Spoilers for The Masked Singer’s episode on Wednesday are present in this article.
This season of The Masked Singer, Mushroom sprouted advanced all the way to the finals, but unfortunately missed out on the victory in the grand finale.
Everyone’s favorite spore was announced as first runner-up and was later revealed to be Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc following a stirring performance of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish.” Here, Blacc discusses how he deceived the judges, the reasoning behind his eclectic music selections, and why he was certain that Howie Mandel was a contender. A new collaboration with Steve Aoki is also hinted to by him.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The panel and a large portion of the crowd were definitely duped by the character you played. How did you come up with the strategy? You mentioned on the program that your daughter was involved. ALOE BLACC: Although my daughter doesn’t always walk like that, I wanted to embody her energy and assume this type of feminine role. Additionally, the mushroom costume, which had a skirt rather than pant legs and a stem, served as inspiration for a small portion of the feminist movement. However, my daughter’s playstyle when she is decked out in her princess gowns and being very extravagant inspired me. So, among other things, that was one. Additionally, it was simply an attempt to divert everyone’s attention. I didn’t want to dress up in a way that looked too similar to what one may assume Aloe Blacc would wear.
And the moment you laid eyes on the outfit, you knew you wanted to play that role? Yeah. The moment I arrived, I was given the costume. I could have chosen the Broccoli costume or one of a few others, but I preferred the Mushroom costume because of the quality of the construction. In addition, I thought that the mushroom somewhat resembled a garden because I’m really into producing my own fruits, vegetables, and other stuff. And I thought that was a sweet little link.
Did you ever imagine how well you would keep everyone on their toes? I really was just trying my hardest to come up with something that was different practically every time, and I really had no idea how effective I’d be in confusing the panelists and the audience.
What factors were considered when deciding which songs to perform? At first, I was compiling a list of songs that I felt the audience would find entertaining, such as feminine ballads, power ballads, rock, and pop ballads. As a result, I believed that Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” would be incredibly wonderful for an older generation that was already familiar with that particular song and Cher. Then I reasoned that a younger generation watching the show would find the Katy Perry song “Unconditionally” to be hip. Then I imagined that people wouldn’t know my voice if I sang in the falsetto from the Kate Bush/Maxwell song “This Woman’s Work.” However, the first two hits from my most recent album, All Love Everything, contain brief falsetto passages. Given that I recently published songs featuring falsettos, I was really hoping that no one would find me. The Donny Hathaway song (“A Song for You”) that I sang in a Smackdown match versus Broccoli and my closing song (“I Wish”) by Stevie Wonder, in my opinion, were the ones that ultimately really, truly revealed who I was underneath the mask. Those two would have definitely given away something.
Did you have time to identify anyone’s identity since you made it all the way to the conclusion? Up until the very end, I basically only made educated guesses. I was unsure of the person wearing the mask. Because I am not permitted to listen to what they perform on stage, I had heard Crocodile’s voice backstage. I could hear him getting ready. In his tiny waiting room, Squiggly Monster was speaking behind a curtain just next to me, and I could hear him. But I didn’t know. It looked like Howie Mandel to me. I just knew Howie Mandel was going to be on the show. And while I warmed up, I overheard a voice singing this incredible run. With a voice like that on the show, I thought there was no way I could win this competition. And since I couldn’t see who it was at the moment, it turned out to be Seahorse’s voice. Only Kelly Rowland or Tori Kelly, in my opinion, could pull that off. someone whose name includes Kelly. Naturally, it turned out to be Tori Kelly. So even though I was wrong, I was correct.
In October, you just released your newest album. How did you manage that while appearing on the program? I believe that The Masked Singer and my record, All Love Everything, essentially accomplish the same goal. The record is about everything I cherish—my friends, my family, my parents, and my children. It also describes my relationship in stories. It’s all about coming together and feeling connected. We need these messages, these moments that serve as a reminder of how interconnected and united we are in this time when we are all facing the pandemic’s challenges and our nation is divided politically. That’s why I went with the mushroom. I believe it is conveying that information since underground mushrooms link all plant life and play a significant role in communication through the root system.
What will you do next, then? My work with Steve Aoki will be released very soon. I recently released a tune called “My Way,” and Steve Aoki and I are working together to reimagine it. Which leads me to believe that, as a sly little mention to my single, I probably should have done my conclusion song as Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” but I ended up choosing a Stevie Wonder song because I listen to Stevie Wonder all the time at home. We dance to his tunes, which are my daughter’s favorites. I therefore believed that it would be a wonderful moment for both her and I when she sees the reveal and hears the song.
The dance mix of “My Way” by Blacc and Steve Aoki is available for pre-order now and will be released on December 23.
Who is Gecko, the singer with the mask?
The Masked Singer season five finale spoilers are present in this article.
The Chameleon made it to the season 5 finale of The Masked Singer by rapping, but his tenure on the absurd singing-mystery program ended Wednesday night. After finishing third, the cool lizard’s identity was revealed to be rapper Wiz Khalifa. The ten-time Grammy nominee spoke candidly with EW about his time on the program and why he wouldn’t change a thing.
WIZ KHALIFA: I’ve already become a huge admirer of the program. My kid and I watch it together, so everyone was engrossed from the beginning. I simply saw it as a chance to have fun and lighten the mood during the game.
Is your son about to get a major shock tonight or does he already know you’re the Chameleon?
Yes, he is aware. When we started filming, I was frequently away from home, and he really didn’t understand why I wasn’t there, so I had to explain him before I did the show.
With the exception of that head, which must have been really heavy, your outfit seemed to be one of the simpler ones to move around in.
It was a big ass head, I agree. Although it was a little difficult to dance and move about in the platforms, overall the costume was really comfy. It actually resembled a piece of my body.
You describe meeting “the GOAT” as a result of a radio contest in one of your clue packages. Was Snoop Dogg mentioned, and is that a true story?
They mix up certain storylines a little bit. Snoop and I never truly connected through a radio contest. Because I won a contest, it was one of my first songs to be broadcast on the radio. However, they were unmistakably referring to Snoop as one of my heroes and someone I pushed incredibly hard to meet at a pivotal moment in my career.
So many of your songs have to be changed or censored in order for network television to air them. Were the modified versions challenging to perform? Did the original lyrics almost fall out of your mouth?
No, that wasn’t at all challenging. Everyone at the show was incredibly helpful in making sure I picked songs that I liked as well as songs that everyone else liked, worked for the network, and that we were able to get cleared. In order to truly narrow down the songs and get them to where they were at, it was a lengthy process that required a lot of teamwork. Additionally, it was kind of enjoyable for me to change the order of the words, add my own touches, and otherwise make them more uniquely my own. I kind of do it in my songs anyway; it’s like a technique I already do. So it was more cool than it was stressful or difficult to be able to bring that out and have fun on the Masked stage.
I adore everyone of them. I adore how, over time, I became more at ease. The Dead Prez song “Hip Hop,” which was one of the more difficult ones to perform, was certainly one of my favorites. Since those songs are essentially my own personal classics, I knew the lyrics to all the other songs, including ones by Cam’ron, Warren G, and Snoop Dogg. But with “Hip Hop,” it seemed as though I would always listen to it and adore it without ever taking the time to analyze the words and make an effort to fully comprehend each bar. So it was wonderful to get up there and rap it, say every word clearly, and kind of just have fun and have a little bit of skill.
Wiz Khalifa performing at the Costume Institute Gala, “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between”
It means a lot to reach the final. Is there anything you would have done differently looking back on your time on the show?
No, I feel like I accomplished everything perfectly for myself and my goals. All of my music selections and all of the performances had my full attention. Every time I participated in a competition, I believe there was fierce rivalry. Therefore, just making it thus far and continuing on gave me a great deal of confidence and made me feel good about what I was doing. So I basically just rode it out till my time was up by staying in that pocket.
Yes, I did pay attention to what people were saying. Every time the show aired and I took the stage, I was aware that I was trending on Twitter. People began to speculate as a result, especially the fans. I have some ardent supporters who made sure to voice their concerns.
What about being a cast member surprised you the most, as a fan of the show yourself?
The amount of labor required to prepare for and do the performances, as well as to do it correctly, astonished me the most, I believe. It takes a lot of effort.
Yes, it appears to be simple, but what happens when you actually go out and do it? Whoa, that’s not what I thought it was, you exclaim.
Simply said, I would advise them to take it as seriously as they can. You can’t just walk in and try to bluff or popularize your way past it, in my opinion. You must put forth a lot of effort. Additionally, I would advise having a great time. There are undoubtedly new kinds of nerves involved. You must therefore get into the swing of things, but if somebody were to ask, I would just say, “Have fun as much as you can.”
I’m about to release some brand-new music. I will soon be releasing the Juicy J CD. I’m about to release some new singles, additional TV, and other film content. I appear on the program Duncanville. Mr. Mitch is a role that I play. Our second season, which is also airing on Fox, just began. You can thus check me out there. I’m just working hard right now. I’m currently involved in many other distinct businesses. I’ve got a Khalifa Kush marijuana business. I own McQueen, which is my wine company. I recently acquired a portion of the PFL MMA league. There are so many distinct things.
Who was the mask’s bunny?
Space Bunny gave several hints, and panelists Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger were able to identify Shaggy as the disguised bunny. Jenny McCarthy and Sean Kingston were closest, while Ken Jeong and Owen Wilson were way off. His video package’s shaggy dog served as a hint as to Shaggy’s name. The crown pointed to Kingston, Jamaica, the location of Shaggy’s birthplace. Shaggy’s album “Hot Shot” was referenced by the basketball on fire.
Who is the octopus singer in the mask?
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the identity of The Masked Singer’s Octopus, which was revealed in this week’s two-part season premiere.
The Season 6 debut of The Masked Singer had a ton of talent as Group A competed to go on in the competition. This week’s two-parter caused several candidates to be removed, which marked a significant change in the singing competition’s pace. The charismatic Octopus was one of those eliminated, and following his shocking elimination, the Octopus disclosed the emotional attachment he had to his classy eight-tentacled alter ego.
The Octopus was pursued by the judges and audience from the moment he began to sing. Given his height, the judges immediately made their standard predictions of basketball players, such as Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis Rodman. And to everyone’s shocking astonishment, only Ken Jeong understood the aquatic invertebrate’s secret from the start. Ken Jeong is everyone’s favorite ignorant judge. The Octopus’s head was removed, and it was discovered that the man within was none other than NBA player and current champion Dwight Howard. For other people, wearing an aquatic creature as a costume could have seemed odd, but not for Howard. The NBA great recently discussed his unusual bond with his costume:
Actually, Dwight Howard’s feelings are pretty telling. He pointed out that in their respective domains, both he and the eight-tentacled invertebrate are viewed as frightening and enigmatic individuals. Within the NBA, Howard has been described as having an unusual (and occasionally challenging) demeanor. Howard was able to reveal a new side of himself while wearing the Octopus since the disguise fitted him.
Like the elimination of any candidate, the Octopus’s was a melancholy occasion. According to Dwight Howard, he performed on The Masked Singer as a tribute to his mother. He also acknowledged that after hearing him sing, several NBA players encouraged him to think about appearing on a show. Howard thus had several reasons to participate in the wildly popular reality competition series.
Although Dwight Howard, Mother Nature, and Pufferfish were eliminated, there are still contenders that spectators can support. Naturally, fans will go through the same process once more the following week when Group B has their turn to compete.
Following the premiere, The Masked Singer will continue to air on Fox every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET as usual.