Ignacia Fernández performed Decessus song “The Hollow Descent” at the Miss World talent competition in Vietnam.
Ignacia Fernández used her slot in the Miss World talent competition to perform a death metal song she wrote. The 28-year-old model, who fronts Chilean progressive death metal band Decessus, sang “The Hollow Descent” at the Children’s Culture Center in Nha Trang, Vietnam on Tuesday, as part of the pageant’s 75th edition.
The talent round went to Grace Richardson of England, a performing arts graduate from Leicestershire, who sang “Over The Rainbow” and became the first English representative to win a Miss World fast-track event.
“A moment I’ll never forget,” Fernández wrote on Instagram. “Getting to bring metal to the Miss World stage and share a part of who I am through music was an incredible experience.
“Every contestant who took part in the talent competition was extraordinary and unique. The level of talent was truly incredible, and I want to congratulate England on winning first place!” she added.
Fernández won Miss World Chile on 9 November 2025, beating 19 other finalists. She had already gone viral days earlier when she performed a Decessus song at the semi-finals in a ball gown, accompanied by the band’s guitarist Carlos Palma. Judges and audience were visibly caught off guard for the opening seconds before the room got behind it; one judge said he had never seen anything like it at a pageant.
She has been direct about why she did it. Rather than treat the pageant and the band as separate lives, she used the platform to argue against the assumptions people make about who sings extreme metal and has credited Arch Enemy as the band that showed her a woman could front music this heavy in the first place.
The past few months have moved quickly for her.
Kamelot brought Fernández in for “Ashen World“, released in July as a single from Dark Asylum, her first major guest appearance outside her own band. That album arrives August 28 through Napalm Records.
Decessus signed to BLKIIBLK, the heavy imprint of Frontiers Label Group, earlier this month.
Fernández announced the signing on behalf of the group.
“We’re incredibly honored to announce that Decessus has officially joined the BLKIIBLK family,” she said at the time. “Our new chapter has begun, and we’re incredibly eager to see what the future will bring. This is a milestone we’ve worked towards for a long time, and how rewarding is the opportunity to be part of such an incredible roster of artists. It is part of our vision to push our music and what Decessus is further, reaching new audiences, and sharing some really precious metal moments.”
Decessus formed in Santiago in 2020 and are completed by Palma, drummer Martín Fénix and bassist Jaime Pepe. They have released six singles, among them “The Hollow Descent“, “Dark Flames” and “Dying Hope Blossoms“, and their debut album is due through BLKIIBLK.
They have opened for Insomnium and Jinjer, played festivals in Finland and Germany, and supported Epica in Santiago in September 2024. Fernández also guested on the 2023 EP Cúpula by Chilean death metal band Alhazred.
The Miss World grand final takes place on Saturday 5 September in Nha Trang, with festival events running across Vietnam since 8 August.
