Eurovision 2021 Malta profile: ‘Je Me Casse’ by Destiny

Emma Garrie

Apr 14, 20213 min read

Malta in Eurovision

Malta made their Eurovision debut in 1971 but after finishing last in their first two attempts took a two year break from the competition. They returned briefly in 1975 before withdrawing again, returning in 1991 and have competed in every year since.

They have never won the competition but have made the Top 10 13 times. They have also finished in the top three four times – the only non-winning country to do so. Their best result is second place which they have achieved twice – Chiara in 2005 (‘Angel’) and Ira Losco in 2002 (‘7th Wonder’).

2021 Entry: Destiny – ‘Je Me Casse’

Semi-final: Destiny will compete in semi-final 1 in 16th position in the running order
My Eurovision Scoreboard fan ranking: 2nd out of 39 entries
Odds to win ranking: 1st out of 39 entries
Odds to qualify ranking: 1st out of 16 entries

(rankings as of 10 April 2021)

About the artist

18-year-old Destiny Chukunyere was born in Birkirkara, Malta, the daughter of a Nigerian footballer and Maltese mother.

From the age of 12 she began competing in various singing competitions around Europe, placing third at both Malta’s Independence Song Contest (Kanzunetta Indipendenza) and the Asteriks Music Festival in North Macedonia. She later went on to represent Malta at the international grand finals of Sanremo Junior where she won the competition.

As a 13-year-old, she represented Malta at Junior Eurovision 2015 where she was also declared the winner with ‘Not My Soul’. Later Destiny and her team were awarded a Medal for Service to the Republic, one of the highest Maltese civilian honours. She also received a recognition award from The Igbo Development Union in Malta which said that Destiny had become an inspiration to all of the Nigerian community in Malta.

2017 saw 15-year-old Destiny travel to the United Kingdom where she was a semi-finalist on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

Destiny has a history with Eurovision. She appeared on stage with host Måns Zelmerlöw at the 2016 contest as the winner of the Junior contest from the previous year. She returned in 2019 where she was a backing singer for Maltese entrant Michela on her song ‘Chameleon’.

Destiny was declared the winner of X Factor Malta in early 2020, which doubled as a national selection for Eurovision. She was scheduled to sing ‘All of My Love’ before the contest’s cancellation and was internally selected in May 2020 to represent Malta again in 2021.

About the song

'Je Me Casse' was written by Malin Christin, Amanuel Dermont, Nicklas Eklund & Pete Barringer and was mixed by Jon Hällgren. Telling the story of a woman rejecting the unwelcome advances of a man, the song is an ode to female empowerment. The French title can be translated as meaning ‘to make a quick exit’ and that’s exactly what the woman wants to do!

Controversy

Accusations were levelled at Destiny after the release of the music video for ‘Je Me Casse’. Some felt the scenes featuring Destiny and male model Kyle Curmi were objectifying. Destiny refuted the allegations saying “No, I am not objectifying anything or anyone. The message I want to give out — the message of the song is that women are powerful and women are independent and we don’t need a man to be independent and powerful. That’s the message. It’s not about not needing men in general, it’s about women empowerment. The message is to have people, girls my age to never give up on themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin. That’s what I want to bring out from the song. It’s not about “Eh, because we don’t need men in our lives.” No, that’s not the message, so people should take note.”

Check out our Q&A interview with Destiny. She spoke to us about 'Je Me Casse', shared her favourite Australian Eurovision entry and has a message for all the Maltese diaspora in Australia.