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SPOILER ALERT: The following story reveals the identities of the eliminated contestants on Wednesday night’s (May 1) The Masked Singer.
Over the years, The Masked Singer has served up some fun and funky costumed duos, including Snow Owls (Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black), Banana Split (Katharine McPhee and David Foster), Beach Ball (Honey Boo Boo and Mama June) and Hydra (Penn & Teller).
The tradition continued this season with The Beets, who made their smashing debut last month during The Wizard of Oz night when they teamed up for Michael Bublé’s “Home,” before singing The Pointer Sisters’ 1982 Billboard Hot 100 No. 30 hit “I’m So Excited.” The men’s voices melded together so perfectly that panelist Rita Ora gushed, “Beets just beat it up!”
The singers were back Wednesday night (May 1) for a performance they said was inspired by them becoming dads, with their touching take on “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston breaking the weep bank on Soundtrack of My Life night. The mix of their soulful vocals — one high and sweet, the other warm and rich — drew gasps from the judges and the audience as they hit each and every note with ease.
The clues for the two did not help at all, with one dubbing himself “the ladies’ man” and the other “the tough guy,” though they did admit that they “couldn’t be more different” and that they never tried to outdo each other but rather teamed up “like a good girl group.”
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The guesses were all over the place, from podcast and Arrested Development castmates Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, to K-Ci & JoJo and members of Boyz II Men, as well as country duo Dan + Shay, Steve Martin and Martin Short, Brooks & Dunn and another comedy duo, Scrubs co-stars Donald Faison and Zach Braff. Ken Jeong, as always, was way off the mark with his Josh Groban/Brian McKnight guess.
After joining in the Group B team’s run through Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” and coming back to sing Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” during the Battle Royale against Gumball on Wednesday night, alas The Beets didn’t make it through the quarterfinals. And though the Internet figured out early on who they were, the judges were stymied about the identities of American Idol season 2 winner and runner-up, and best buds, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, both 45. In addition to staying friends, the dynamic duo have toured together several times over the years, including last year for Twenty The Tour, celebrating the two-decade anniversary of their Idol debut.
The night also saw the unmasking of Seal, who turned out to be 1980s child star and rocker Corey Feldman. But before that, Billboard spoke to Aiken and Studdard before their elimination to find out why their “adult vegetable” costumes were the most challenging ones ever on the show, how they’ve stayed so close over all these years and why Ruben was pissed to not come out on top again.
I’m sure you feel differently, but of all the nutty costumes on the show to date yours seemed kind of the easiest to move around in.
Studdard: Absolutely not! I felt so awkward and out of place in that costume because we literally could not see stuff. The only thing we could see was right in front of us. So trying to perform in those costumes was daunting.
Aiken: What? Oh my gosh I would say it’s the opposite! I want to claim a privilege here and say that Ruben and I — yes, a lot of people have more elaborate costumes and that’s what made the Beets more adorable in their simplicity — but if you look at it the Beet itself covers our whole bodies down to our knees, then our arms are completely inside the Beets, so we just have our wrists out, no arms or really any legs. If you watch, we’re only moving from the knee down. It was simple, but near impossible to move in. I think we had it the hardest, Ruben.
Talk to me about dedicated the Whitney Houston song to being dads, what an emotional moment.
Studdard: [laughs] I was just trying to remember all the words!
Aiken: And not fall off the stage!
Studdard: Anytime you get to reflect on the people that mean the most to you it’s special. Dedicating most of my performances to my kids now has been the joy of my existence. Anything I do on stage, whether people know it’s me or not, it’s for them.
Aiken: It was interesting because the theme was to pick a song that talks about our story or our life or career and that song meant nothing specifically to either of us, other than watching Whitney sing it in a stadium. But the lyrics obviously relate to our time on Idol and how that show changed our lives and it was interesting to do it on the same network where we started and on stage in front of a studio audience. So much about the Masked Singer has parallels to Idol — even though so much is completely opposite and different — but it was cool to re-live that 21 years after we lived it on Idol.
Whose idea was it to be on this show and was there something alluring to you about being disguised given how well-known your story is?
Studdard: I definitely was enthusiastic about being on the show. I don’t know if my initial want was to perform with my brother, but to get the opportunity to continue what we’ve been doing… we did our 10-year tour, we were actually out on the road while we were doing the Masked Singer, so it made all the sense in the world for us to get an opportunity to close out the 20-year reunion strong as the most disgusting condiment they put out.
Aiken: You’re telling me you don’t love beets Ruben? I love beets. That’s how old I am. No kid likes beets, but as we get older I have found that I enjoy beets now. That’s something that adults do, so it was appropriate that we were an adult vegetable.
Oh boy, I am not going to Google “adult vegetable!” Switching gears completely, you are both dads, did you watch the show with your kids before saying yes?
Studdard: I watched the show, but my son is three so he has no idea what it is and my daughter is a baby.
Aiken: We had both seen the show and I believe we had even talked to each other over the years as it’s been on the air how cool it would be to do it, but Ruben’s been busy and I had not been performing at all, so when Ruben got me back on stage for this tour I think the show saw that we were out doing something together. We’re not a duo that records together, so I think they say, “wait a minute, Ruben and Clay are on tour together, but people might not think of them as a duo, so that might be a way to trick the audience,” so it worked out perfectly for us.
Be honest now, what was scarier: singing on Idol as newcomers with no mask or trying to sing inside that costume?
Studdard: Singing on Idol for sure.
Aiken: The interesting thing about Idol for me was obviously it was scary every week because you’re worried you’re going to go home because there’s stakes involved and it’s your life and your career. On Masked Singer we didn’t have that concern at all. We came off tour to do it and went back on tour after it and we came on knowing we were going to have fun and goof off and enjoy ourselves. I never worried about falling off stage on Idol. I was definitely worried about it every time we performed on this show.
You placed one and two on Idol, so are you disappointed to leave Masked Singer after just a few performances?
Studdard: I was disappointed to leave… I want to win everything. I don’t care if it’s marbles or jumping jacks — and I know I can’t do that many — but I want to win.
Aiken: Ruben and I have a very different philosophy on it and I reminded Ruben that Masked Singer is not a singing competition. It’s a singing show, but it’s only marginally a competition because there are so many other factors to it. I was not bothered by losing and I know damn well that we sang the living s–t out of that Whitney Houston song! So I ain’t worried about us when it comes to that. I have lost things multiple times in the past, so I am much more used to it. Ruben has never lost anything before, so it was a little tougher on him [laughs].
After 20 years, why do you think your friendship has endured and continued to bring you together like this?
Aiken: Because I don’t mind losin’! And that’s with marbles and jacks and jumping jacks and everything. I lost to him on everything.
Studdard: [Laughs] Despite our obvious differences, we came up through a situation that inclined us to be closer to one another. American Idol was a lot different than it is now and we relied on each other a lot. We had to depend on each other to be timely, to be kind because we were living with one another. And not just for Clay and I, but I think the majority of our cast mates, we found a way to remain family over the 20 years since the show.
Rita Ora, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg just really, really, really wanna zigazig-ah. In honor of The Masked Singer‘s “Girl Group Night” episode, airing Wednesday (April 24), the four judges banded together to deliver an energetic performance of the Spice Girls ’90s hit “Wannabe,” as shared exclusively with Billboard ahead of time. In […]
Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (April 17) episode of The Masked Singer.
The 11th season of The Masked Singer has so far featured a very eclectic group of eliminated crooners, including comedian/actor Kevin Hart (Book); restauranteur Joe Bastianich (Spaghetti & Meatballs); TV personalities Savannah Chrisley (Afghan Hound), Billy Bush (Sir Lion) and Colton Underwood (Lovebird); as well as NFL hall of famer DeMarcus Ware (Koala) — and actual singer Sisqó (Lizard) too.
On Wednesday night (April 17), Ugly Sweater crushed it with some incomparable high notes on “Queen Night,” during a celebration of the iconic British rock group in the Group A finals. After wowing the judges in an earlier episode with a funk-forward cover of The Commodores’ “Brick House,” Sweater did it again with a sweet, soulful run through Queen’s 1984 power ballad “I Want to Break Free.”
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When it came time to guess, the judges were in the neighborhood, with Robin Thicke praising the singer’s signature “nasty” notes on “House” (and quickly guessing the singer’s identity), while judge Rita Ora speculated it could be Smokey Robinson, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg guessed Aaron Neville (after earlier guessing that Lionel Richie covered his own song) and always-wrong Ken Jeong aiming too young with New Jack swinger Johnny Gill.
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Who was that masked man who’s 13 Grammy nominations and has a lock as Billboard‘s top adult R&B male artist with the most No. 1s in that category to date? None other than former Gap Band lead singer and solo star Charlie Wilson, best known for such hits as “Party Train,” “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” “Oops Upside Your Head” and his featured vocals on songs by rappers including Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Pharrell, U.G.K. and Tyler, the Creator, among many others.
In addition to his surprise appearance alongside Tyler at last weekend’s Coachella — where he performed on the rapper’s 2019 single “Earfquake” and did a bit of The Gap Band’s “Outstanding” — Wilson, 71, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January and is currently promoting his Billboard top five adult R&B chart solo single “Superman.”
Billboard spoke with Wilson before his elimination to hear about how T-Pain inspired him to get in the Masked game, how wearing the Ugly Sweater was no holiday, and what it felt like to slip onto the main stage at Coachella last weekend.
Be honest: Had you ever watched this show before they reached out?
Oh yeah! I saw the one when T-Pain won [in season 1 as Monster]. I was so excited for him. I know T-Pain, he did songs for me and he’s a very gifted young man. I saw that it was fun and I wanted to get to be a part of it, but it just took some time because I was busy doing shows and recordings. I thought, “I can do this,” so it finally dropped in my lap.
Some iconic old-school and new-school R&B greats have appeared on the show — Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Toni Braxton, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Seal, Gladys Knight — so it seems like there’s no shame in the game of putting on that costume right?
Yeah, my costume was… oh my gosh. It was built for me and was one of the most expensive suits they’ve built for the show. The [showrunners] kept telling me to try and make sure I stay as long as I can because [they said], “We spent a lot of money on this suit!” It was so heavy! So, so heavy I could barely walk in it. The feathers on the head were 8 to 10 pounds a piece and they had to take some off. I could barely pick up my feet!
It seems like a great showcase for so many of those classic R&B singers, especially some of your old-school peers.
I don’t know about anybody else, but I didn’t think about it being a showcase for me, because I’m still making No. 1 records. In fact, I have a top five song this week with one of my records [Wilson is in the top five on Billboard‘s Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Superman”]. I’m the only one out there still making top five records in the business!
You’ve been at this for more than 50 years, so tell me: Is this the weirdest gig you’ve ever had?
It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time, because a lot of people don’t want to see me have these records do as well as they’re doing. All those people you mentioned all wish they had the records I’m having. So yeah, I don’t pop my collar all the time, but people bring it up.
The judges’ guesses were all over the place, but mostly in the pocket. I can’t imagine you were ashamed to be confused for Smokey, Aaron or Lionel?
[Laughs] No, Robin Thicke said, “That’s Charlie Wilson!” as soon as I opened my mouth. I was like, “Oh man, I’m toast!” as soon as I opened my mouth and sang! He said, “I studied his voice and know him like the back of my hand.” I was like, “Could you just be quiet for a second?” He was tearing me up.
Speaking of, how did it feel to sing that Commodores song? Was there any rivalry with them in your bands’ heydays in the 1970s and ’80s?
Oh man, it was always that [rivalry] because if bands are good, they are gonna be at it. I won’t stand around and have someone call me a bootsy [someone who is uncool or weird]. I’m gonna get you. I’m gonna come after you like y’all coming after us! It was all in fun, not hostile, we was all in fun. I love The Commodores.
You’ve had so much success collaborating with rappers over the years — especially Snoop and Tyler. What is it about hip-hop that appeals to you? And talk to me about joining Tyler at Coachella last weekend.
It is great anytime I sing with these rappers or anyone from back in the day is coming for me and it’s their idea. If they want to do it, I’m gonna do it. I’m so, so blessed to have rappers still coming for me.
Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (April 3) episode of The Masked Singer.
The Lizard’s lifespan has been cut short after getting eliminated from The Masked Singer on the competition show’s “Shower Anthems” episode Wednesday night (April 3).
From the beginning of season 11, which kicked off last month, judges Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora accurately guessed the smooth-singing Lacertilia’s real name a few times — with Ora in particular revealing she was quite excited at the possibility of the early 2000s R&B icon being the one under the mask. When host Nick Cannon finally removed his scaly green head, Lizard’s true identity was revealed to be someone who embodies a much larger (and fire-breathing) reptile: Sisqó, the “Thong Song” singer who’s embraced the nickname “The Dragon” ever since his solo albums Unleash the Dragon and Return of the Dragon charted in the Billboard 200 top 10 in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
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Though the Dru Hill alum’s energy was high and his riffs plentiful up until the end of his time on the anonymous contest, he admittedly only made it as far as he did by the skin of his two layers of teeth. He wound up in the bottom twice in a row leading up to his final episode, delivering smackdown performances of Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” and the Scooby Doo cartoon theme song before he was sent home.
His one regret? Not being able to compare heights with Kevin Hart, who appeared in the Masked season premiere to play a prank on Cannon. “Both of us are short,” Sisqó tells Billboard in a post-elimination interview, laughing. “We was sitting down, so we never got a chance to see who’s taller … I think I got maybe an inch [over him].”
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“Being with The Masked Singer was just an awesome experience,” he adds. “I learned a lot, and I’ve been in the entertainment industry now for about 25 years. You kinda get stuck in your ways and you don’t think you can learn anything else, and I was wrong.”
Below, Billboard catches up with Sisqó about making heads or tails of his physically challenging costume, not knowing the words to Billy Joel’s songs and more.
Where did the idea for a lizard costume come from?
They figured, if I was “The Dragon,” people probably would’ve guessed automatically – even though I think they did guess automatically. I’ve been to Robin’s house before, and Robin and Rita Ora, they’re musicians. They knew my voice immediately.
From what I understood, because my wife is Elizabeth — Liz, Lizard. Also, Busta Rhymes, he was a dragon before.
What was it like to perform in the costume?
When I first put that mask on, man, I think I almost hyperventilated a little bit. The wardrobe people had to put a mini-fan up to the mouth of the costume, just so I could get oxygen in there. Meanwhile, I’m in there pouring sweat, it’s difficult to breathe, I can’t really see.
Whenever we could [rehearse] in the costume, I wanted to so that I could figure out how I could be as mobile as possible. It had this giant tail, so when somebody would call me, “Lizard!” [Mimes whipping around his tail]. BAM, I’d take out the whole craft services.
How did you push through the physical constraints of the costume?
It was a real sink or swim moment. I didn’t want to be the one who gave up at the last minute. I just had to basically face my fear in that moment.
Each show I got a little better. It almost seemed like the lizard was alive, bruh. He had a whole persona of his own, and figuring out how to merge the lizard and The Dragon was the true challenge.
Some of the judges correctly guessed your identity from the very beginning. How’d you react to that?
From day one! I was a little flattered, but at the same time, it was like, “Aw, man, I don’t think I’m going to be able to win this because they already know who I am.”
You were in the bottom two three weeks in a row. What were those smackdown battles like?
I knew not even one word of Billy Joel’s “Moving Out.” I didn’t know the melody, I didn’t know the words to the song. After that, the words were going, I couldn’t see the prompter, so I just threw caution to the wind and started riffing, singing along without singing actual words. That was the nail in the coffin, ‘cause they knew exactly who I was then.
I’m not used to losing things. I was so arrogant. [Laughs.] I heard everybody else sing in rehearsal. I was under the impression that this was only a singing contest, so I was like, ‘Well if it’s a singing contest, I’m about to sing these people under the …”
What were your favorite clues Masked Singer used to hint at your identity in the teaser videos?
What I really enjoyed was how they put things together from my life. Like, when they were talking about my son, I was like, putting an egg to bed and kissing it goodnight. Then there was a female lizard, who I guess was supposed to represent my wife.
They said something about Billboard … but they made it seem like it was an actual billboard instead of the Billboard charts. That was funny, because I hosted the Billboard Awards, I believe it was 2001.
Did you tell your family you were going on the show?
My family are big fans of the show. Ken Jeong, it seems once a season, he asks [a contestant] if they’re me.
Because my family is so tight-knit, they knew I was doing a TV show. But I didn’t tell anybody that I was the Lizard. These kids are smart. After a while they just started going through the DVR and picking shows and asking, “Is this the show?”
[I told them] look, I’m not gonna say anything. What I will say is if you see me and Mommy sitting together watching TV, then just come in there and watch it with us.
What’s next for you?
Be looking out for new music from The Dragon. It’s actually part two in a three-part series I’m doing. The first album is called Genesis. The second one that I’m working on right now is called Exodus and the next one will be Revelations. Look out for a snippet really soon.
This is what (comedy) friends are for. On Wednesday night’s (March 6) season 11 premier of The Masked Singer, host Nick Cannon got totally got by his comedy pal Kevin Hart, who made a surprise guest appearance in the clunky Book costume.
While actual cloaked performers Ugly Sweater, Starfish, Goldfish and Lovebird sang for a spot on the show, Hart stumbled his way through Ne-Yo’s “So Sick,” drawing smiles and laughs from judges Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong and newbie Rita Ora. The panel could not contain themselves as Hart — whose voice was unmistakable underneath the boxy costume — bumbled his way through the song by last season’s winner.
“They love the book because that was so amazing,” Cannon said after the performance, which Thicke also called “amazing.” “Like, I’ve done a lot, but what I’m doing right now? This might be my most novel experience yet,” Hart said through a voice changer afterwards as Thicke said his face hurt from smiling.
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When the big reveal came later in the show, Thicke, who had guessed Hart, took a victory lap and hugged the funnyman while Cannon complained that the comedian was breaking the rules. “I got you! Oh, I got you Nick! This was a prank, you had no idea!… And guess what Nick? There’s nothing you can do about it!,” Hart shouted as the host lamented that his friend was out of order by bringing their longtime prank war to his stage.
“This is stupid,” Cannon complained. “That was the worst performance ever in the history of this show, how about that!”
“On purpose, Nick!” the stand-up shouted. “I performed bad on purpose!”
“You embarrassed yourself, that was stupid!” Cannon shot back.
“No, I don’t look stupid. I look put together Nick,” Hart said while wearing a flesh-colored sock on his head to go with a black long sleeved shirt, white pants and book-shaped shoes. “There’s nothing stupid about me. You know who looks stupid? You, in that stupid jacket!”
Cannon — wearing a sparkly dinner jacket — disagreed, saying, “you ruined the freakin’ show! We was gonna bring everybody out, vote, deliberate…” Hart checked his pockets and snapped, “I’m trying to see if I have a little bit of care, cuz I don’t care. That’s not my problem, that’s your problem. This is me, up on you now, Kevin Hart 1, you nothing!”
The two old friends co-hosted the 2023 E! series Celebrity Prank Wars and have played tricks on each other before, including Cannon getting Hart a llama for his 42nd birthday in 2021 and Kevin posting Nick’s personal phone number on a billboard in 2021.
Elsewhere, Lovebird sang Phillip Phillips’ “Home,” Ugly Sweater did Tina Turner’s “The Best,” Starfish took on Madonna’s “Material Girl” and Goldfish ran through Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire.” Next week’s show will feature a Wizard of Oz theme, with former competitor LeAnn Rimes (aka Sun) returning to perform “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the introduction of new singers Gumball, Afghan Hound, The Beets and Miss Cleocatra.
Watch Hart’s performance and unmasking below.
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SPOILER ALERT: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (Dec. 13) episode of The Masked Singer.
Anteater isn’t gonna lie: His super-awkward costume on The Masked Singer was cumbersome and, frankly, pretty ugly. But the dulcet-voiced veteran singer charmed the judges with his Battle run through Justin Timberlake’s Trolls hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” a Philly soul take on the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” and an energetic Smackdown cover of Toni Basil’s “Mickey.” His gritty ramble through one of his favorite songs, Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis,” cemented early on that this was definitely an A-lister, which might explain the top-shelf guesses.
Robin Thicke was pretty sure it was Jackson Browne or Paul Simon, while Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg was thinking it was either Bob Seger, E Street Band guitarist “Little” Steven Van Zandt or Willie Nelson, and Nicole Scherzinger guessed John Cougar Mellencamp or Bryan Adams. Always-wrong Ken Jeong, as usual, was way off, guessing ’80s pop heartthrob Rick Springfield.
After self-described leftie “short king” Anteater’s final high-energy rip through his childhood favorite, Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” on Wednesday’s show, the cat, or ant, was out of the bag. The man behind the long snout was none other than mustachioed Hall & Oates member John Oates; also eliminated on Wednesday night’s season 10 Group C finals was Candelabra (Keyshia Cole), with Donut advancing to next week’s final against Cow, Gazelle and Sea Queen.
Billboard spoke with Oates, 75, before his elimination to find out how he chose the costume, why his intense cardio helped him survive the costume and whether the show has been a welcome distraction from the Hall & Oates lawsuit headlines.
Who came to you with the offer to be on the show? Were you already watching it?
I found out about it through my PR and social media team. Interestingly enough, I wasn’t aware of the show until I did a guest spot on The Goldbergs and [star] Hayley [Orrantia] reached out to me to say I was going to be a clue on The Masked Singer [when she was the Ringmaster in season 7]. I had no idea what she was talking about and then I started watching and said, “Wow!” That was my introduction to the show. I kind of followed it and then when it was a good time for me in between tours … I’m always up for something new and I realized how massive the reach of the show is. Here was a chance to talk to folks like you about my new music coming out in the spring, my single out next week and the charity work I’m doing with Feeding America and Movember.
I’m not gonna lie, John, Anteater is probably the ugliest costume to date so far. Why did you pick that one?
Thank you. That’s what we were going for. I have to be honest, I didn’t like the costume when they showed me the rendering. “Why that?” Then I thought maybe it was a subtle connection between [Hall & Oates’ 1982 hit] “Man Eater” and Anteater, which I thought might be a subtle clue without being a clue. At a certain point they convinced me it’s cool, but I’m still not sure it’s true.
The arms were so long you couldn’t even hold the mic!
I had what I call a “Madonna mic,” the Janet Jackson mic that goes around your ear. The weird thing is I could only flap my arms up and down and it also had gigantic shoes that had a pair of sneakers inside the giant boots. I had to put my foot into the giant boot, so I could barely walk and I couldn’t see.
You’re 75 years old, but you had so much of what the kids calls “rizz” onstage. How did you keep your wind up in that cumbersome costume?
It got challenging near the end, especially during the Smackdown performance, and then I had to sing it again. I ride my bicycle, cross-country ski and hike — so for my age, I’m in really, really good shape. The hardest thing for me was I couldn’t see because they had choreography for me and I had to count out the steps and sing at the same time. I should have gotten a freakin’ medal for that!
You seemed to really get out of your traditional lane with Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” and the Smackdown with “Mickey.” Were you excited to explore some different genres?
The “Mickey” one was too weird. But it’s fun and it’s crazy. I don’t mind being thrown into a situation like that and being on a tightrope. I’ve been singing “Johnny” since I was 6-7 years old when it first came out. It was one of the first songs I learned.
Were any of your friends or family hitting you up knowing it was you?
My wife and my team knew. When I had to go to L.A. to do the show every week for three weeks — I have a lot of friends in L.A. — I would go out to dinner with them and they’re like, “Why are you in town?” I was like, “Oh, I’m doing a TV pilot.” I would do the show all day and then hang with friends and lie to them.
In a way you’re kind of the best singer for the show since people know your vocals from songs like “She’s Gone” and “Time Won’t Pass Me By,” but you kind of slip under the radar by being able to do different styles.
That was one of the things that intrigued me and made me want to do it — the reaction to me singing without knowing my past. Daryl’s vocals are the signature of the big Hall & Oates hits, so I do fly under the radar. It was interesting to see what type of artist they thought I might be: Mellencamp, Bryan Adams, Willie Nelson… that one threw me. It was interesting to see what the reaction would be when they heard someone singing and connect their voice with the image and career without a preconceived notion of who it could be.
The guesses were definitely all over the place and, I assume, kind of flattering? Bob Seger, Wilie Nelson, Paul Simon, John Mellencamp, Bryan Adams, Billy Joel and Rick Springfield?
All people who I really respect and like.
Is this the weirdest gig you’ve ever had?
It right up there! [Laughs] Right up there with when I was inducted into the Mustache Hall of Fame and performed a Halloween show for them where everyone in the audience, including women, wore mustaches. That was weird.
You also said it’s the most fun you’ve ever had. What was so fun about it?
It was just so fun to sustain this secret over a month. During the last episode I was scheduled to play the Newport Folk Festival — talk about a conflict in styles! — so on Sunday I played a show in the afternoon, took the red-eye and then Monday I started rehearsing and doing choreography. I was wasted, really tired, and it was the last episode. When I got unmasked, I wasn’t 100% disappointed.
Are you bummed you didn’t win? Who do you think has the inside track to win?
It was OK. It was a great experience and I some fun doing it, but when it was done I was pretty happy about that.
Tell me about your “Get Your Smile On” single. It’s such a sweet, old-school soul song, but with a bit of a modern drum machine touch.
It’s a song I wrote during COVID — I wanted to write something really positive — and this is a great time to put it out, with all proceeds from the download of the song going to Teen Cancer America. It’s a good-feeling song and I recorded it all at home on Garage Band.
I know you can’t talk specifics, but has it been fun promoting this show as a distraction from the headlines you’ve been dealing with lately about the catalog dispute with Daryl [Hall]?
Any time I can talk about music and not the other stuff, that’s better.
Well, I hope that all gets resolved and we can see the two of you perform again together someday soon.
Yup, we’ll see.
The Masked Singer season 10 finale will air on Fox on Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. ET.
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (Dec. 6) episode of The Masked Singer.
During his deep run into season 10 of The Masked Singer, Husky proved he was a big dog with a series of impressive performances. The canine with deep-blue eyes wowed the judges with his soulful spin on Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” busting out a sky-high falsetto and working the crowd like a veteran. He seemed more in his favored lane on a growly, fist-pumping run through Rick James’ “Super Freak,” on Harry Potter Night, which got judge Nicole Scherzinger thinking it could be R&B singer Tank, while Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg guessed it might be Brian McKnight or Babyface.
Robin Thicke said no to both of those, keying in on a crying-emoji clue that made him think it might be actor Terrence Howard, while always-wrong Ken Jeong suggested another sometimes weepy thespian, Morris Chestnut. The key clue, as it turned out, was the singer’s early success with the ladies, who, he said, would often shower him with their undergarments when he was onstage.
On Wednesday’s rock-themed Group C finals show — which featured a cameo from Poison’s Bret Michaels singing “Nothing but a Good Time,” as well as covers of songs by KISS and Mr. Big — Husky got emotional with the Bon Jovi ballad “Always,” once again proving his range with a lighters-in-the-air-worthy performance. Jeong clued into a “wild” clue and thought it might be DJ D-Wrek from host Nick Cannon’s long-running Wild ‘N Out series, while Thicke clued in on a carousel and doubled down on his earlier guess that it was none other than “Pony” singer Ginuwine.
The night also saw the elimination of Tiki (Sebastian Bach), with Group B champion Sea Queen moving on to the season finale.
Billboard spoke with Ginuwine before his elimination about coming out of his shell to do the show, why the Husky appealed to his “go-getter” personality, and how he felt about the viral Justin Timberlake “fo shiz” moment in Britney Spears’ recent The Woman in Me memoir.
You’ve done a bit of reality TV, including Celebrity Big Brother in the UK in 2018, but is it safe to assume this was even weirder than sharing a house with a drag queen, ballet dancer and a detective?
It’s two totally different shows. … I’m pretty much a reserved person. I try to stay out of the limelight as much as I possibly can, but over the last few years, I’ve tried to get out of being such a loner and come out of my shell and try some things, so I just gave it a chance. Now I’m back in my reserved mode.
In which case, how did you end up on the show? Was it your idea?
Oh no! It wasn’t my idea at all! They just happened to call. I was pretty much forgotten for a minute until this year, a couple things went viral and my name was poppin’. … I definitely wasn’t even trying to go viral — that’s not my thing. Crazy stuff happens. [Laughs] But it was good because I got to try out new things.
Did you think you had a chance at winning?
Again, anything I was gonna try, I’m definitely gonna try to win, but there were obstacles that stop you. You have no authority over whether you stay or go; you just do your best and hope for the best.
Talk about those obstacles — what made it hard for you?
[Laughs] Wearing that mask! Because it was real hot and very uncomfortable. I had fun, but the only reason I felt like I didn’t make it as far as I possibly could have was because of the mask … which was very hot and I have asthma, so it dried me out and I couldn’t sing as well as I usually do. I was hoarse a whole lot. If you came to one of my concerts, you would definitely see a big difference, but I have no regrets. I’m glad I did it.
Gotta ask: Why Husky?
They sent me that one, and right off the bat I could relate it to who I am: an alpha male, a go-getter and just focused on whatever it is that I try. So that was the one that suited me perfectly.
And, like, a horse would have been too obvious right?
[Laughs] Yeah, that would have been way too obvious!
You really got to spread your wings, singing a couple of rockers from Elton John and Bon Jovi — plus that Rick James jam — how did it feel to get out of your comfort zone?
They picked those, but I was real happy about the Rick James one, but I didn’t know the other two. I had to learn them and they were totally out of my comfort zone. I’ve been in this business for 27 years and I’m used to doing my own stuff, not stuff I have to learn.
The guesses were all over the place — Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Brian McKnight — how did you feel about them? Did any of them piss you off?
Nah, I wasn’t pissed off about the guesses; that’s part of the fun. I was more like, “You think it’s Brian McKnight? We sound totally different!” I knew Robin would have a better guess than anyone else because I’ve been around him a lot. Because I was hoarse, I might have sounded a little less familiar and I was trying to throw them off so they couldn’t get it, and I wasn’t going to try to sound like myself.
It’s been more than 20 years since you released a new album, do you have anything in the works?
The state of music, in my opinion, has changed dramatically. Unless you have a big machine behind you, a song lasts a month, but back in my day one song could last a whole year. It’s oversaturated and, for me, I’m just humble and blessed that I came out in the ’90s era with music that still stands the test of time. I’ve never worked as much as I’ve been working in the last 10 years — doing shows, people using my music, all that — and so I really don’t have to work, which is a blessing for me to do the ’90s tour all over Australia, Japan, and because I wrote so much of my music back in the days, the royalty thing is good.
You mentioned some viral moments earlier, so I have to ask about the Justin Timberlake “fo shiz, fo shiz” moment in Britney Spears’ memoir and if you remember that.
Nah, I don’t remember that. [Laughs] I would have probably looked at him very weird if he did that like she said. I just don’t remember that, but I remember him being a cool dude and me kicking it down there in Florida with [*NSYNC’s] producer at one time. Nah, I don’t remember that.
I have to ask because I’m obsessed: Is it fair to say — as I do all the time — that “Pony” has basically become the modern shorthand for sex thanks to Magic Mike and every karaoke bar playlist over the past 20-plus years? How does it feel to have a Marvin Gaye-level sex jam in your catalog?
I couldn’t have said it better myself! You absolutely hit it right on the head. The No. 1 karaoke song and it’s stood the test of time. Even more successful artists than myself have used it … Rihanna [2014’s “Jump”], Britney [a viral ALTÉGO “Toxic Pony” remix], Drake [2016’s “Fake Love”] … so many people. So it introduces me to the younger generation and it keeps me relevant.
Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (Nov. 29) episode of The Masked Singer.
With his rakish graham cracker, marshmallow hat and chocolate-dripping goatee, the swashbuckling S’more had a killer run on The Masked Singer. The clearly veteran stage performer displayed his personality and people skills early on during a swoony run through The Plain White T’s’ “Hey There Delilah,” which made judge Nicole Scherzinger “melt.”
After the snack singer told viewers he’d spent time on the road with his “brothers” back in the day and revealed that he’s a dad, Scherzinger guessed New Kids on the Block singer Jordan Knight, or maybe Jury Duty actor James Marsden. Meanwhile, always-wrong panelist Ken Jeong guessed Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas, while Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg — an avowed expert on boy bands — cued in on a “hairspray” clue and though it could be O-Town singer and Broadway vet Ashley Parker Angel.
S’more, who also brought it on NFL Night with Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” — during which the tall drink of water scored a touchdown with his smooth moonwalk — got the judging panel lasciviously touching marshmallow props along with him after his crush-worthy take on former One Direction member Niall Horan’s solo hit “Slow Hands.”
His last splash was on Wednesday night’s (Nov. 29) Disco Night Group A finals, where S’more went up against Cow and Gazelle as he took on one of his favorite dance-floor hits, “That’s The Way (I Like It)” by KC and the Sunshine Band.
Other clues along the way included his journey from obscurity to worldwide fame and “heartthrob status” in just weeks, as well as a Chicago deep-dish pizza and oranges, which led to some more close-but-not-quite boy band guesses, including *NSYNC’s JC Chasez, Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson and Jeong’s other swing-and-misses: Shang-Chi star Simu Liu or BSB’s AJ McLean
All wrong, however — except for McCarthy-Wahlberg, who, as it turns out, had already correctly guessed that the singer was none other than Wicked‘s Fiyero Tigelaar, aka O-Town’s Ashley Parker Angel.
Billboard spoke to Angel before his elimination, asking what inspired his return to singing, whether this is a precursor to a boy band reunion, and how he felt watching one of his favorite groups, *NSYNC, come back together after a 20-year hiatus.
You’ve done time on a number of reality shows — Celebrity Cooking Showdown, Celebrity Surf Invitational, Making the Band — how did this experience compare?
This was unlike any other experience Ive ever had. It’s such a unique style show. I had watched the previous seasons and a lot of my family are obsessed [with it] and I’d had a lot of people guessing I was characters from previous seasons. But I never thought I’d be in a giant S’more costume performing these awesome songs I got to sing.
Why now? What inspired you to do this show at this point?
I had taken a break from performing for a little while after Wicked on Broadway and I moved home to focus on being a dad and then the pandemic hit and I started an online fitness company [High Level Performance Academy] and it ended up being so fulfilling working with people who had followed my career and it felt like I was making an impact helping people change their lives for the better. I told my agent this was what I was focused on and they were ready to let me me go because I was turning down so many things and stepping away from entertainment, which is what I’d done for 20 years as a singer, actor and performer. When I got the call for The Masked Singer, I already loved the show, so it was kind of perfect. Who doesn’t love to see their favorite celebrity get revealed? So I said, “hell yeah!”
Is this a precursor to you returning to the music biz?
I’ve been getting this question a lot and the truth is I love what I’m doing now as a health and wellness coach, but I had this opportunity now that my son is older and I wanted him to have a moment where he could see his dad on stage because I’d stepped away for a solid amount of time. It will always be a part of who I am, but no. I have no plans to launch an album or do music again. I get questions about an O-Town reunion [the group reunited in 2013 without Angel] and I’m not excited about that at this time in my life. I’m always excited about evolving to the next stage and taking on new challenges.
So many of the guesses were other boy band members — was that flattering?
It was, and the one I loved the most was Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20… I’m a huge fan and it was an honor and a privilege to have that guess. One of the things was that the mask looks so much like Kevin Richardson with that goatee, but that would have been almost too on-the-nose.
Jenny seemed to know it was you from the jump, though. What do you think gave it away for her?
She knows her MTV, as she said, and I feel like because of that clue the night that she guessed [a video of S’more curling dumbbells], that was unique to what I’ve been doing the last five years.
You got to show off your indie rock, disco and pop chops on the show with songs by Maroon 5, Plain White T’s and the Sunshine Band. Was it fun to tap into those different aspects of your vocals?
Totally. And the KC song, that’s one of my all-time favorite disco songs. With Niall from One Direction, of all the boy band members he looks like my younger brother and doing another boy bander was a nod to my boy band past.
You said you were nervous at first and you said you did tons of cardio to get your breath. But judging by the many ripped, shirtless pics on your Instagram, it seems like you’re probably in the best shape of anyone who has ever been on the show.
You are far too kind. I am 42 years old, so it’s not quite the same as in my 20s. And now I’m in a giant, heavy costume. They did say with your boy band background and Broadway experience, they wanted to give me a lot of choreography, and I said yes and then later I almost regretted it singing these songs — which takes so much breath — and adding the choreography. My focus on fitness gave me a real advantage. If not, I couldn’t have made it through one song.
Was part of your strategy flirting with the female judges?
I really tried to be as creative as possible during this process and I kept asking for these moments I might have with the judges. My idea to sing and serenade Nicole was because going back to when she was in Eden’s Crush and we would play a lot of the same shows, I’ve always been a huge fan, so it was really fun to ham it up and switch around some of the “Hey Delilah” lyrics to sing it to her.
Your old pals in *NSYNC recently got back together after 20-plus years. What did you think of their return?
I am friends with those guys and I think it’s awesome and I celebrate it. One of my audition songs for O-Town was *NSYNC’s “Tearing’ Up My Heart.” When i was in high school, Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC were the biggest bands in the world and O-Town was from the same camp, but I declined an opportunity to rejoin O-Town because it’s not exciting to me where I am in my life now.
The Masked Singer season 10 kicked off on Wednesday night (Sept. 27) on Fox, and saw a brand new cast of elaborately costumed players performing to see who will emerge as this cycle’s champion. The first unmasking of the season came courtesy of the Rubber Ducky, who took to the stage of the competition show to performing his rendition of Dexys Midnight Runners’ hit “Come on Eileen.”
After the performance, judge Ken Jeong had nothing but praise for the star underneath the mask. “I dare say this is the most fun performance of the night,” he said. “I love everything about this. Amazing job.”
The duck gave a clue that revealed his family is “full of stars,” which prompted Robin Thicke to guess he’s a comedian. “I’m definitely getting a comedian vibe from this guy. I’m thinking famous families, and this guy is known for being in very famous horror movies like Scream … what if this is David Arquette? Famous brother of Patricia Arquette?” he wondered.
Fellow judge Jenny McCarthy, however, had others in mind. “That’s not bad. I could see David doing something like this,” she said. “But … what about Wayans brothers?”
Jeong, who is a comedian outside of the show, put his knowledge to the test and shared his expert opinion on why it couldn’t be one of the Wayans brothers. “They’re, like, two of the most celebrated, legendary stand-up comedians of all time. This person said he did stand-up comedy, he didn’t like it, so right now I’m thinking Anthony Anderson,” he explained. “Anthony Anderson is not known for stand-up, but he is one of the best comedic actors around. That is something that is screaming Anthony Anderson. Great job, Anthony!”
Sure enough, Jeong’s guess was spot on. Anderson was unmasked and joked, “Ken, you finally got something right, baby.” The judge replied, “It’s a season 10 miracle!”
Anderson followed up his elimination with a hilarious exit interview that held a few insights as to why his performance didn’t take flight flight like he intended it to.
“I flew all the way from South Africa to be on the show, and they kicked me off! I’ve always wanted to do The Masked Singer. I got the call, and I was like, ‘Hell yeah!’ My performance … I will admit was slightly off a little bit. I think I was trying to perfect it in rehearsal,” Anderson said. “When it came time to showtime, I didn’t have anything left to give. I over rehearsed. Come on … you’re supposed to breathe through the diaphragm and I have a huge head, but they gave me a small mask. And the mask constricted my mouth from opening to hit the notes I wanted to hit. I mean … yeah, it’s over right now, but … I’ve got your number.”
Watch the judges try to figure out who was behind Rubber Ducky in the above video, and watch the comedian’s exit interview below.
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Robin Thicke grew up on TV sets. His beloved late father, Alan Thicke, played everyone’s favorite TV dad, Dr. Jason Seaver, on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, as well as hosting game shows and talk shows and producing and writing the iconic theme songs to a number of sitcoms (Diff’rent Strokes) and game shows (Wheel of Fortune).
But after deciding early on to focus on music and releasing eight studio albums — including 2013’s multi-platinum Blurred Lines, which featured the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping title track — Thicke took what he thought would be a brief detour into prime-time TV when he joined the panel of The Masked Singer.
Fast-forward more than four years, and Thicke is gearing up for Wednesday night’s (Sept. 27) launch of the reality singing competition’s 10th season and marveling at how much joy he takes from the guessing games he gets to play with fellow panelists Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg every week.
Before the season 10 debut, Thicke sat down with Billboard for a chat about this year’s new format; whether he really, seriously has no idea who is under those masks; his opinion on why the show has struck such a chord with viewers during a wild few years; and his plans for the follow-up to his 2021 album On Earth, and in Heaven.
Your dad spent seven years in prime time on Growing Pains and logged hundreds of episodes on game shows. Did you ever imagine you’d follow in his footsteps and put up 10 seasons on a prime-time show?
There was a moment when I never saw myself as a TV guy. I loved and idolized my father — he was my Greek God — but I definitely wanted to pave my own way and be an artist and I didn’t see myself as a TV guy. Then, this opportunity came and when we finished the first season and T-Pain was the winner as Monster… I came home and said, “This could be a hit show!” I looked up at the sky and said, “My dad would love this.” He loved prime-time TV and he loved hosting all kinds of shows and would have been jealous of [Masked Singer host] Nick Cannon. He loved every day of work and always joked that he was the affordable [season 8 Masked contestant and Star Trek star] William Shatner.
This season will really mix it up, taking the best styles from previous seasons, using the Wild Card, Battle Royale and Ding Dong Keep It bell and all kinds of themed nights (Elton John, Harry Potter, Trolls Night). How do you keep things fresh after this many seasons?
Any time a show gets around season 7, it starts to stale out and you have to rejuvenate it. The last few seasons the theme nights have been so fun — Elton John, the disco night we did last season was amazing — and I think what’s great about season 10 bringing back favorite contestants (Jewel, Bret Michaels, Le’Veon Bell) and the fan-favorite elements from previous seasons [will keep it fun].
Do you have any say in the theme nights? This year’s sounds fun: NFL, One Hit Wonders…
It gives us a chance to dress silly like we’re going to a themed birthday party. It’s a blast to dress up. We are so in love with each other from the beginning. I had never met Ken, but I knew Jenny from a couple parties and Nicole and I were both on Interscope at the same time… Nick and I knew each other from the Real Husbands of Hollywood. In fact, Nick was the one who suggested me [for the panel], so I have to thank him for. When we first started I didn’t know if it was my thing, but then I kind of fell in love with it and it was a blessing.
Readers ask all the time, so I have to ask: Do you really have no idea who the singers are?
Absolutely not. We’re not near them and we don’t hear them warming up. Most of the time, up until the last second [I don’t know who they are]. It’s only when I hear a familiar voice that I’ve listened to a million times and know the voice in my head [that I can guess it]. The amount of times when one of us thought we were 100% sure and were wrong…
I am a bit bummed that he’s never tweeted at me about it — since I have consistently referred to him as “Always Wrong Ken Jeong” — but, seriously, how does the good Doctor always get it so wrong?
He’s starting to take it more seriously lately. But he’s the court jester and he loves to have fun and nobody has more fun than Ken. He brings the drama and energizes the crowd.
Have there ever been ones that you figured out right away because they had a tell only you would know?
I used to watch the Ricki Lake show as a teenager in school, and when she was touching her heart when she was speaking [during season 1], I was like, “That’s Ricki Lake!” And when [fellow season 1 contestant and NFL great] Terry Bradshaw laughs, his shoulders pump up and down, so as soon as he started talking I was like, “That’s Terry! I know that laugh!”
You have four kids, and contestants often tell me they do the show because their kids love it or they love watching with their kids. How do yours feel about it?
They love it. Because of COVID restrictions, I finally just brought the three young ones to their first full shoot during season 10, and they had the time of their lives. Their eyes were glued to the stage and they asked all kinds of questions later. I think it’s kind of a surreal, magic land experience with crazy characters and beautiful scenery and amazing music and dancing.
I know Nicole is still around this season [before sitting out season 11 during her current run as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard in London], but how do you feel about Rita Ora stepping in for the next one?
Nicole is part of the OG four, so she’s on Mount Rushmore. We’re so lucky to have Rita, who is just a pro and so lovable and funny. … She blended in perfectly and is also a ham like the rest of us. We blend in like a nice smoothie.
Why do you think this show has struck such a chord with viewers? Is there something about this crazy time we’re living in that has made it so popular?
You can do everything by yourself now with streaming [and phones]. The warmth of community and brotherhood and sisterhood is dwindling, so I think it’s important any opportunities we have to go to a ball game or go with a bunch of friends to a concert where everyone puts their phone down to watch the show. That’s rare in these days and the bond we bring is meaningful.
This show has kept you busy for years, do you have any music you’re working on to give you a break from your day job?
My home burned down in the [2018] Malibu fires, so I’ve been on the road for four years and having children, so I have a big vault of unreleased music. Since we moved back to the Malibu house, the past eight or nine months have been the most productive I’ve been for years. I’m excited for new music at the top of 2024… I have 75% of the album done.
