Main points
- Jerry Heil entered the top ten participants of the National Selection for Eurovision 2026 with the song CATHARTICUS (prayer).
- The Eurovision World website believes that Jerry Heil is the favorite of the competition, predicting her victory.
Jerry Heil / Collage Show24
Not long ago, it became known that Jerry Heil was among the ten participants of the National Selection for Eurovision. The artist not only has a chance to win, but also wants to bring it to Ukraine at the international singing competition.
- 1 From music school to participating in a talent show
- 2 JERRY HEIL at Eurovision: how was it?
- 3 Personal life
- 4 Why did Jerry Heil come back to the 2026 National Selection?
- 5 Key Facts About the Jerry Heil Label and Singer Kazhanna Scandal
The girl is not even stopped by the fact that she has already represented Ukraine together with alyona alyona, and this duet brought our country third place in the overall ranking. And since some forecasts claim that Jerry Heil has high chances in the National Selection, 24 Channel will tell you what is known about her life and how she wants to conquer Europe again.
From music school to participating in a talent show
The singer's real name is Yana Shemaeva. The girl came up with her creative pseudonym at the age of 16. At first, there was the version of Jerry Mouse, but the singer searched for other options on a website with American surnames and settled on Heil.
The artist is originally from the Kyiv region. She studied at a music school for 12 years, and then entered the Kiev Institute of Music named after Reinhold Glier, majoring in choral conducting. Then Yana tried her hand at the Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, but dropped out in her second year.
Yana Shemaeva as a child / Photo from the singer's mother's Instagram
Gradually, the girl began to take steps into the world of show business. At first, she recorded covers of songs by famous bands and artists, and in 2017 she created her own band. Despite the fact that after some time the group broke up, Yana received permission from the founders of the Vidlik Records label, Yevgeny Filatov and Nata Zhizhchenko, to release her first mini-album under their leadership. It included the tracks “De mii dim”, “Postil”, “Nebo” and “Nadiya”.
JERRY HEIL – “Bed”: listen to the song online
In 2018, she auditioned for the X Factor project. She received four coveted “yeses” from the judges, but left the show after the first audition.
JERRY HEIL at the “X Factor” casting: watch the video online
But the girl did not give up. A year later, she released a hit that was sung in every corner of Ukraine – “Okhrana, otmena”.
JERRY HEIL – “Protection, Cancellation”: watch the video online
Against the backdrop of fame, the singer releases a new album – “#Я_ЯНА”, which includes the songs “Vilna kasa”, “Natverkay”, “Bili krosy” and others. In the same year, Yana's first solo concert took place in Kyiv.
Then came the victories in the Djooky music competitions. The artist was able to fly to the USA, where she met Grammy winners. She studied at Berkeley, because her goal was to popularize Ukrainian music abroad. During the Great War, the artist released many tracks with foreign artists, and once even became a laureate of the prestigious European Union award – The Music Moves Europe Awards.
JERRY HEIL at Eurovision: how was it?
In 2020, Yana decided to try her hand at the National Selection. Then she made it to the finals with the song Vegan, but the results of the judges' and audience's voting did not meet the girl's expectations. She received the lowest scores.
JERRY HEIL – Vegan (final of the National Selection for Eurovision): watch the video online
In 2023, there was a second attempt with the song When God Shut The Door. But in the final, the singer took third place, which did not allow her to represent Ukraine on the European singing arena.
JERRY HEIL – When God Shut The Door (National Eurovision Selection): watch the video online
This result upset the artist and she announced that she would not participate in the competition again. However, everything changed in 2024, when she again came to the National Selection together with alyona alyona. They performed the song Teresa & Maria in a duet, which helped them win first place.
alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria (National Selection-2024): watch the video online
The duo took bronze at the European competition.
Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil at Eurovision 2024: watch the video online
Thanks to Eurovision, the singer struck up a friendship with Nemo, who became the winners in 2024. From that moment on, Jerry Heil's career went uphill. For example, she became a member of the Grammy Academy.
After such success, rumors began to appear that a conflict arose between Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona after participating in Eurovision 2024. But later it turned out that neither of the singers had quarreled with anyone, they were simply going about their business.
Alyona has been paying attention to her health for some time, and if we could cross paths with her, it would only be in the forest picking mushrooms. But I also went on a tour of Europe. And our paths have diverged a little musically, which is normal, because we were solo performers before that. We will definitely cross paths again, don't overthink it,
– the performer emphasized.
Interestingly, at Eurovision 2025, Jerry Heil was the spokesperson for Ukraine.
Personal life
The singer openly shared that she had no experience in serious relationships. But at the end of 2023, she announced that she was in a relationship, but decided not to reveal other details to the public.
Ex-boyfriend Jerry Heil / Photo from the singer's Telegram channel
In March 2025, Jerry Heil confirmed that she was no longer in a relationship with her boyfriend.
We don't see each other. He is there, but somewhere,
– said the artist.
Whether her heart is free today is unknown.
Why did Jerry Heil come back to the 2026 National Selection?
The singer admitted that she missed the festival of music and the family that formed around Eurovision. However, her goal is not to “close the gestalt”, but something much bigger.
Yes, I want to win for Ukraine at Eurovision. However, I want victory for our music – in the form of its stable presence in European and world charts! I sincerely dream of it!
Jerry Heil wrote.
According to Yana, she will work tirelessly to achieve her goal – a victory for Ukrainian music.
At the National Selection-2026, the artist submitted the song CATHARTICUS (prayer), which translates as “Catharsis (prayer)”.
Jerry Heil – CATHARTICUS (prayer): watch the video online
Interestingly, a fan poll on the National Selection of Ukraine for Eurovision 2026 has appeared on the Eurovision World website. Jerry Heil is the one predicted to win the contest. Monokate took second place on the list, and LELEKA entered the top three favorites.
Rating of the finalists of the National Selection according to Euro fans / Screenshot from the website
We remind you that the show will be broadcast on the Suspilne.Kultura TV channel on February 7, 2026.
The main thing about the scandal between the Jerry Heil label and singer Kazhanna
- In January, Kazhanna claimed that she had suffered moral injuries during her two years with the NOVA MUSIC label. The singer said that the contract was “slavery” and that she did not receive royalties from the company.
- Then NOVS MUSIC made a statement that they were terminating cooperation with Kazhanna. The company assured that it “worked correctly, with respect for the artist's work and supported her professional development as much as possible, although from time to time the artist herself gave vent to emotions, crossing the boundaries of working communication.”
- The other day, the label published an official statement on its Instagram page, stating that thanks to negotiations, financial and legal issues were resolved.