Destiny Chukunyere has pledged to give her best performance on Tuesday evening as she represents Malta in the first semi-finals of the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
"Music should not be about winning but what I can promise is that I will give my all!... I want my performance to be the best one from all the ones I’ve rehearsed and I’m definitely ready," the 18-year-old singer said when asked if she is feeling the pressure to win on behalf of Malta.
She will be performing her song Je Me Casse which deals with the empowerment of women and society’s pressures on women. Destiny will be the last to sing in Tuesday’s semi-finals that kick off at 9pm at Rotterdam’s Ahoy arena.
Bookmakers have predicted she will place first in the semi-final.
She will be taking the stage after 15 competitors: Lithuania, Slovenia, Russia, Sweden, Australia, North Macedonia, Ireland, Cyprus, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, Israel, Romania, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, in that order.
Ten countries will move on to participate in Saturday’s Grand Finale. They will compete against another 10 countries selected during the second semi-finals on Thursday as well as the Big 5: UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and The Netherlands.
Destined to win?
Destiny is now third favourite to win the contest according to betting sites that predict she has a 13 per cent chance of placing third in the final with Italy and France occupying the top two spots with 23 per cent and 20 per cent chance respectively.
In a commentary about this evening's entries, Eurovision blogger William Lee Adams wrote: "Malta’s Destiny may well be your next Eurovision winner. The 18-year-old vocal powerhouse has been pitch perfect throughout her time in Rotterdam, nailing all three minutes of her empowering song Je me Casse — French slang for “I gotta go” or “I’m outta here!”... the stars seem to shoot out from everywhere, creating a real moment."
How voting works
The public is expected to know results of the semi-finals by about 11.30pm after the voting takes place. After all songs have been performed, each country will give two sets of 1 to 8, 10 and 12 points; one set given by a jury of five music industry professionals, and one set given by viewers at home.
And to keep audiences around Europe even more engaged, the organisers have launched a special applause feature through the Eurovision app. This will allow those watching from home to control the level of applause that a singer gets since there will be no live audience because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reactions to a song via the app are translated to applause sound effects at the arena.
Destiny was able to perform for jurors on Monday after testing negative for COVID-19. Jurors' votes carry 50 per cent of the weight. Destiny and the Maltese delegation had to be tested as a precaution after a member of the Icelandic delegation, staying at the same hotel as the Malta delegation, tested positive to the virus on Sunday.
Because of this, Malta had to miss Sunday’s Turquoise Carpet Event – the official opening to the Eurovision, which was cancelled in 2020 and scaled-down this year because of the pandemic.
Tonight Destiny is expected to wear a silver dress and boots – the outfit she revealed in her second dress rehearsal. In the first dress rehearsal, her neon pink outfit caused an online stir on social media.