Jalla (song)

"Jalla" was written by Antigoni Buxton with Charalambous Kallona, Connor Mullally-Knight, Demetris Nikolaou, Klejdi Lupa, Paris Kalpos, and Trey Qua. Kalpos, Lupa, Mullally-Knight, and Qua also produced the song.^{[1][‡ 1]} The title, "Jalla", is a word from Cypriot meaning "more".^[2] Nikolaou is credited with proposing the word "Jalla" (J’alla) as the Cypriot dialect term for the song during Antigoni’s suggestion to incorporate the dialect into the lyrics.^[3]

Musically, the song was described as "an up-tempo tune that merges traditional sounds with big-scale beats".^[4] It was further described as a "Mediterranean summer-pop anthem" which uses traditional Cypriot instrumentation, including çifteli and lute.^[5][6] Lyrically, according to Buxton, the song is about "energy, passion, and striving for more in life". She further added that the track was intended to reflect the "Cypriot spirit" while maintaining international appeal.^[7]

The song and its music video premiered on the Cypriot broadcaster's main evening news bulletin on 8 February 2026.^[8] Following the initial broadcast, the music video was released on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest.^[4] It was disclosed by the CyBC Director General Thanasis Tsokos that the budget for the filming of the official music video, as well as the production expenses and promotional campaign costs, amounted to approximately €100,000, which was covered by Buxton's music label, Minos EMI.^[9]

The music video was directed by Alexis "Bodega" Kostel and its filming took place at multiple Cypriot towns and villages.^{[10][‡ 2]} It was later revealed on the show With Love Christiana by the president of the Community Council of Lythrodontas, where the filming of the music video began, that around 200 to 250 residents were gathered to join the shooting.^[11] The outfits featured in the music video were designed by Cypriot designer Gregory Morfi.^[12]

To promote "Jalla" before the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, Buxton performed as an interval act at Sing for Greece 2026, the Greek national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.^[13] She also participated at the Nordic Eurovision Party 2026 held at Rockefeller Oslo on 21 March 2026.^[14]

The song's release was met with mixed critical reception. While many positive comments appeared online from the general audience, many were vocal against the song. On 10 February 2026, multiple known persons in the Cypriot cultural and media scene formally expressed their dissatisfaction with the song's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.^[15] In the letter sent to the president and members of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) management committee, they claimed that the song's music video "did not accurately depict the Cypriot traditions and cultural image of Cyprus" while also claiming that the video clip "includes and legalises very dangerous unlawful road driving practises", in reference to a scene in the music video where a group of youths are doing wheelies on motorcycles, without wearing helmets.^[16][17][18]

In response to the letter, CyBC Director General Tsokos released a statement through the CyBC Corporate account on Facebook that same day. In the statement, he mentioned that the music video's online reception is "warm and positive" and that the "reactions of experts and friends of the Eurovision Song Contest on social media are similarly positive". He added any scenes that did not follow road safety principles "have been removed from the clip" and its revised version will be "reposted by the European Broadcasting Union".^[19]

Cyprus' broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), announced its intention to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on 14 August 2025,^[20] and later confirming an internal selection to select its 2026 entry.^[21] The selection of the Cypriot entrant consisted of two parts: the first involved the votes of a five-member jury panel from nine potential artists proposed by Greek record labels, and the second involved an online questionnaire posted via the broadcaster's website between 30 October and 6 November 2025, during which the public could express their opinion on the artists and its participation in general.^[22] On 6 November 2025, CyBC announced that British-Cypriot singer Antigoni Buxton would represent Cyprus in Vienna.^[23]

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and will consist of two semi-finals to be held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026.^[24] During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Cyprus was assigned to compete in the second semi-final, performing in the latter half of the show.^[25] Buxton was later drawn to perform eighth, after Switzerland's Veronica Fusaro and before Austria's Cosmó.^[26]

For its Eurovision performance, the staging will be choreographed by Natalia Michael and Sacha Jean-Baptiste [sv].^[27][28] Michael will also perform as one of the four dancers joining Buxton, alongside Anna Chatzikyriakou, Konstantina Spyrou, and Sophia Papakonstantinou.^[29]