UFO on shocking Masked Singer panelists with her vocal talent and if she'd ever record an album
Warning: This article contains spoilers from Wednesday's episode of The Masked Singer.
The Union Jacks were everywhere and the tea and crumpets were had on this week's Masked Singer.
It was British Invasion week, fittingly airing ahead of King Charles III's official coronation event this weekend. Really all this meant for the show was that Gerard the Butler (not to be confused with actor Gerard Butler) delivered all the clues, and the remaining contestants had to sing songs by British singers or groups.
This led to Macaw kicking things off with "Your Song" by Elton John, California Roll tackling "Creep" by Radiohead, UFO singing "Tears Dry on Their Own" by Amy Winehouse, and Medusa performing her rendition of "Someone Like You" by Adele. Panelist Ken Jeong said at the top of the episode that he thought it would be the most intense battle yet, and he was right.
The quarterfinals featured some truly great performances, but inevitably someone had to get the ax. In the end, UFO got booted, sending California Roll, Medusa, and Macaw to the semifinals.
When it came time to unmask, UFO baffled the judges. Robin Thicke guessed Molly Sims, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg went with Gigi Hadid, Nicole Scherzinger picked Lily Collins, and Jeong guessed Rebecca Romijn. The out-of-this-world contestant ended up being model, actress, and influencer Olivia Culpo.
Here, EW spoke to Culpo about shocking the world (and panelists!) with her vocal abilities, whether or not she'd put an album out, and what's next for her.
Michael Becker/FOX UFO on 'The Masked Singer'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How familiar were you with the world of Masked Singer before doing the show?
OLIVIA CULPO: My parents are obsessed with The Masked Singer. So I was fairly familiar with the show. And I have friends who have done the show. They had really great things to say, and I'm friends with Nicole Scherzinger. So I was always keeping an eye on her. So yeah, there were a few common denominators for me.
I had no idea you could sing! Do you feel like it's a surprise for people?
I feel like close friends and family know that I love music and that I grew up singing and playing the cello. But I think as far as the public goes, I don't know if people really knew. I don't know, I have posted things before. And I definitely post the cello more than singing. I started playing the cello when I was six. So that's always been a huge part of my life. And then when I wasn't doing chamber music, orchestra, private lessons, band camp, all the things, I was in musical theater and took singing lessons. So I don't know, I just grew up around music, so everybody that knows me really well knows that. But I think some people who maybe don't know me that well will be like, "Whoa."
Have you ever wanted to put an album out or anything like that?
I don't know. It's really just — it's a hobby. You never know what would come up. I would be happy to do it more. I actually do this thing with my brother. He comes over all the time and he's like, "Sing with me! Sing with me!" Because he's a pianist. He makes me a martini and he forces me to sing with him. So on his Tiktok @Gusculpo, we have a few videos there. But aside from that, you know, it's just something that I've always loved. I really enjoy it. It's a fun pastime. If something were to come out of it, it would be cool. Otherwise, I'll just continue with my martinis, singing at home with my brother.
You said before that you know people who have done the show, and Nicole Scherzinger. So did your experience match up to your expectations from conversations with those folks about it?
It was different than I thought it would be in the sense that I had no idea the costume was going to be so heavy, and the headpiece makes it really difficult to project your voice. And honestly, it's just all a lot heavier than I thought. Performing in front of people anonymously was also so new for me. And I loved it. It was different. It was definitely outside of my comfort zone. But I think overall, The Masked Singer is about fun. It's leading with fun; it's not even about how great you sound. And that was a really liberating experience for me, because not everything that we do for our day-to-day jobs are about having fun. And this is like, that's the one piece of criteria to stick to, is have fun.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images Olivia Culpo
What's next for you?
I have a movie coming out in the next few months, [Clawfoot], and it's with Francesca Eastwood and Milo Gibson. That's pretty exciting. Aside from that, there are a few other projects I have coming up that I can't say too much about. I'm actually playing the cello this next week at the Best Buddies Mother's Day Brunch, which I do every year. My brother is playing the piano and my mom the viola.
That sounds great! I hope you enjoy the big reveal tonight, if you plan on watching...
Honestly, that's a good point. I hate watching myself, but I'm gonna really try to watch it tonight.
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