Miss World Chile Brings Metal To The Pageant

When you imagine the “talent” presented by a Miss World or Miss Universe model during a pageant event, you likely wouldn’t picture death metal vocals delivered with ease and grace.

Chile is recognised for its active, epic heavy music scene, and Ignacia Fernández—who competed in the Miss World Chile pageant to ultimately gain a place in the global Miss Universe competition—delivered.

Fernández is the lead vocalist in the Chilean progressive death metal outfit Decessus, and in footage that’s going viral, she represented her music by unleashing an unforgettable performance on Sunday (2 November).

During her performance, the 27-year-old vocalist and model was accompanied by guitarist Carlos Palma and unveiled an original song. Wearing an elegant black ball gown, Fernández seemed to stun the judges and audience alike, receiving a standing ovation.

Following her representation of her music during the talent segment, Fernández made it to the Top 20 contestants and secured her place in the final, which is taking place this Sunday (9 November).

You can watch the performance below.

“The song I sang is by my band. It’s my job, my life,” Fernández revealed in a recent interview with Chilean newspaper Las Últimas Noticias.

Opening up about her vocal technique, Fernández added, “I studied for more than two years, very focused. I have an ENT [ears, nose, and throat] specialist and a speech therapist with whom I constantly make sure that everything is okay. I warm up during the day, and before a show, I take between 15 and 30 minutes to do several exercises calmly.”

Metal Injection reports that since their formation in 2020, Decessus have quickly impressed audiences across South America and Europe, developing a reputation as a must-see act.

The Chilean group has opened shows for metal stars such as Insomnium, Jinjer, and Epica, and has also performed at festivals in Germany and Finland.

Decessus’s latest single, Dark Flames, was released in late September and features on the band’s new album, which dropped in October.