Miss Mundo Chile contestant and Decessus frontwoman Ignacia Fernández stunned viewers by performing an original death-metal song on national TV, earning a standing ovation and breaking pageant norms.
Pageantry met brutality in Chile last weekend when Ignacia Fernández, a contestant in the Miss Mundo Chile competition, tore through an original death metal track on live television, complete with full on guttural growls.
Representing the Las Condes district, Fernández took the stage during the semi-finals on November 2 alongside Decessus guitarist Carlos Palma, performing a song from their progressive death metal catalogue while wearing a formal gown. The performance, a collision of elegance and aggression, earned her a standing ovation and a spot in the competition’s final 20 contestants, with the Miss Mundo Chile winner set to be crowned on November 9.
“Metal has been a fundamental part of who I am as a person and in my life: a refuge, a source of strength and purpose,” Fernández wrote in an Instagram post, adding of performing death growls on television, “Being able to express it on stage at Chilevisión and Miss Mundo Chile was an opportunity I deeply value.
It was a great experience to break down barriers on open television, inspire, be real with it and show that you don’t have to fear the prejudices of others.”
Fernández, who founded Decessus in 2020, has been steadily building a name in Chile’s extreme metal scene. The band has opened for international heavyweights like Jinjer, Epica, and Fleshgod Apocalypse, and recently dropped their single ‘Dark Flames’ in September.
Her televised performance was as much a statement as it was a show of skill, proving that metal belongs in spaces long dominated by pop and glamour. With her dual identity as both model and metal vocalist, Fernández is challenging conventions and bringing the underground to the mainstream spotlight.
It’s not every day a death growl echoes through a beauty pageant, but Fernández’s performance might just redefine what strength and femininity look like in 2025.
