The Nigerian-Maltese representative stole the show with her performance of ‘Je Me Casse’
Destiny Chukunyere, daughter of former Nigeria forward ‘Wowo’, won many admirers on Saturday with her performance of ‘Je Me Casse’ as she represented Malta at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.
For readers unfamiliar with the show, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international song that pits performers from a variety of countries against one another before viewers across Europe can vote for their favourites.
This year’s event featured a performance of particular interest to African viewers, with Malta’s representative—Destiny Chukunyere—having a strong connection with the Super Eagles.
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The 18-year-old phenomenon’s father represented the Nigeria national side once during his career, and has gone on to enjoy a coaching career in Malta, where he was previously a player.
Destiny’s mother is Maltese, but according to her father—in an exclusive interview with Goal—she still remains close to her Nigerian roots.
“She has the Ajegunle spirit – never afraid of anything,” Chukunyere senior told Goal, referencing a district in Lagos. “She gets stronger with pressure, [and] the bigger the pressure, the more she would excel.”
Although Destiny has never visited Nigeria, her father revealed that a couple of the African nation’s musical greats have had an influence on his daughter, who is adept in performing pop, R&B and soul music.
“She loves Daddy Showkey so well,” he added. “I remember in those days; she would join me in singing Showkey’s songs. I also taught her the ‘Galala’ dance steps which she is very good at.
“She is a good fan of Psquare and Davido. She listens more to Nigerian music than the one in Europe and I think this reflects in her style of music.
“I’m currently working on her collaborating with some Nigerian musicians. She is ready to work with any African musician.”
Destiny took her place at the event after starring in the semi-final 1 that took place at the Ahoy Arena in Roterdam, where she was the 16th performer to take to the stage.
After progressing, she returned to the Final on Saturday, where she was the ninth performer to step up in front of the 3,500-strong crowd, duly dazzling attendees with her English-language performance.