Ne-Yo (‘The Masked Singer’ Cow) unmasked interview: ‘I’ve won Grammys, but I’ve never walked across the Grammy stage…I don’t need the Grammy stage!’
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The Season 10 finale of “The Masked Singer” took place Wednesday, December 20. Cow, Donut, Gazelle and Sea Queen each rocked the stage before audience members and panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger voted for their favorite. After the first round of voting, Sea Queen and Gazelle were eliminated and revealed to be Macy Gray and Janel Parrish, respectively. After a final showdown with Donut (revealed to be John Schneider), Cow was named the winner and took home the Golden Mask Trophy. The dancing dairy queen was exposed as Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ne-Yo.
“I was giving girl cow realness,” he told host Nick Cannon during his unmasked interview. “I chose the female cow because I can’t disguise my singing voice, but I can disguise my speaking voice, I can change that.” Although Ne-Yo has won major awards, there is one stage he never got to be on. “I’ve won Grammys, but I’ve never walked across that Grammy stage,” he explained. “I won in categories that aren’t televised. I didn’t even know they had Grammy categories that weren’t televised until I won my first one. They were like, ‘Congratulations! We’ll send it to you in the mail!’ I don’t need the Grammy stage! I got ‘The Masked Singer’ stage!”
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Ne-Yo dedicated this win to his mother, stating, “I grew up in a house full of women. My mother, my sister, my grandmother, five aunts and me until I was 16. I couldn’t tell you what the color of the walls in the bathroom were because I never got in there. But, what I learned in that house is the strength of a woman, physical and mental. I learned how to be a listener. I learned how to not be afraid of emotion. I learned how to stand on my own two. I learned these things from these women. My mother has been my rock for my entire life. She still is to this day, so this one is for you, Ma!”
Before the performer unmasked the panelists submitted one final guess for who they thought was hiding inside the Cow costume. Robin and Nicole both successfully put the pieces together after Cow’s performances of “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson and “Take a Bow” by Rihanna. Jenny and Ken missed the target, guessing Billy Porter and Usher, respectively.
In his clue package Cow revealed, “I originally chose to become the Cow because I thought it would be a super fun way to get my friends on the panel off my scent. But, even though I’m used to wearing different hats, being here has challenged me in a whole new way. I’ve had to relearn how to express myself entirely, from the way I move, to the way I dance. When you get to my level of success and fame, there are certain expectations and pressures to perform the same old way, so it’s been a blast getting to take on this whole new persona. The Cow, in a way, has also become a tribute to my mother, who showed me it’s okay to be strong and sensitive. So tonight, I’m channeling that same fierceness into the finale so I can win this thing for her and all the strong women who made me who I am today.”
Celebrities previously unmasked in Season 10 were Demi Lovato (Anonymouse) Anthony Anderson (Rubber Ducky), Tom Sandoval (Diver), Michael Rapaport (Pickle), Billie Jean King (Royal Hen), Tyler Posey (Hawk), Luann de Lesseps (Hibiscus), Metta World Peace (Cuddle Monster), Ashley Parker Angel (S’more), Ginuwine (Husky), Sebastian Bach (Tiki), John Oates (Anteater), Keyshia Cole (Candelabra), Macy Gray (Sea Queen), Janel Parrish (Gazelle) and John Schneider (Donut).
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