Aisel (singer)

Aysel Mammadova (Aysel Məmmədova; born 3 July 1989), known professionally as Aisel, is an Azerbaijani singer. She represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "X My Heart". She has also performed the Azerbaijan national anthem at the opening of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023.

Early life
Mammadova attended the Special Secondary Musical School and the Azerbaijan State Conservatory.

Career
Mammadova participated in the Baku International Jazz Festival in 2005 and 2006, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2009. She is a member of the Baku Jazz Center.

Eurovision Song Contest
Mammadova was announced as the Azerbaijani artist for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 on 8 November 2017. Her entry, "X My Heart", was released on 4 March 2018.

She performed first in the first semi-final on 8 May, placing 11th with 94 points, 14 points behind tenth-place. She received 47 points from both the jury and the televote, receiving 12 points from the jury. As of the contest, her entry is the first Azerbaijani entry not to qualify for the final.

In regards to the song, Aisel stated: "I feel a strong connection with the lyrics of the song, since believing in myself made me overcome several difficulties I had in my life. This is a message I want to send to everyone: believing in yourself can make you stronger than cannonballs." However, two years later, she said that she regretted her performance with "X My Heart", and said that she had never actually connected with the song.

In late October 2023, Aisel was revealed as one of the sixteen shortlisted candidates in the, and the next week, she was announced to be among the six who had moved on to the final stage. She ultimately was not selected.