Culture

SPOILER ALERT: This article features the name of the singer eliminated on Wednesday night’s (Nov. 20) episode of The Masked Singer.
So far, season 12 of The Masked Singer has already seen the usual mix of athletes, singers, actors and media personalities getting sent home, including John Elway (Leaf Sheep), Yvette Nicole Brown (Snowbird), Paula Cole (Ship), Marsai Martin (Woodpecker), Andy Richter (Dust Bunny), Laverne Cox (Chess Piece) and Natalie Imbruglia (Bluebell).

So the stakes were high Wednesday night when the Group C singers kicked things off with a collaboration on Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” with Ice King, Strawberry Shortcake, Royal Knight and Sherlock Hound taking the stage together following last week’s elimination of their groupmate Macaron (surfer Bethany Hamilton).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Last week, previous Masked contestants Hanson revealed in a clue package that Ice King had topped charts around the world, sold out stadiums and was given the “royal treatment like he was one of The Beatles,” before retreating from the spotlight. That could have been anyone, so Wednesday night’s clue package kind of gave away the game, with the King noting that he can really relate to Miley, as they’ve both learned how the media can be “totally uncool” and that this year he’s been part of a “firestorm” of press.

Trending on Billboard

That revelation was a prelude to Ice King’s impassioned cover of Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts hit “Midnight Sky,” which he sang in the midst of a soundstage blizzard of fake snow. It followed last week’s rip through Hot Chelle Rae’s 2011 Billboard Hot 100 No. 7 hit “Tonight Tonight.”

The guesses from the judges were all over the place, with Robin Thicke praising the King’s “rock” energy, but not coming up with a Teen Choice Award winner who would fit the bill, even as always-wrong Ken Jeong doubled down on his guess from last week: Joe Jonas. Rita Ora keyed in on a possible former child star who has been through it, Shia LaBeouf, though Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg vacillated between James Franco and the actual man behind the mask: three-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner Drake Bell.

The child actor who began his career on the sitcom Home Improvement before becoming a Nickelodeon superstar on The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh and The Fairly OddParents also sang on the Drake & Josh soundtrack and released his debut album, Telegraph, in 2005. He followed up with his 2006 breakthrough It’s Only Time and 2014’s Ready Steady Go! and has since released two albums independently: 2020’s The Lost Album and this year’s Non-Stop Flight.

Earlier this year, Bell, 38, revealed in the Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV documentary that during his Nickelodeon years, his dialogue coach Brian Peck had repeatedly sexually assaulted him beginning when Bell was 15; Peck was arrested in 2003 and convicted of lewd conduct with a minor. 

Billboard spoke to Bell before Wednesday night’s elimination episode and found out why he loved his costume, how TikTok sleuths blew his mind and what his next era might look like.

What made you want to do Masked Singer this season? Are you a fan of the show?

Totally. What’s interesting is that I had the opportunity to do Masked Singer in Mexico [last year], so I had experience coming in. I was Baby Alien [holds adorable stuffed Baby Alien doll up to the camera] and I’m on tour and doing meet-and-greets and a fan made me this stuffed animal. 

You have a young son at home. Has he seen you on the show?

He’s a little too young. … I don’t think that he would tell any of his friends, but I had to keep it under wraps. I hope he’s able to watch it tonight and when I take my head off he’s like, “Wait, what? That was Dada?”

Every contestant complains about how hot and uncomfortable the costumes are. Tell me about the Ice King costume. Why did it speak to you?

The costume designers did me such a solid because my costume was so easy to move around in. Not the Mexico one, though; that was a really hot costume. Every 15 minutes I was asking for a fan or taking the head off. But this one was awesome and it was so light and easy to move around in. Right when I saw it, seeing this big character, the King and his big mustache and cape … [I thought] “There is going to be so much to play with.” I completely lost myself in the character.

You really seemed to go for it with the Hot Chelle Rae song. What inspired you to choose that one? It seems a bit outside of your usual vibe.

It’s totally out of my wheelhouse, but totally a guilty-pleasure song. It’s cool because when I’m in the costume, I’m not self-conscious about what people are going to think. It allows you to lose yourself and find the character and sing songs you wouldn’t normally sing.

The package alluded to you and Miley both understanding the difficulties of growing up in the Hollywood spotlight, so why “Midnight Sky”?

I think honestly just the vibe of the song. I love older music, from the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and it had a real vintage feel. The second I heard it, I thought, “This has got to be the one.” It was the closest thing to what I’m into.

You’ve done movies, TV, albums, video games, but this is your first competition show. What was your goal? Did you want to win?

First of all, it’s just fun. This was an opportunity to have fun and they really allow you to play the game. You always think it’s smoke and mirrors and it’s all Hollywood and the contestants know who the other contestants are. But it is secretive and we really have no idea who anyone else is. When you leave the hotel, you’re completely covered up, with gloves and everything. You’re looking at how tall they are and trying to listen to their performance, but you can only hear the singer right before you. You don’t eat lunch together or rehearse together… so you’re playing along with the game.

Did anyone in your life immediately realize it was you under that costume?

I didn’t think anyone would ever guess or recognize my voice, but I was looking at a clip on TikTok and in the comments section every comment was, “Oh, this is Drake Bell.” They were like, “This is Drake because when he’s singing onstage without a guitar, if you look at a picture, his hands are like this and look at Ice King and his hands are like this too.” On the first night they were guessing it’s me? I thought I’d be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind.

Was there something about being masked that appealed to you as someone who has spent so much time with their face in the spotlight? Was there a comfort in that?

There’s a total comfort, like when I’m doing voice-over work on the Ultimate Spider-Man. Like when you’re doing fight scenes, you move your face in a way to get the sounds out and if you were on camera you wouldn’t make those faces because you’d be worried about what you look like. But getting the right voice behind the mask you’re not worried about someone going, “Wow, Drake Bell can’t dance.” Or “Why is Drake Bell singing this song?” 

Obviously it’s been a hectic, intense year for you as you’ve come back into the spotlight. Do you feel like Masked Singer is an opportunity to have a “second chance” in Hollywood?

I definitely feel that way. Being able to do something so fun and music-driven now that I just released a new album and am on tour now — life works in mysterious ways, but it all came together at the right time. As I’m launching the new record and reintroducing myself to the world, this is a really cool thing.

You mentioned that you dropped the Non-Stop Flight album earlier this year. Can we expect more music from you soon?

The album is big, 25 songs, and it’s a total concept album that sounds like you’re on an airplane flight with announcements from the flight attendants and captain. It’s a journey through my life and the most autobiographical, self-reflecting album I’ve put out. … Songs about the past, present, future, the good, the bad, ugly, ups and downs. It took four years to complete, and every time I thought I was done, I’d write another song and something would happen. I would also love to get back on screen and now I’m really focused with the work I’m doing with a production company and looking to get more into writing and directing and producing and hopefully getting on the other side [of the camera].