Sure, it’s commonplace for Super Bowl halftime show performers to lip sync (looking at you, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira), but what about the celebrity contestants on “The Masked Singer”? Are they lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks or are they singing live through their masks? Last year the reality TV show’s developer Craig Plestis addressed this very question, and his answer might surprise you.
“Everyone had to sing live and they only had one take each,” Plestis confirmed, which effectively put an end to all of the conspiracy theories about lip-syncing. He added it was “really difficult designing the masks and getting that great audio level,” because designer Marina Toybina‘s costumes were so elaborate. Toybina received an Emmy nomination for her work on the first season.
“The Masked Singer” started out as a South Korean TV show, “King of Mask Singer.” It became such a hit there that Fox decided to develop it for American audiences. The results were colossal as it quickly became the most-watched show in the country. Season 1 ended with rapper T-Pain (the Monster) winning, while Season 2 resulted in a victory by actor/comedian Wayne Brady (the Fox).
Knowing now that all of these celebrities from different fields are singing live underneath their extravagant costumes, it makes their work on the show all the more impressive. Tune in Wednesday on Fox as the five surviving contestants from Group A — Kangaroo, Llama, Miss Monster, Turtle and White Tiger — perform to advance to the next stage of the competition.
The Season 3 premiere ended with five-time Grammy winner Lil Wayne being revealed as the Robot. “My kids watch the show,” he told Nick Cannon in his end-of-show interview. “I know they’re gonna like the Robot costume, so it’s Daddy.” Lil Wayne was eliminated following his raspy rendition of “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” though he definitely left his mark on the show as he’s one of the biggest celebs to ever take part … and sing live.
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