FLEX Alumna Aysel Temurzade ’05 Takes Third Place at Eurovision

Azerbaijan alumna Aysel Temurzade ’05 (known on-stage as AySel) and well-known singer Arash took third place at the Eurovision Song Competition held in Moscow this past Saturday, May 16. The pair competed in the prestigious event with their song “Always” among 25 other European entries into the final round. The U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan predicted success for Aysel at a party she hosted for the FLEX Notification Meeting this year with newly selected FLEX finalists. FLEX alumni from across Europe actively supported Aysel’s Eurovision entry with motivational messages through Facebook and other social networking sites.

Aysel’s victory comes after a prolonged interest in music. During her time in America on FLEX (where she stayed in Texarkana, Texas) Aysel was able to pursue vocal training. She won three gold medals for her vocals at Southern Arkansas University and the University of Texas. The victory at Eurovision represents a continuation in what is sure to be the beginning of a flourishing career.

The Eurovision Competition got its start in 1956, with the idea of linking multiple Europoean countries via a single competition where all would be represented, and the show would be broadcast both live and simultaneously. In the intervening 53 years, Eurovision has become a staple of the musical world, pitting up-and-coming talents against more familiar stars. The competition has also grown substantially in the public eye- it now represents one of the most well-recognized and actively watched musical competitions in Europe. Azerbaijan is a relatively recent entry - the country joined only in 2008 - into the competition, which now includes 43 different European nations. Today, voting is done entirely by the public, through text messaging. With 207 votes, AySel and Arash fell only shortly behind Iceland’s 218 and Norway’s 387.