A viral beauty queen turned death metal band frontwoman has reacted to claims she's 'possessed'. Ignacia Fernández first drew international attention last year when a clip of her performance at the Miss World Chile beauty pageant became an internet sensation.
From Pageant to Metal Stage
Taking to the stage in an elegant ball gown and full pageant glam, Fernández belted out a death metal set of vocals - performed entirely live. Her unexpected talent quickly became one of the most talked-about pageant clips of the year. Fernández went on to win the Miss World Chile 2025 crown. Fast forward to Download Festival on Sunday (June 14), where the Daily Star caught up with the 28-year-old 'beauty queen of metal' and her band Decessus.
Reaction to 'Possessed' Claims
Fernández explained she never expected some of the reaction she got after the pageant spotlight hit her metal career. She exclusively told the Daily Star: 'Of course, I received messages like I was possessed, especially from older ladies, [but] I really don't care.' Asked outright if she's possessed, Fernández quipped: 'Yes.' The band said they've been together since 2020, with Fernández explaining the timeline around her pageant win.
'I founded the band in 2020, and then I won Miss Chile,' she explained. Drummer Martin Fenix said they weren't shocked she took the crown, adding: 'As a friend, I knew that she was the one for the crown. Just the best.' What did surprise Decessus was what came after, with one of the band members saying it was 'positive for the metal scene'.
Metal Community Response
Fernández reflected: 'I thought that maybe [the metal scene] would feel disrespected or something because it's like a way different scenario than we are used to.' Instead, she believes it ended up helping. 'Probably it was a good response,' she said, suggesting the unexpected crossover opened doors rather than closing them. But alongside the 'possessed' comments came another accusation that really got under her skin - people claiming her extreme vocals aren't real, or are somehow created with artificial intelligence (AI).
AI Accusations and Misogyny
The songstress said at first she took it personally, especially when the criticism came from other singers. Fernández recalled: 'I used to get very angry, especially because I have received messages from other vocalists questioning me. Like, it's fake, like, it's technical, like… AI.' 'What do you want me to go to your f—--- living room and sing to you?' she snapped, before adding exactly how far she'd have to go to satisfy them: 'Yeah, and shouts in their ears.'
Now, she says she's done arguing. 'But then now I f—--- think whatever you want, I really don't care,' she said. Her bandmates also pointed out there's a misogynistic edge to some of the abuse, with guitarist Carlos Pama Morán explaining Fernández gets comments implying the voice must belong to a man purely because of how heavy it sounds. For Fernández, the hardest part is constantly being made to feel she has to justify herself.
She said: 'What's the hardest part about it, is to prove yourself, I guess. Like feeling that I have to prove myself or people doubt that I'm like a true singer, that my voice is fake or that I'm not really a metalhead or that I'm doing this for publicity.' She argued: 'If I want to do publicity, I will do pop music, not metal music, you know what I mean? Like really stupid to think that.'
