Malta’s Destiny has taken to the stage inside the Rotterdam Ahoy for her first rehearsal at Eurovision 2021. She’s the bookies’ favourite but has she lived up to the hype? Let’s see…
Malta’s Destiny “Je Me Casse” — Eurovision 2021 first rehearsal
Oliver: She’s the favourite for a reason. To nobody’s surprise, Destiny’s vocal was perfect. She’s joined on stage by four dancers all wearing bright pink dance costumes — slightly garish, but they add to the overall whimsy and work well juxtaposed with the yellow backdrop. However, this wasn’t without its flaws. The performance starts out strong, but there needs to be some peaks and troughs to make the big moments stand out. There’s a pyro shower in the final chorus, but it’s perhaps not as visible as the team would have liked. As well, the camerawork needs some fixing. All the ingredients are there for a Eurovision winning performance, but this will require some finesse to get right if Destiny wants to take us to Valletta 2022.
Padraig: I close my eyes and I hear a Eurovision winner. But I’m not sure if I see a winner when I open them… at least not yet. Destiny’s vocals are flawless, of course. But at times she looks uncomfortable on stage. She’s still finding her way as she walks down the steps, looking at the ground as she does. Of course, that’s something that can easily be fixed. The staging feels like an SJB greatest hits with large blocks of colour and the obligatory wall of dancers. It could be a case of being in the Eurovision hype bubble since Christmas, but something didn’t click. Granted, I felt similarly underwhelmed when I saw both Francesco Gabbani and Netta perform for the first time. Hopefully, Destiny follows in the footsteps of the latter rather than the former.
Reaction to Malta’s first rehearsal at Eurovision 2021
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What do you think? Did Destiny live up to your expectations? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more Malta Eurovision 2021 news here
Photos: EBU / THOMAS HANSES
Horror
I expected the staging to be roarin’ 2020s since the song is charleston inspired. I expected the Great Gatsby. I don’t know how SJB heard the song and took “cowboy zumba Barbie” out of that. If they’re keeping the outfit at least change the background color to some rich gold and black.
Outfits are subjective. We all agree on that, right? Some really liked Destiny’s outfit, others not that much. Different opinions! However, we should think outside the box. In my opinion, Destiny is delivering very well the message of her song through her outfit…….“Ladies, if you feel like flaunting tonight it’s alright, it’s alright. Ladies, listen and go right ahead, show you’re shining bright”. I have no doubt that Destiny will shine bright on stage both with her performance and outstanding voice!!
I think the outfit is not that bad! It is also hard to judge from the snippet. When the camera comes closer there will be something else happening. The colour is great to watch and she can sing. It might be a rip off of Zarah Larsson and her girl dancers. They also wore pink some years ago. I have a feeling this is similar. But who cares. Destiny has her own charisma and should not listen to all the bad comments that are rude and just be herself.
Hideous outfit ! Sack the stylist !
This reminds me of Luc Hanni. He also had a very stylish outfit in the music video, then SJB came in and switched it it into some cheap stuff. It worked for She Got Me, but it doesn’t seem to work for Je Me Caise, which is a manifesto of a strong classy woman.
I can’t help but think that this performance wasn’t created with Destiny and the song in mind.
very questionable outfit. also, destiny herself appears to be pretty static in this and her dancers actually only emphasize it. other than that, i’d love it if they kept their backdrop as clean and simple.
anyway, it still isn’t a winner for me. but it will be fun to watch. and destiny sure knows how to sing.
From what I’ve seen Malta’s staging was actually pretty non-existent. Mostly a black background with some basic pink effects and a platform with stairs. Not to mention the weird choice of wardrobe. So not… Destiny? Those vocals were other-worldly though!
Whilst I may agree with some of the comments, there must be a huge disconnect between what we have seen for Malta’s performance and what reporters have watched in the press room with all the camera shots and cuts because the reactions are totally opposite. Destiny was dancing and performing throughout the whole performance. They chose to show the bridge part which I hope people were not expecting Destiny to dance the ‘cha-cha’ when she is belting those high notes!! Destiny said she feels confident and comfortable on stage with that outfit and she looks super stunning. Could they have… Read more »
Can we all agree that the “excuse my French” moment should be highlighted, not hidden?
Malta, Malta, Malta. You’ve got an amazing song and singer. You don’t need all this over the top colour and outfits. Tone it down.
I’m sorry, I’d be happy if Malta won, they have tried so many times and never had luck, etc. However, if we’re getting here another Jean Baptiste disaster then no thanks. I can’t stand this style. Her clothes choice: what’s that?! This is horrible. The hair, the colors, the boots. No. Just no. In the videoclip there are a few, very nice, fierce looks. Why couldn’t they take inspiration from them? Moreover, I am SURE there are very talented directors, stylists, dancers etc from MALTA that could do an excellent job. Where are they? And for all those who compare… Read more »
Does anyone know, was the thing with the height of her socks a wardrobe malfunction or was it meant to be like that? In the pics of her performance it looks like the sock is slipping down lower and lower but people are saying it is deliberate like Missy Elliot?
I’m not sure about the pink color esthetic. It is a quite a childish colour when the song is much more sophisticated.
I’m having flashbacks to Netta’s first rehearsal, everyone HATED it and said there was no chance it would win. If you don’t believe me, look at the comments for the wiwi article on Netta’s first rehearsal back in 2019.
You can’t make presumptions based on pictures and a 30-second clip of an audience spectators view. My point is, don’t count Malta out… nobody can predict anything until the semi-final is over and we can review the general public reaction.
You can downvote me but this is not a winning performance AT ALL. She’s second at the bookies but it’s still too much. Only thing Malta is going to win this year is Barbara Dex Award
You haters have messed with Destiny enough!
– It’s only the first rehearsal.
– It doesn’t matter what result Malta gets as long as Destiny slays the pack.
– The second rehearsal will be different.
– Valletta doesn’t have an actual arena with a 10,000-or-more capacity, so the best option is the 20,000-seat Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta Qali.
So in conclusion, leave Destiny alone!
Seriously, Malta, you are buying views even on a rehearsal video? It is middle of the night and the views are going up, while like/dislike ratio is the same. At this point it is starting to look desperately pathetic, building this fake hype. Totally dissapointed of these actions
Malta 190k views 5.8K likes 2.9K dislikes
Azerbaijan 144K views 7.7K likes 983 dislikes
AHAHHAHA
There is people from other countries who watch Eurovision too. So even though it is late at night, people in for example USA are also watching the rehearsals.
Why do you think Malta is buying views? They’re the favourites to win this year, so obviously, people are going to watch the rehearsal. As of now, both Cyprus (9th in odds) and Croatia (20th in odds) have more views on their rehearsal than Malta (2nd in odds)… yet nobody is questioning whether they’re buying views.
Those pink boots of different height and enormous legs distract from the good voice. Someone should tell the maltese delegation in a constructive way. Give the girl black trousers underneath the fresh pink top and together with the lime background you have a fresh entry. Not my winner though.
Francesco Gabbani’s one of those people whose vocals are decent in the recording studio (albeit an acquired taste), but underwhelming live.
Couldn’t be further from the truth – Francesco is amazing live!
Destiny has to change her act here .dress code and show is flat !!
The outfit is indeed horrible, they should have been dressing her with a long dress, from the 1920 Cabaret style, to compliment her waist, not this cheap outfit that is making her huge. It’s a pity…
Lol what has Sacha Jean Baptiste done to Destiny. Why the big favourites keep hiring that girl?? She destroyed Destinys chances like she destroyed Bulgaria 2018. It looks cheap and amateurish
They should burn these outfits, they should have used the outfits from the videoclip ( in the waterfalls! ).
Sacha took a special performer and song and turned them into what she always does, ordinary dancers, bad outfits ( anyone remember Fyr Macedonia 2017?? ) and nothing more.
Never thought SJB could save Eurovision lol.
That’s it. It looks cheap. It doesn’t add to the performance, it substracts everything the video brought. Bad choice.
Destiny is an incredible vocalist and she’s coming with one of the strongest entries this year, but I’m not sure what to think of this rehearsal. I definitely prefer minimalistic stagings… but this is neither showy or minimalistic, it’s just a weird middle-of-the-road: she’s coming with a sassy banger of a song and 4 dancers, but she’s just standing in the middle not doing much. It looks unfinished.
But hey, that’s what rehearsals are for. I’m sure she can improve on that!
Maybe this is all part of Sweden’s cunning plan to get to the top of the ESC ladder by infiltrating as many countries as possible by either writing their songs or producing their stage acts and making a mess of them to make sure they loose.
Do you also believe covid comes from 5g and the earth is flat? Jesus christ…
No, but I do believe that there are some people born devoid of a sense of humour.
Well I’ve been complaining for years about the Swedification of the contest which is stripping away a lot of the musical diversity we saw in the past.
Me too, yet the Irish HOD thinks it’s a good thing. Go figure. And think about it on your flight back to Dublin on Tuesday evening. Hope I am wrong purely for Lesley’s sake.
It does not deserve to win and I did not think it would
In all honesty I’m a bit disappointed and only because I want my country to do well. This could also be from a lot of other things. Could be coming down from the excitement of it being the favourite, being the favourite to win means people have higher expectations anyway, the rehearsal videos and images shared by Eurovision.tv are really taken out of contest so we can’t really judge. The pink looks very bold but we don’t know the whole picture. Also with the boot, can people not have costumes that go wrong. Remember rehearsals of any performances usually happen with closed… Read more »
Keep that pink and this outfit !
You really dont want her to win do you? hahaaa
And it should be forbidden to change outfits after the 1st rehearsal just because overall reactions. It’s too easy. Keep Conan Osiris footsteps and win that Barbara Dex.
That is the whole point of having rehearsals.
Girl, you’re everywhere spreading your toxic comments. This is the first rehearsal. There’s more to come hopefully. I hope they will bring something new that will piss you off and make you more bitter about Malta.
If they want to keep the pink outfit and win, they need to change those background colors. It’s one or the other.
i feel so sorry for Malta, that could have been their long awaited first victory….they need to change the outfits and the staging if they want the win.
Too late for staging!
Staging is not something you can magically change. They’ve worked on it for months, there are CuePilot programs written for it, tested with stand-in rehearsals etc. EBU would not allow major changes at this point. Even if they did it would be a disaster waiting to happen.
I know there have been outfit changes in the past, for example, Ireland 2009. Also Andorra and Latvia in other years when the hooker look was erm a little too well observed.
I’m still having nightmares about Sinéad Mulvey in that sequined bodysuit 12 years on.
Niamh Kavanagh should have worn it the following following year!
Switching outfits is not a major change.
Everyone in the wiwi comments said the same after Netta’s first rehearsal.
Fire the stage director immediately
This isn’t the stage show of a winner, vocals are good but as everyone knows, the stage show will either make it or brake it in the for most of these acts.
Is this an attempt to win the Barbara Dex Award or is she here for Eurovision. Time to sort the priorities, Malta!
Her vocals are still fab but the pink outfits are a hot mess. Change it ASAP or else goodbye to victory
OMG! That‘s what you call“blow zp your chances! Too bad!
I’m Maltese and I’m livid right now after seeing this thrashy performance .. knowing I don’t know how much money it was wasted for this?!?!?!?! Really ? Change the outfit Destiny as it’s really cheapening you and the song!
A pity for Malta, it would have been a long-awaited victory…
What are they trying to do? Trying out a copy-paste Lizzo will never work. I’ve said it from the very beginning that Destiny needed a better song to start with, because this is what happens when you try and make something out of nothing. Yes, she has a great voice, so she needed a great song! Amen
To me it feels like they are trying to much so everything is a bit over the top I like that it sends a message about body positivity but it also feels like she doesn’t like the outfit and don’t want to be on the stage in it. Which is strange since I assume she had some input in picking them..
Still time to improve!
Maybe they’re just trolling with this outfit and this isn’t the plan at all?? It’s reminding of Jessica Mauboy’s disastrous dress choice
Yes, Ana Soklic will wear this outfit
I’m sorry but I just hate those bright pink outfits. Destiny had great outfits in the music video, and they’ve chosen this for Eurovision? Pinky, childish colour, it fits neither Destiny nor the dancers, just awful.
Sachak JB wants Destiny to be the European answer to Lizzo with body positivity message but it just does not work.
If you read Ellen’s comment, just before yours, you will see that it clearly does work.
Baptiste never works. No matter the context.
How about Luca Hänni and Elena Fouriera?
Luca Hanni was Foureira 2.0, Tamta was Foureira 3.0
Now she has Destiny as Foureira 4.0 but this song needed something else.
She is a one trick pony
Pulled together by the artists and their songs tbh. Luca’s staging was just a big red blob. Not that impressive when you look at it.
Why would they choose this pink mess over the classy outfits of the music video?
WTF with those uneven socks? it feels very amateurish and the Maltese broadcaster should do something.
This is not flattering to Destiny. I think people will not like it.
Nevertheless, this entry is still a contender for the victory (top 3)
Ouch… The visuals aren’ solid and the costumes… But I’m glad we can see Destiny’s legs. It means a lot to me as a big girl that would have never done that when she was younger. One step for body-positivity and acceptation. And Imma be honest, from what I saw and heard, she’s vocally a winner, but the visuals are screaming ‘no way’ to me lol I’m honestly disappointed, but I hope there will be room for an amelioration. Like right now. And a lotta amelioration. Let’s start with burning those pinky flashy costumes lmao And finally, Malta is getting… Read more »
I love the honesty of your post (1st paragraph). So uplifting to read.
Thanks to pay attention to my comments.
Malta is my winner this year, but contrary to a lot of people I’ve discussed with since march this year — Doris, for example — I’m not delusional. I know that Malta’s staging is too simple and that the outfits have to be changed. I hope that it was a trick from the Maltese delegation and that everything will really revealed the following days. Finger crossed!
Apart from Destiny’s live vocal everything else looks like a hot mess. That outfit has to go, it isnt doing her any favours, its just making it look really trashy. For this to be the success they have been hoping for there has to be some major changes before the next rehearsal because this isnt going to bring the trophy to Malta.
If I was a Maltese citizen, I would be furious that my taxpaying money went to SJP and this pink mess
There was so many stylish, sassy and classy outfit in her music video. Could have have chose any of them and it would have been better than this pink mess D:
Ahahaha I just wrote that above #pinkmessitis
this is a SONG contest, so let’s be fair now. The song is just ok, and the singer is good. But this has absolutely no winner vibes for me, and if it wins it will be forgotten after a week or two. They turned Destiny into a Lizzo gone wrong, and it does not work. She should have taken part with a GREAT song, not a mediorcre melfest reject that she is struggling to turn into something good. Is it possibe they could not find a better song for her, which would be truly deserving for her as an artist?… Read more »
The song is OK agreed but Destiny made it her own, gave it her identity and made it great to listen to. We speak about bad compositions and good ones but at the end of the day what makes a song great is the vocalist. You can have a great song but give it to a bad singer and it would flop and it also works the other way round. This song is all about Destiny and her vocal rendition.
Please, whoever the hell is in charge of Destiny’s costume design – change it. It lessens and cheapens the song. Keep the colour scheme as it suits Destiny but use a longer dress and do away with those boots or whatever they are.
Following your advice would lessen the song. A longer dress? Just because she shows some skin doesn’t mean she’s giving in.
It’s called dress sense. One wears what suits him/her best and what makes the most of one’s figure. This simply does not suit Destiny and not because she is showing some skin. The pink in the show us simply too much – pink costumes, pink background – too much that it hurts the eyes.
She’s on the Eurovision stage, not attending the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. Her legs look great, she is making the most of them – just as you suggest. If Destiny feels like flaunting tonight, it’s alright… it’s alright.
European stage, the Duke of Edinburgh funeral, it does not matter. This dress is simply unattractive and too much of a thing well makes it less. Anyway that’s my opinion and the comments I have been reading seem to support it.
Jonas I usually think you are right but I am surprised at you supporting the outfits. She could have shown skin and being sexy without looking cheap, childish and trashy. No one has a problem with her showing skin, they just look like chearleaders and doesnt fit the song.
Destiny doesn’t need my approval, or anybody else’s.
Lol she needs the approval if she want those votes
We’ll see who the voters agree with.
They can take away the rhythm, they can take away the gold – but they will never take away her soul. No, no, no – not her soul.
Can we talk about how one boot is up higher than the other? What are they doing to this poor girl. This is basically Baptiste repeating her Klara Hammarström – Nobody staging from Melfest 2020 but with a horrible outfit on the lead singer. Malta has to have alt outfits stat. Don’t do this to Destiny!!!!! I always thought there was too many of these female bops this year they were gonna be competing against themselves. We now have Albina, Eden and Destiny with some neon look. I still dont believe Cyprus, Malta, Israel, Croatia, Azerbaijan all qualify. One of… Read more »
The pink outfit is garish. Any of the outfits from the video were much better. Destiny is beautiful and deserves an outfit that is classier and more sophisticated.
Looks like a blancmange