This week on The Masked Singer, the California Roll, which hosts Nick Cannon, called “one of the greatest bands of all time” and “the most unique act we’ve ever had”, got a raw deal, getting the chop ( stick) and heading home in third place – thus missing the Season 9 finale by just one week. And that despite the judges dazzling with a creative and sophisticated vocal arrangement of Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” that had Nicole Scherzinger raving, “It’s truly an honor to have you on our stage, because you’re masters at your craft. .”
However, it’s not like the sushi sensations really need any exposure, or any career boost they might get from a masked singer earn. They’ve already won another singing competition, and in the 12 years since, they’ve become YouTube superstars with over 5 million record sales and over 5 billion video views; won three Grammys (including Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their “Jolene” collaboration with none other than Dolly Parton); performed everywhere from the White House to the Hollywood Bowl; and released 11 studio albums, including a self-titled 2015 LP that historically established them as the first a cappella band to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Yes, in case you didn’t hop on Google or Wikipedia while browsing the previous paragraph, the California Roll was Singing Pentatonix champions. But most viewers had already figured that out from the iconic voices alone. The judges might have played dumb guessing that this sushi sensation was the cast of The Lion King, hamilton, musical high school, Dear Evan Hansen, In the heights, spring awakeningOr Perfectbut there really was no way for the a cappella quintet to conceal their signature, perfect harmonies.
“You defy all that the human voice can do. It’s so innovative and next level. We have champions, we have A-level artists, on our stage right now,” Nicole said.
Wednesday’s upset result was a redeeming and vindicating development for Medusa, who was nearly eliminated on this season’s New York Night after losing her Battle Royale “Uptown Girl” to the California Roll fivefold, but was saved by the very first of the judges. Ding Song Keep it on Bell. Now, after delivering a majestic semi-final performance of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” that was raw in its own way, and beating the California Roll in this week’s three-way Battle Royale of Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby.” , she’s just one episode away from running away with the show’s ninth Golden Mask trophy. However, she will have to survive next Wednesday’s most battle royal, against fellow fierce runner-up Macaw.
The fact that these two topped the California Roll proves what sensational singers they are and how competitive this season has been. So, let’s evaluate the clues, one last time… who are the jellyfish and the macaw?
First, the Medusa. It’s Bishop Briggs. It was obvious weeks ago (even though I first guessed that cold diva was Fergie), but on Wednesday when Medusa mentioned she gave birth to her son shortly after suddenly lost his “other half” and “biggest supporter” at a young age, which sealed the deal. Bishop became a mother in 2022, shortly after announcing that her sister and best friend, Kate, had died of ovarian cancer.
All of the other Medusa hints from this season also add up. First, this platinum singer with an ‘alias’ is a ‘dancer in the dark’ who grew up ‘away from the spotlight’ – and ‘Dark Side’ singer Bishop, real name Sarah Grace McLaughlin, is the daughter of Parents Scottish town of East Dunbartonshire, Scottish town of Bishopbriggs. (Two other clues to Medusa were a dog Scotty and a photo of the same named Sarah McLachlan, which inspired McLaughlin/Briggs to adopt a stage nickname.) Medusa also mentioned that “New York, New York” is the his father’s favorite karaoke song. and she grew up singing it with him, which matches two other clues: an international plane ticket and the year 1996, as Bishop moved to Japan with his family in 1996 and sang in public for the first time. at a karaoke bar in Tokyo. Other clues have included the Super Bowl (Bishop’s track “Wild Horses” was in an Acura Super Bowl commercial); a “True Love” chest tattoo (Bishop has a song called “Tattooed on My Heart”); Buckingham Palace (Briggs was born in London); a framed portrait of Chris Martin (she toured with Coldplay); rainbow backlit palm trees (she played Coachella twice – once when she was in the third trimester of her pregnancy!); and a DVD cover that boasted “$340 million sold,” which Medusa held up, saying, “Sometimes success comes in the the grayest Parks. (Bishop’s cover of INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” was in fifty shades lighter, which grossed $340 million.) She also said that she’s “technically been here before” and Season 6 champion Jewel (aka the Queen of Hearts) memorably covered the hit” River” by Bishop. And, of course, there was a crazy chess piece hint.
And then there is the macaw. Its identity was evident from the moment it opened its beak to sing. From the pure, pristine voice of this feathered friend, he’s clearly someone who’s been to a Fox network finale before: American Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta. But throughout the season, this rainbow-winged singer also made some proud statements like “After going through many life transitions, I feel like I’m capable of spread my wings and show my true colors”, “Being on stage in this costume makes me feel like myself” and “This is the year I decided to be brave not only on stage, but in my life. This week, before dedicating One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” to others who are “going through what I’ve been through,” he opened up even more by saying, “I was young [when I started out], so I wasn’t quite sure who I was and who I was supposed to be. But as I got to know myself, I was also afraid of who was. I thought if I told the truth, I would lose everyone. But when I did, it changed my life in such a beautiful way. It helped me to feel that I had nothing more to hide. This all points to David, now 32, who was just 16 when he competed on Idolpart of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum in 2021.
The ara also revealed that “the pressure of always being ‘the good son’ has brought me so much anxiety”, and said that he has been performing since a young age, but that the music “doesn’t certainly didn’t start out as a passion,” with his dad bribing him with quesadillas as a kid to blackmail him at a local Mexican restaurant. This all lines up with David’s well-publicized mental health issues and those of his father, Jeff Archuleta. Idol-era reputation for being an arrogant and overbearing dadager. We also saw a pot of salsa (a nod to David’s Honduran mother, who was a salsa dancer and singer – and a mention of a “love for the Philippines” (David’s fourth album, For all time, was released exclusively in the Philippines and featured covers of Filipino hits). And finally, there were several clues that the macaw is a veteran of the second-place singing show, including a silver medal, a “VOTE” election sign, and a confession that he “didn’t think that I would be dealing with the pressure of being on a stage like this again.
So can Archie win the whole competition this time around – and not just do what happened? american idol/masked singer former students Chris Daughtry, Todrick Hall, Tori Kelly and Katharine McPhee couldn’t, but also finally bring justice, peace and closure to these poor crying viral fangirls, 15 years after losing controversially in that ‘David vs. David” to David Bake on Idol? Or will it be the returning queen, the Medusa, who will slip into the winner’s circle? In their own way, they’re both looking for a second chance, and they both deserve it. Find out who wins when they face off literally and figuratively next Wednesday, May 17, in what could be the most competitive final ever. masked singer history.
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