Jalla (song)
| "Jalla" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Antigoni | ||||
| English title | "More" | |||
| Released | 8 February 2026 | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | Minos EMI | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Antigoni singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Jalla" on YouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Languages | ||||
| Composers |
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| Lyricists |
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| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Shh" (2025) | ||||
"Jalla" (from "Τζ' Άλλα" in Cypriot Greek, transl. "More") is a song by English-Cypriot singer-songwriter Antigoni. The song was released on 8 February 2026 through Minos EMI. It was written by Buxton herself, together with Charalambous Kallona, Connor Mullally-Knight, Demetris Nikolaou, Klejdi Lupa, Paris Kalpos, and Trey Qua. It will represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
The song reached number twenty three on the Greek Singles Chart.
Background and composition
"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 the Cypriot Greek dialect 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]
Release and music video
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]
Promotion
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]
Reception
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.[14] 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.[15][16]
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".[17]
Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Internal selection
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,[18] and later confirming an internal selection to select its 2026 entry.[19] 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.[20] On 6 November 2025, CyBC announced that British-Cypriot singer Antigoni Buxton would represent Cyprus in Vienna.[21]
At Eurovision
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.[22] During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Cyprus was drawn to compete in the second semi-final, performing in the second half of the show.[23]
For its Eurovision performance, the staging will be choreographed by Swedish choreographer Sacha Jean-Baptiste.[24]
Charts
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greece Local (IFPI)[25] | 23 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 8 February 2026 | Original | Minos EMI |
References
- ^ "Πρώτη παρουσίαση στις 8 Φεβρουαρίου της κυπριακής συμμετοχής στη Eurovision 2026 από το ΡΙΚ" [First presentation on February 8 of the Cypriot participation in Eurovision 2026 by RIK] (in Greek). Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Theodorou, Alexandra (2 February 2026). "Antigone to sing 'JALLA' for Cyprus at Eurovision". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Cyprus Eurovision 2026 "Jalla" hits 500k views amid criticism". SigmaLive. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Cyprus 2026: Antigoni releases 'JALLA'". Eurovision.com. European Broadcasting Union. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Bijuvignesh, Darshan (8 February 2026). "Cyprus: Antigoni Reveals Eurovision Entry "JALLA"". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Bijuvignesh, Darshan (28 January 2026). "Cyprus: Filming Has Begun For Antigoni's Music Video & New Song Details". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Tkach, Anna (9 February 2026). "Cyprus First to Name 2026 Eurovision Act: Antigoni Buxton with Song 'Jalla'". Inkorr. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Antigoni Buxton unveils Eurovision 2026 entry 'JALLA' tonight". Phileleftheros. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "How much Cyprus is spending on Eurovision 2026". Phileleftheros. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ "Eurovision: To ΡΙΚ παρουσίασε σε επίσημη πρώτη το "JALLA"" [Eurovision: RIK presented "JALLA" in an official premiere] (in Greek). Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Haritou, Louis (27 January 2026). "Στον Λυθροδόντα τα γυρίσματα του videoclip της Antigoni Buxton για τη Eurovision (ΒΙΝΤΕΟ)" [The filming of Antigoni Buxton's video clip for Eurovision is in Lythrodontas (VIDEO)]. Hello! (in Greek). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "Antigoni Buxton: Σήμερα τα γυρίσματα για το videoclip της Κύπρου στη Eurovision" [Antigoni Buxton: The filming for the Cyprus Eurovision video clip is today] (in Greek). ANT1. 27 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Thomson, Euan (8 February 2026). "Antigoni releases 'Jalla' for Eurovision 2026". That Eurovision Site. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Psichi, Margarita (10 February 2026). "Γνωστοί Κύπριοι ενώνονται για να αποσυρθεί το «Jalla» - Η επίσημη ανακοίνωση (ΦΩΤΟ)" [Prominent Cypriots unite to withdraw "Jalla" – The official announcement]. Hello! (in Greek). Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (10 February 2026). "Cyprus: CyBC to Make Changes to "Jalla" Music Video Following Complaints". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "'We know what the audience wants': CyBC boss defends 'Jalla' against criticism". Phileleftheros. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ Morphakis, James (10 February 2026). "Public figures urge CyBC to pull Eurovision entry JALLA". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (14 August 2025). "Cyprus: CyBC confirms participation at Eurovision 2026". ESCToday. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (30 October 2025). "Cyprus: CyBC Asks for the Public's View on Eurovision 2026 Artist & Song". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (12 November 2025). "Cyprus: How was Antigioni selected for Eurovision 2026?". ESCToday. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Bijuvignesh, Darshan (6 November 2025). "Cyprus: ANTIGONI to Eurovision 2026". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "Vienna announced as host city for Eurovision Song Contest 2026". The Guardian. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.com (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "'Let them talk': Antigoni Buxton responds to 'too Cypriot' Eurovision criticism". Phileleftheros. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (Local) – Εβδομάδα: 07/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 25 February 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
Primary sources
In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):
- ^ Antigoni. "JALLA / Antigoni / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ Antigoni - JALLA | Cyprus 🇨🇾 | Official Music Video | #Eurovision2026 (video). Eurovision Song Contest. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026 – via YouTube.
- ^ "JALLA – Single by Antigoni". Apple Music (GB). Retrieved 9 February 2026.