- 'The Masked Singer' has just concluded Season 10
- Superstar Ne-Yo was revealed to be the winner
- THIS is what he had to say about it
It's a wrap, folks! 'The Masked Singer' has crowned its latest champion, and the Golden Mask Trophy has found a new home with none other than the R&B virtuoso and actor Ne-Yo! The star-studded finale had fans on the edge of their seats, but it was "The Cow" who stole the show and our hearts!
Fans were shocked in all the right ways
Ne-Yo, speaking with 'ET', spilled the beans on his thrilling journey behind the mask. He confessed that the show reignited his passion for music, which had been dimmed by the industry's pressures. "This show.. [has] revitalized that joy for me," he exclaimed, revealing the transformative power of the Cow costume.
"It was totally done in an attempt to throw them off. I have a million speaking voices. I can change it, I can do accents, I can do different inflections and everything with my speaking voice. My singing voice kind of is what it is, though. There's no way around it," he said.
But fans were certainly not expecting him.
"I've always been very certain about who I am, what I am, what I can do well, and as Ne-Yo, I know what is the Ne-Yo wheelhouse," he explained. "But as a songwriter, I could be Rihanna, I could be Beyonce, I could be Omarion, I could be whoever -- as a songwriter."
"The music industry, as a whole, if you allow it, will kind of take some of that joy from you," he continued. "I didn't get into music to get rich or to get famous, I got into music because it's literally woven into my DNA."
The finale was nothing short of electric, with Ne-Yo's Cow delivering a show-stopping performance of Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation." He outshone competitors like John Schneider "The Donut", Janel Parrish "The Gazelle", and Macy Gray "The Sea Queen" to clinch the top spot!
It all began a while back
Ne-Yo broke into the recording industry as a songwriter, penning the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario. The single's successful release in the United States prompted an informal meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's label head, and signing a recording contract.
In 2006, he released his debut album, 'In My Own Words', which contained the US number one hit "So Sick". Then in 2007, he released his second album, 'Because of You' which contained the US top 3 hit, "Because of You".
But he wasn't done milking his golden hour yet. In 2008, he released his third album, 'Year of the Gentleman', which contained the top 10 hits "Closer" and "Miss Independent". His fourth studio album Libra Scale was released on November 22, 2010.
Since then, his career has consisted of hit after hit, but in recent years fans had heard very little from Ne-Yo musically. This made it a great treat for all when the mask came off and Ne-Yo was revealed. Hopefully, this will spur the superstar to go and write new hits that will have us "vibing" for years to come!
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They have officially divorced
Ne-Yo had given it a go with the U.K. version of the show as well but came in a a finalist. This is how he put to 'Entertainment Weekly'
"It wasn't so much about winning the U.K. version. Well, first and foremost, I did the U.K. version before the American version because I felt like on the American version, I would get caught quicker. People would recognize my voice a little faster. So I did the U.K. version thinking that I had a better shot at winning, and it turns out I didn't win and I was second runner-up, but that was fine"
In the end, he did win the show! Ne-Yo's infectious enthusiasm didn't stop there. He cheekily admitted, "I had a ball with the experience, and I would one million percent do it again if I thought I could get away with it."
His laughter echoed the joy he rediscovered through the competition.
