Destiny Chukunyere M.Q.R. (born 29 August 2002) is a Maltese singer. She won the
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the thirteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place, for the first time, in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian national broadcaster BNT was the host broadcaster for the event. The fi ...
, where she represented
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...
'' and finished 6th in the second semi-final and thus was eliminated. She won the second season of the Maltese version of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' and was chosen to represent
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
with the song " All of My Love" however the contest was canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Instead, Destiny represented Malta in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2021
The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song " Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the ...
, this time with the song "
Je me casse
; ; ) is a song by Maltese singer Destiny Chukunyere that represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The song was written and composed by Amanuel Dermont, Malin Christin, Nicklas Eklund and Pete Barringer.
Ħamrun
Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014.
The people
The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as '' ...
. Her father is Nigerian (
Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
) former footballer
Ndubisi Chukunyere
Ndubisi Chukunyere (born 23 December 1979 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a former Nigerian footballer who last played for Maltese Premier League side Hibernians, in the capacity of striker.
Playing career
Chukunyere began his career as a member of Sta ...
, while her mother is Maltese. She has two younger siblings; a sister named Melody and a brother named Isaiah.
Career
Prior to her participation in the ''Junior Eurovision'', Chukunyere participated in various singing competitions including ''
Festival Kanzunetta Indipendenza
Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza ("Independence Song Contest") is Maltese song competition held on a day near September 21 (Malta's independence day). All songs are performed in the Maltese language and is one of the most anticipated events on the ...
'' 2014 in which she placed third with the song "Festa t'Ilwien"; and won the Asterisks Music Festival, and ''SanRemo'' Junior in Italy.
2015–2017: ''Junior Eurovision Song Contest''
On 11 July 2015, Chukunyere won the Maltese national final held at the
Mediterranean Conference Centre
The Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC, mt, Dar il-Mediterran għall-Konferenzi) is a conference centre in Valletta, Malta. The building was built as a hospital in the 16th century by the Order of St. John, and it was known as the Sacra Inferm ...
in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
. She represented Malta at the
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the thirteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place, for the first time, in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian national broadcaster BNT was the host broadcaster for the event. The fi ...
, in
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, Bulgaria on 21 November.
Chukunyere won the live national final with the
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
song "
Think
In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...
", enabling her to represent Malta; her Junior Eurovision entry called " Not My Soul" was composed by Elton Zarb and written by
Muxu
Matthew "Matt" Mercieca (born 19 July 1990), known professionally as Muxu, is a Maltese singer and songwriter. Having multiple number one singles, and winning local awards, he is one of Malta's leading R&B artists.
Career
Mercieca started his ...
with her involvement. Chukunyere won the contest with 185 points breaking the previous record score set by
María Isabel
María Isabel López Rodríguez (born 4 January 1995), known professionally as María Isabel, is a Spanish singer and songwriter. She is best known for winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Antes muerta que sencilla".
...
in 2004.
On 13 December 2015, Chukunyere and her team were awarded the
Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika
The Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (Medal for Service to the Republic) is a medal of the Malta, Republic of Malta. The medal is awarded by the President of Malta, with the written approval of the Prime Minister of Malta, for distinguished servi ...
.
2017–2019: ''Britain's Got Talent''
In early 2017, Chukunyere auditioned for
series 11
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used in ...
of ITV's ''
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...
'' singing "Think", by Aretha Franklin, where she was given four yeses. Her audition was aired on 20 May. She has received praise from established music critic
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...
and international renowned
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
Joseph Calleja
Joseph Calleja (born January 22, 1978) is a Maltese operatic tenor.
Early life and career
Calleja was born in Attard, Malta. He began singing at the age of 16, having been discovered by tenor Brian Cefai and continued his studies with Maltese ...
. After listening and watching her perform, Cowell told to the rest of the judges that they "have been waiting for someone to come out who ... could be a star, and Destiny may be the one." On 27 May, she was announced as one of the qualifiers to the live shows and performed in the second semi-final on 30 May. She placed 6th in the semi-final and thus was eliminated.
2019–2020: ''X Factor Malta''
In 2019, Chukunyere appeared in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019
The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song " Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broad ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, Israel as a backing singer for the Maltese entrant's,
Michela Pace
Michela Pace (born 25 January 2001) is a Maltese singer who won the inaugural season of Malta's version of ''The X Factor'' in 2019. As a prize for her win, she represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Chameleon" wri ...
, song "
Chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
". The song qualified for the final, finishing in 14th place with 107 points.
In 2019, Chukunyere was revealed to be taking part in the second season of ''
X Factor Malta
''X Factor Malta'' is the Maltese version of the British television music competition ''The X Factor'', created by Simon Cowell. The first season premiered on 7 October 2018 and has since been broadcast on Television Malta. The show was used to d ...
''. She was placed in the Girls category, mentored by
Ira Losco
Ira Losco M.Q.R. (born 31 July 1981) is a Maltese pop singer. Her career breakthrough came in 2002, when she represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "7th Wonder". She placed second in the competition, Malta's best ...
, and advanced to the live shows. On 8 February 2020, she won the competition.
2020–2021: ''Eurovision Song Contest''
Due to her ''X Factor Malta'' win, Chukunyere was to represent
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, Netherlands. Her entry song, " All of My Love", was released on 9 March 2020. However, on 18 March, the event was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. On 16 May 2020, it was confirmed that Chukunyere would represent Malta at the 2021 contest with the song "
Je me casse
; ; ) is a song by Maltese singer Destiny Chukunyere that represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The song was written and composed by Amanuel Dermont, Malin Christin, Nicklas Eklund and Pete Barringer.
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
,
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, and
Lizzo
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After col ...