On Tuesday night, The Masked Singer unmasked the most talked-about character of all: Baby. With its giant head and mechanical eyes, Baby commanded attention as soon as she walked into the room.
She made it in the top five, delivering one huge performance after another, but sadly, her time on the show was up. Everyone was curious as to which celeb was hiding behind the mask, and it was none other than Australian singer-songwriter Ella Hooper.
She’s best known for being the lead singer of Killing Heidi, a rock band that formed back in the ’90s, before breaking up in 2006.
POPSUGAR Australia spoke to Ella and asked her everything there is to know about her experience on the show.
POPSUGAR Australia: How did you come to be on The Masked Singer?
Ella Hooper: Well, it’s not a very creative answer [laughs]. I got it through my agent, which is something I’ve done recently to branch out. A little bit of radio and a little bit of TV, and I think just starting to do a few more things like Eurovision — Australia Decides in 2019, and then people know you’re up for wacky stuff, and someone calls your agent and they say, “You’ve got a very interesting offer that you won’t be able to tell ANYONE about!” And I just decided to say yes this time.
PS: Whoever appears on The Masked Singer has to keep it a heavily guarded secret. So, who in your life knew that you were going on the show?
EH: Hardly anyone! It was tough, I told my mum, because she needs to know where I am at all times, otherwise she might get worried. I told my boyfriend, he was in on it, so he didn’t think I was cheating on him or anything like that [laughs]. And that’s about it!
PS: How long did it take you to learn your performance?
EH: There’s a little bit of rehearsal time, but not as much as you would think! It’s really hard being in the suit, so your time in the suit is limited. My time with the head on is even more limited, and I don’t know if you saw, but Baby’s head is the size of me, my whole torso and body. So, it was BRUTAL and I couldn’t last long, so my rehearsals were planning and just hoping for the best when I put the damn thing on.
PS: Your performance was amazing last night, were you shocked to hear that your time was up?
EH: Well I was but not because I thought I did it better than anyone else. We were down to some serious singers, and I think everyone who is remaining in there is mostly an incredible singer that I can’t compare myself to. I’m not even a trained singer, I’m not an acrobatic singer but I think I can give a good performance and do it with passion, and that’s what I can always do.
But I reckon it’s a pretty good selection left. So even though I was surprised, because it’s always a shock when you’re full of adrenaline and really pumped up and you’re up for anything, and then all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Oh, I gotta pack up my sh** and go home’, it’s always a shock. But totally fine, because I was kind of exhausted and ready to come home as well.
PS: Did you expect to make it in the top five?
EH: No! I didn’t. I didn’t know whether I would be in or whether I would be kicked off straight away. I was SO stoked to stay in so far, I mean I can say I beat Macy Gray in a singing competition. Which is completely ridiculous, because I adore Macy Gray and think she’s one of the best pop stars of the last 20 years.
PS: Your costume was HUGE, and you could really tell once you stood next to it. What was it like performing in it?
EH: That really showed the size off, or even when I took the hands off, I was like, “Oh my God, I’m gripping little rods inside those hands!” They’re really heavy and hard too, so it’s like they were gloves, I was waving around these really heavy paddles. So my arms were burning, my butt was burning, my thighs were burning. I’m really glad that I did some yoga and some training and got a little bit of my strength up. But it’s really freeing to sing when your identity is hidden, that was really interesting! Knowing that people are only focusing on the voice, and they aren’t focusing on you, which is a surreal kind of feeling.
PS: Who do you think will win?
EH: Ooooooh, I think Vampire is going to win — oh, but then again Dolly is exceptional too! For me, it’s between Dolly and Vampire.
Watch The Masked Singer at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10play.
