rock version of the song, which has many people talking about the possible replacement of the ballad version for the rock version.
How was JIVA chosen for Eurovision?
JIVA was selected internally by Azerbaijan’s broadcaster ITV as part of its traditional Eurovision selection process.
After reviewing 186 submissions and narrowing the field down to 18 artists for an audition, JIVA and Just Go were chosen to represent Azerbaijan at Eurovision 2026, with the entry reportedly standing out for its commercial appeal and staging potential.
On her selection, JIVA said:
“I’m honoured to represent Azerbaijan. This song is very personal to me, and I can’t wait to share it on the Eurovision stage.”
Azerbaijan will compete in the first semi-final of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest on 12 May 2026 in Vienna.
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